Alicia Villa, a student in PSU's Special Education K-12 master's degree program tutors bilingual children in reading during a summer practicum at Metzger Elementary School.
For Alicia Villa, the path to becoming a special education teacher wasn't a straight line — it was a series of discovered "sweet spots."
Coming off two consecutive 12-hour days of parent-teacher conferences at Floyd Light Middle School, where she is student teaching this term, Villa is tired, but energized. This spring, she will graduate from Portland State University (PSU) with a master's degree in special education. The milestone marks her transition from the role of paraeducator — assisting licensed teachers in classrooms — to a leading teacher role, where she can be a stronger advocate for students with disabilities.
"I realized that as a para, I didn't have a lot of power," Villa said, reflecting on the two years she worked in the Hockinson School District. "I wanted to be a stronger part of the advocacy that happens for students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). I wanted to do more."
This realization led Villa to apply for PSU’s Special Education K-12 master’s program.
From Quito to Portland
Villa’s journey to the classroom was seasoned by international experience and a deep-rooted desire to serve families. After earning her bachelor’s degree in child, youth and family studies from PSU, she moved to Quito, Ecuador, to teach English at a university. Though her program lost funding after six months and forced a return to Oregon just as the COVID-19 pandemic began, the experience solidified her comfort in multilingual environments.
It was her mother, a retired school psychologist, who nudged her toward the classroom. Villa began working as a paraeducator, where she found mentors like special education teacher Leslie Ruby. Watching these professionals navigate the complexities of student needs sparked a realization: She didn't just want to be in the room; she wanted to lead the conversation.
This goal became a reality several weeks into her spring term student teaching placement at Floyd Light Middle School.
"Yesterday I led my first IEP meeting and my first evaluation planning meeting ever," she said with excitement. "I felt a little shaky in the beginning, but I know my students and I enjoy sharing and talking about them. It went well!"
The Intersection of Language and Ability
As a Mexican-American educator who grew up in Oregon, Villa has a personal stake in her specialization. She is particularly focused on the intersection of special education and multilingual learners, noting the critical need for educators prepared to navigate this field.
"There’s not a lot of research about multilingual learners with disabilities, and not enough educators prepared to serve both,” she explained “Being a multilingual learner and dealing with learning disabilities is an extra level of complexity. Having been identified with mild dyslexia in the fourth grade, I understand that."
At PSU, Villa is part of the DICE PLUSS (Diverse Inclusive Collaborative Educators) scholarship program. The program provides financial support and specialized training for educators committed to working with diverse English language learners with disabilities.
In addition to the financial assistance, she said the mentorship and strong bonds formed with her cohort have been pivotal to her learning experience.
Through DICE PLUSS, Villa helped develop research projects and lesson plans utilizing the "PLUSS" framework — an overlay for existing curriculum that uses native language and visuals to make lessons more accessible.
"I’ve already used it to teach a lesson on the elements of story plot for English language learners in middle school," Villa said. "Without DICE PLUSS, my experience in the program and the field would have been very different. I am so grateful."
Lessons in Power and Advocacy
The 40-hour-a-week commitment of student teaching has been "intense" but Villa has found strength in her cohort and faculty. She recalls a recent conversation with Julie Esparza Brown, PSU professor of special education and chair of the Education Licensure department, that helped her navigate the politics of a school building.
"She told me that I was giving too much power to others and that I needed to hold that power for myself," Villa said. “It was sound advice.”
Villa uses her own history to build rapport with her students. When a student talks about their diagnoses, Villa is quick to share her own experiences with ADHD and learning disabilities. "I tell them, 'I also have some learning disabilities and school was hard, but I still went to college. You can do hard things.'"
Looking Ahead
As commencement approaches, Villa is preparing to apply for learning specialist positions across the Portland metro area. She hopes to find a collaborative school culture where she can work with multilingual middle or high school students, particularly those with behavioral and social-emotional needs.
Her philosophy for the future is one of resilience and optimism.
"I like to remind myself that there are 'sweet spots' throughout our lives," Villa said. "They are temporary, but they reoccur. I don’t know where I’m going to be yet, but I’m looking for those sweet spots and I’m going to celebrate them when they come."
Whether it's writing strong IEP goals or sharing positive success stories with parents, Villa is ready to step into her new role as a teacher. As she prepares to walk across the stage, she feels confident in her new skills, and clear about her goals.
“I hope that I’ll be an excellent advocate for my students,” she said.
Interested in special education? Learn more about PSU bachelor’s and master’s degree pathways.