August 2018
While attending Washington State University, the value of giving back to the community stuck with me. During all four years of my undergrad I was a member of Circle K International. Service was a big part of me being so passionate about Circle K, but that was not the whole picture. The three tenants of Circle K are Fellowship, Leadership, and service. It provided me with opportunities to serve the community and hold leadership roles that would boost my resume. But most importantly, Circle K provided me with a place of belonging in a state thousands of miles away from my home and family. The relationships that I made with my friends in Circle K are stronger than even some of the relationships I have with my high school friends. Circle K was a community that allowed trust and comfort to cultivate. And this brought people together through the common goal of giving back to our community.My personal philosophy on education is that we, as educators, must create a positive student-centered classroom environment that will make learning meaningful and cultivate our students into good, THINKING human beings. Throughout my education, the teachers that I remember and the ones that had a positive impact on me all facilitated this type of classroom environment. In all of their classes I felt comfortable in; not only with the teacher, but also with my classmates. Being able to create this type of positive student-centered environment can facilitate and enhance the ability for deeper learning. Needless to say, in these classes I feel that I learned more and retained more from those classes.
~ Aladdin Roque-Dangaran