The 2023 "Hope" Guerrier Fellows: Lesley Guerrero, Rebecca Kovacs-Guerrero, and Brenda Villa
Lesley Guerrero, Rebecca Kovacs-Guerrero, and Brenda Villa have been named 2023 Vivian Guerrier “Hope” Fellows. This fellowship honors longtime Gevirtz School staff member, Vivian Guerrier, who died in August 2007, after more than a decade of service to the GGSE and Teacher Education Program. This fellowship recognizes and encourages credential candidates who persevere in spite of hardships to accomplish their vision to become educators and who, like Vivian, inspire others with their courage and integrity.
Lesley Estella Guerrero (ella/she/ey) graduated from UCSB with her Bachelors in Sociology and a minor in Applied Psychology and Education. She has a variety of interests, ranging from esthetics, yoga, dancing, poetry, home design and overall holistic healing practices. She has tried various different things in her young life, and the thing she enjoys the most is teaching, helping, and connecting with others. This next step in Lesley’s educational and professional career is a dedication to the value and importance she sees in investing in our youth and communities.
Rebecca Kovacs-Guerrero (she/her/ella) completed her undergrad here at UCSB in 2022 and received her BA in Art and minor in Education as a first-generation student. She just celebrated 16 years together with her partner, and they have 2 wonderful boys (3 if you include their dog Bolillo). After following her passion for Art, she realized her passion was more geared towards helping others, especially in education. Rebecca’s connections with school aged children, along with witnessing the struggles her younger brother with ADHD and ODD faced throughout his educational journey inspired her to become a special education teacher. Now she is here in the ESC mild/moderate TEP program pursuing her Special Education credential and Masters in Education.
Brenda Villa (she/her) is a first-generation graduate student pursuing her Master's in Education, as well as a Multiple Subject credential at UCSB's Gervirtz Graduate School of Education. She earned her B.A. in Education with a minor in Business Management Honors from CSU Channel Islands in 2022. Brenda worked in healthcare before returning to school to pursue a career in teaching. Her love for learning and children called her to the teaching profession. She strives to teach her students the value of cultural diversity and educational equality. Brenda aspires to serve as an inspiration and a role model for her future students. Growing up in a heavily Latinx populated city of Oxnard, she hopes to give back to her community, and aspires to empower students to persevere despite any obstacles in their educational endeavors. She is determined to impact the minds of her co-learners positively.