The gift of new possibilities

Brenda Gonzalez (’24, child development) never imagined herself as a future teacher. In fact, attending college at all once seemed out of reach — a dream forever deferred since her youth.

A mother’s love for her son changed all that. 

Today, Gonzalez is a candidate in San Diego State University’s extensive support needs special education teaching credential program. She’s interning in a classroom in her home community of San Ysidro, in the same school district where her 8-year-old son Gio is a student.

"It kind of works for the best,” Gonzalez said. “I'm not missing out on anything with him, and I'm helping other kids in the community who are like him.”

Gio was born with FOXG1 syndrome, a rare genetic disorder impacting development and neurological function. He uses a wheelchair and communicates through facial expressions and nonverbal vocalization.

When Gonzalez works with the children in her class, she can’t help but see Gio. 

And when she meets their parents and hears their questions and concerns, she sees herself.

"It just makes me feel sentimental because I know where they’re at,” she said. “I'm proud that I'm doing something that I like, and I'm proud that I'm doing something that (the parents) value. I know it's hard for them to let go — it's hard for me to let go too. We can relate. 

“It's just a different feeling when you're working with kids like ours.” 

Unexpected changes

Growing up as the second oldest of nine children raised by a single mother, Gonzalez did not have the opportunity to attend college out of high school. Instead, she had to go to work to help support the family.

Gonzalez eventually found a career with the County of San Diego, first marrying couples for the County Clerk and later serving as an intake technician at San Diego Central Jail. Along the way, she got married and started a family of her own. 

But her life was upended when her third child, Gio, was born and diagnosed with FOXG1. She made the difficult decision to stop working.

“I just dedicated my time to taking care of him and getting to know his disability and other families like mine,” Gonzalez said. “It was just something very different and scary, and we were trying to figure it out.”

When Gio entered preschool in 2019, his mother’s desire to learn more about children with exceptionalities led her back to school. She enrolled at Southwestern College to study child development. Her intention was never to make it a career — just to be more informed during Gio’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.

After earning her associate’s degree, she transferred to SDSU as a child development major. One day Regina Brandon, professor of special education, pulled Gonzalez aside after class.

“You know what?” Brandon began. “I like your story. I want to see you here doing what I’m doing one day.”

She asked Gonzalez if she planned to become a special education teacher.

"I don't know if I can do that,” Gonzalez hesitated.

Brandon persisted.

“I know you can. You're gonna be good at it."

In the end, circumstances proved Brandon right. Facing staffing shortages, the special education director at San Ysidro School District asked if Gonzalez would be interested in applying for a teaching position. Again, she wasn’t sure. The principal and teachers at Gio’s school kept up the chorus.

You would be great at this.

A new beginning

In May, Gonzalez walked at SDSU Commencement with her child development classmates: a proud moment for the first woman in her family to earn a college degree. Her husband then asked her what she wanted to do next. If she went back to work, he told her, he would support her decision.

She took the plunge — and she’s happy she did.

Gonzalez has spent more than a month working with students with extensive support needs in transitional kindergarten classrooms “and it just changed my complete idea,” she said. “My husband's like, ‘Do you still want to do this?’ I'm like, ‘You know what … I do!’ I know teachers can feel frustrated and stressed out — but I kinda don't. I like it.” 

Gonzalez is particularly excited about the opportunity to gain the trust of the parents in San Ysidro, a largely Latinx immigrant community where parents of disabled students often struggle to overcome language and cultural barriers as they try to get support for their kids. In Gonzalez, they see someone familiar. Someone who has been in their shoes.

"I struggled to give my son a lot of services, even to get him a wheelchair,” she recalls. “It was hard. I can't imagine what it's like for our families that don't speak English, don't know how to find resources and don’t have anyone that can guide them. Since I've done it myself, I can share that with them."

As Gonzalez prepares to enter the teaching profession, supporting families like hers is a big part of what drives her. But the biggest? 

Look no further than her beloved Gio, the son who gave his mother the gift of new possibilities.

“I'm here because of him,” Gonzalez said. “They always told me that he wasn't going to crawl. He wasn't gonna do anything, you know. But I worked so hard to get him anything he needed. Now I feel like I can do that with the other kids in the community as well.”

If you are interested in a career as a special education teacher, explore SDSU's credential pathways at teach.sdsu.edu.