My name is Sue Styren, and I’ve been working as an educator for over 20 years: 17 years at St. John Notre Dame in Folsom, seven at Sacred Heart School in Ventura, and additional years working as a trainer in the tech and aerospace industries.

I graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. While working in aerospace and with an HP workstation users’ group, I had the opportunity to gain experience in staff supervision and evaluations, marketing, logistics, and communication. I experienced a change in my personal life that caused me to reflect on where I was headed and where God was calling me to be. That revelation led me to pursue and obtain my teaching credential and Master’s in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University. Along my journey, I’ve taken several courses at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. I participate in professional development regularly and have added the Blended and Online Certification to my expanding resume.

As an educator, I’ve taught classes in grades TK through 8th, spending five years as a 3rd-grade teacher and the majority of my career teaching middle school students math, social studies, and technology. I’ve been blessed to be able to work not only in the classroom but also bring special programs to my campus, including developing and running a successful summer school program, MakerSpace, and STREAM Lab. A Catholic school teacher never wears one hat, and I served on our administrative team as vice principal, middle school director, and STEM director and chaired several accreditation teams.

I think it is important to instill a lifelong love of learning in our students and for the faculty and administration to model that desire and work ethic. Ensuring our students are prepared to take action on behalf of each other and their communities—being good shepherds of the earth God gave us—is critical. Our job is to form faith-filled students who are learning and serving with Christ while extending their goals to reach heaven and make the world a better place.