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Spotlight Archives
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Spotlight
Dr. Jorge Velastegui
"DO A JOB YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR
LIFE."
Irvine, Calif., March 1, 2008
Dr. Jorge Velastegui is currently the principal of Agnes Ware Stanley
Elementary School in the Garden Grove Unified School District. First as
a teacher, and now as principal, Jorge has advanced his love of learning
into a distinctive academic and professional career.
Jorge transferred to UC Irvine from UCLA in the fall of 1992. Over the next
two years, he completed coursework and obtained a B.A. from the
Social Ecology Department with a specialization is Psychology and Social
Behavior. After graduating, Jorge became a Claims Adjuster with
a large insurance company. Soon realizing that he wanted to contribute
something more important to the world, Jorge decided in the summer of 1996
that he wanted to pursue a career in teaching.
Jorge was hired as an elementary school teacher in the Garden Grove
Unified School District in the fall of 1996 and worked at Gilbert
Elementary School for the next nine years. In 2000, Jorge returned to
UC Irvine as a masteršs student in the Educational Technology Leadership
program in the Department of Education. In the masteršs program, he
met faculty and staff who changed his life, and he credits
Dr. Ann DeVaney for encouraging him to a pursue doctorate degree. Upon
completion of his masteršs program, Jorge enrolled in the UCI/UCLA Joint
Ed.D.
program. He is grateful for the guidance and support of Dr. Mark
Warschauer, who served as his dissertation advisor. Jorge is also
thankful for the support and friendship of Leora Fellus through his five
years in the Department of Education.
In the fall of 2005, Jorge left the elementary school setting and became
a high school teacher at Pacifica High School where he taught U.S.
History and Economics. Also in the fall of 2005, Jorge successfully
defended his doctoral dissertation titled Handheld Computers in Diverse
Classrooms: Educational Technology and Social Reproduction in Two
Southern California Middle Schools. In the fall of 2006, Jorge became
the Program Facilitator at Riverdale Elementary School; and in June of
2007, he was appointed principal of Stanley Elementary School.
Jorge communicates that he is grateful for the love and support of his wife
Holly.
He is thankful for his parents, who immigrated to the United States from
Ecuador and always taught him to give 120%. He acknowledges that he is
indebted
to the UC Irvine community who embraced and encouraged him. Finally, Jorge
is grateful to
be a part of the Garden Grove Unified School District team for the last
12 amazing years.
"I can't imagine another career where you can make such a positive
impact on the lives on young people everyday than that of being a
teacher."
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