Insert Hook here: Hello, my name is Ryan Martinez

I am 25 years old and I am originally from Southern California (Lancaster). I traveled a lot as a child and more so as an adult. I graduated from Quartz Hill High School in 2002 and then got my AA from Antelope Valley College in 2005. After that I moved to San Diego where I started undergrad work at CSUSM, but didn't stay too long. I ventured up to San Francisco and finished up my degree in English Literature at SFSU last January.

After high school I worked as a reporter for a small newspaper where I did page design. We relied on Macs to run out page-making software. I have relied on Macs ever since. I find them to be efficient and fun to use. I rely on my MacBook daily and use them at my current job. I am currently using Office '04. I wonder how this will effect my work in the class?

An idea that resonates with me from the Mission Statement is the process of learning being life-long. This is a powerful statement for me, because without this knowledge there would be a limit to the way I teach and also to the way I learn. This is reciprocal with my students. To understand that opportunities to learn are always occurring, means that you will always be open to new ways of taking in information and expanding your knowledge. All of the other parts of the statement, like social justice, cultural diversity, collaborative learning, etc. cannot take place without this idea ingrained in them. The ability to recognize this process allows for ideas on all other topics to take place, because those ideas come from people who didn't stop learning. They were and we are committed to learning from our past and present to create a better future for our youth. I can't say that the Mission Statement influence my decision to apply, but that doesn't take away from its effectiveness as a purpose.