“Education is not just my profession; it’s my vocation. I was born to be an educator.”
With these words, Yolanda Carlos, M.Ed., core faculty at the Pacific Oaks College School of Human Development and Education, encapsulates her unwavering dedication to the field of education.
From the small town of Barstow, California, Carlos’ journey to becoming an educator at Pacific Oaks College was unconventional. A high school counselor encouraged her to become a teacher, but Carlos was reluctant. “I first became a cosmetologist,” Carlos says. “That’s what I wanted.”
After beginning to raise her two children, she eventually found her true calling in teaching, driven by a deep desire to make a lasting impact. More than 30 years later, Carlos is celebrated for her extensive experience in all aspects of education, having presented at statewide and international conferences on anti-bias, STEAM specialization, and trauma informed practices for teachers.
Passion meets purpose
Before working at the college level, Carlos got her start in early childhood education at the High Desert Early Childhood Education Center. There, Pat Caldwell, Ph.D., the creator of that school, became a mentor to Carlos, encouraging her along the way to transition into educational leadership. Forty years later, they both serve on the board of the Lewis Center for Educational Research.
“I knew that I enjoyed being with young children, but I didn’t know how thirsty I was for understanding why,” says Carlos. “It’s wanting to be sure that they are equipped with a strong foundation for not just academic success but for lifelong success.”
Inspired by her own beginnings, Carlos started a regional occupational program (ROP) to prepare adults to work with children and fill the need for well-prepared early childhood educators in California. It was this investment in the community that led her to Victor Valley Union High School District, where she not only taught high school students but also ran a school enterprise Lab Preschool, placed students in a variety of educational settings, taught at the local community college, and taught parenting classes at homeless and domestic violence shelters.
Empowering the next generation
Carlos heard of Pacific Oaks College during her time working in early childhood education, knowing that the children’s school was renowned for the type of work she did. When an opportunity to become an adjunct faculty member arose, Carlos was quick to take it. After three years in an adjunct role, she transitioned into core faculty for the School of Education B.A. and M.A. in Early Childhood Education programs, eventually becoming vice chair. She was a member of the faculty council and served two years as the California Early Childhood Education Formative Teaching Performance Assessment (CalFTPA) design team member for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. She also presented at a STEAM international conference in Peru and the Learner Research Network’s international conference in Belfast, Ireland, on the topic of anti-bias education.
Carlos cites Pacific Oaks’ real-world application, reflection, and collaborative learning as some of the things that sets the college apart from other programs that prepare educators. “First and foremost, Pacific Oaks’ core values are lived out by faculty,” Carlos says. “Students understand they have a voice, and when we meet, we come together and to form a learning community,” Carlos says.
“As students learn about themselves and their professional growth, it opens them up to the new zone of proximal development of how they can help their learners, their school, and their community,” Carlos adds.
A journey of purpose and legacy
Going from working with young children to preparing college students and hopeful educators may seem like a big jump, but for Carlos it made sense. She knew she could make a bigger impact by helping educators be well prepared and equipped to go out and reach children.
“When I’m teaching the capstone course, which is really rigorous,” Carlos says. “I just tell my students that once they complete the Action Research project, no one can take away the deep knowledge of how to conduct an action research to solve problems encountered in the education workplace and the classroom. The program has been designed so that if a student is really invested in deep learning, they’re going to be well prepared.”
Above all, Carlos is thankful for her experiences, but she’s quick to put her students first. They’re the ones who are doing the work, who are unlocking that deep knowledge through learning and within themselves. Carlos is there to help them break it down complex assignments and assist students so they can successfully complete their degree program, she says.
“When students ask me, ‘What can I do with this degree?’ I always tell them that’s the wrong question to ask. Instead, it’s, ‘What do I want to do with this degree?’ And I share my own experiences: I did everything because it was my passion, to make a change in our community and because I was invested in the lives of children. As graduates invest in children, their communities and the profession, doors of opportunity will open for them to walk through so they can create the changes they want to see in the world.”
