Life has a humorous manner of leading us to where we are intended to be, even supposing it’s not what we initially picked for ourselves. For Ember Freitas, assisting her circle of relatives — especially her sons with autism — turned into what helped her make the soar to earning her Masters of Education diploma in Early Childhood Education and Special Education on Saturday at Grand Canyon University.
Freitas and GCU go back manner earlier than her master’s software, though.
“I, without a doubt, started my undergrad at GCU,” Freitas stated. “I was a commercial enterprise fundamental, and I sort of simply felt myself being brought about a extraordinary path because of stuff that becomes taking place in my family.”
Eventually, Freitas sought out every other diploma software at another college specializing in autism and applied behavioral evaluation. After beginning at her new university, it wasn’t long before she noticed how different her online studies had been.
“I switched colleges, and I regretted it,” she said. “I did now not have a pleasing enjoy with the counselors; I did no longer have a pleasant experience with the one-of-a-kind branch, monetary resource. It was usually something, and it turned into actually demanding.”
When the time got here for Freitas to pursue a master’s, a good way to educate in her domestic country of Hawaii, she changed into pleasantly amazed to be reunited with GCU.
“I turned into looking at unique faculties, and I noticed GCU had a software and it was a dual-certification software, and I become like sure, yes, sure,” she stated.
She sooner or later received the assistance she wished together with her questions and credits her counselors with guiding her thru her online software. But that wasn’t the handiest issue that becomes one-of-a-kind from her enjoy at any other school.
“Even even though I become online, they made me experience a part of the college,” Freitas stated.
Freitas felt even extra connected at her graduation rite Saturday afternoon, whilst she eventually was given to see the campus and buy some GCU tools. She stated the revel in of sooner or later being at GCU changed into surreal.
It changed into a proud day for Freitas as she meditated on all of the odds that might have prevented her from taking walks throughout the commencement level to accept her diploma. She hopes she can encourage others to no longer surrender.
“I was a teen mom, and I had people inform me that I become never going to move anywhere,” she said. “I slightly graduated high college, each of my sisters went to college proper out of excessive faculty, and it took me a while. I’m 32 years antique, but I by no means gave up.”
Now she is the primary in her own family to obtain her master’s. She said she has in no way worked tougher for something in her lifestyle.
Freitas’ diploma makes her eligible for lease in Hawaii. She hopes which will get a task on the school in which she is pupil teaching.
