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Student Spotlight: Felisha Grosser ‘24 (Special Education)
“Teaching students with different abilities can be challenging, but rewarding. Roberts has done a great job with allowing teachers to understand different types of disabilities and how to best accommodate and teach each and every student we may come across.”
Felisha Grosser is a hardworking mom, student, teacher, and bartender. She’s in the running to become Rochester’s Super Mom!
What is your calling?
My calling is to be the best mom to my son, Brexton (5) and my two daughters, Zoey (2) and Ellasandra(10 months) I can be. I also strive to be the best partner to my fiance as well as an educator!
For now, I am enjoying my time in the classroom with my wonderful students. In the future, I hope to become an administrator.
How do you use your Roberts education in your role as a Special Education teacher at the Mary Cariola Center?
Teaching students with different abilities can be challenging, but rewarding. Roberts has done a great job with allowing teachers to understand different types of disabilities and how to best accommodate and teach each and every student we may come across.
What’s it like to be in the Super Mom competition!
It’s amazing! I’m so humbled to have made it to the semi-finals.
I was also featured in a RochesterFirst article, which was a really cool surprise.
Grosser's three children
The Super Mom competition is a nationwide contest allowing mothers the opportunity to earn $20,000, a weekend getaway in Palm Springs, California and a two-page article in Women’s World Magazine. Public voting will decide who the “Super Mom” is through either free voting or donations for extra votes. The donations support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to save and improve the lives of children.
The #1 mom in each group will move on to the final round with a total of 12 women to compete for the “Super Mom” title. Please help me get to that #1 spot by voting for me!
What is the best thing about studying your field?
I know it all. Just kidding! Although I have worked at Mary Cariola for 10 years now, I love that I continue to learn new strategies to incorporate into my classroom.
One example is technology. As educators, we need to stay up to date with current technology that is available to our students to keep them engaged and motivated.
Who is your favorite professor and why?
Marianne Blanda, Associate Professor of Education is such a saint. She motivated me so much during my undergraduate experience and went out of her way for me on many occasions.
To say I am honored to have her as a professor is an understatement.
How do you serve others?
Serving others is a priority to me. I often find myself putting others before myself.
My love language is helping others, acts of kindness and acts of service. I encourage and motivate my classroom staff day in and day out. I listen to others, as I may be the only person to take time to do so for them. You never know when someone needs a sounding board.
What advice would you give to incoming Adult and Graduate students?
If you are waiting to start a program, just START! This is the hardest part.
Go at your own pace. It is not a race. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed while juggling a family, job(s), and school. Enjoy the ride and make connections with your peers.
We have an excellent team of faculty staff behind us who want us to succeed. Use this to your advantage.
What academic or professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
My undergrad took me quite some time to complete, and that is okay. Having babies and working full-time was not easy, but I did it! Finding the motivation to start grad school with a newborn baby and my other two children, while still teaching is another accomplishment.
Plus, hitting my 10-year anniversary at Mary Cariola makes me so proud to teach where I am!
If you could help everyone understand one thing, what would it be and why?
Truly love where you work and what you have chosen to do as a career. When you love what you do, you can accomplish and overcome anything.