{"id":222,"date":"2016-08-29T11:14:18","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T18:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=222"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:10:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T22:10:17","slug":"samantha-diaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/samantha-diaz\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing out the best in others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psychology alumna to help children with special needs, troubled pasts succeed<\/h2>\n
\"Samantha

When Samantha Diaz enrolled online with Oregon State Ecampus, she was a mom with a job and a husband in the military. Over the years, her family added two more children and moved across the country twice. Through all of life\u2019s twists, she thrived as a distance student and made progress on achieving her goal of teaching kids with special needs and those with troubled backgrounds.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Heather Doherty<\/a><\/em> \u00a0
\n<\/em><\/a>August 29, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

Being a student can be a full-time job on its own. But when you throw in parenting, working and moving across the country \u2013 twice \u2013 you have the story of a dedicated individual whose life goal is to be a role model and help others succeed.<\/p>\n

When Samantha Diaz enrolled online with Oregon State Ecampus, she was a mom with a job and a husband in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to show my kids that even though I\u2019m a mom, I can still go to school and I can still work hard for what I want,\u201d she says. \u201cI mainly wanted to set a good example for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had previously earned an associate\u2019s degree in early education, worked part time at a day care and spent time caring for her children while her husband, Albert, worked as a submarine nuclear mechanic engineer in the Navy.<\/p>\n

After moving across the country for the second time during Albert\u2019s post in the military, Samantha wanted to put what she had been learning in school in action, and she landed a job as a teaching assistant for a preschool special education class.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat changed me and made me finalize what I want to do in the future,\u201d she says.
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Samantha\"Play\"<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cI truly believe all children have the potential to be successful in many ways,” says psychology alumna Samantha Diaz. Watch the video to learn more about Samantha and her experience with Oregon State Ecampus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With her days beginning at 5 a.m. and wrapping up around 11 p.m., Samantha did everything she could to maintain a work-life-school balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully I went for Ecampus because I wanted to balance my school and my family,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was no way for me to go to school on campus with everything else going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

She transitioned to working with middle school-aged students in a special education class where she discovered her passion.<\/p>\n

Following advice from her Oregon State advisor, Nathan Walters<\/a>, Samantha switched her major from liberal studies to psychology<\/a> so she could learn more about the human mind. She hopes to inspire children with special needs be creative, engaged and empowered so they can make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe distinctive challenges of teaching children with special needs is what motivates me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt challenges my knowledge, my skills and how to be an effective teacher. I truly believe all children have the potential to be successful in many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I want to teach and guide these children to become creative, liberated, engaged and empowered to make a difference and change the world to be a better place.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In her online classes, she learned how to manage habits, reward certain behaviors and be patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone has the same behavior or learns the same way, so it was good to learn different techniques in the classes and apply it to my work field and at home,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Samantha graduated in June and plans on pursuing a teaching credential in special education and later a master\u2019s degree. In addition to teaching children with special needs, she hopes to expand her reach to working with juvenile children with troubled pasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have so much potential in life,\u201d she says. \u201cThey just need help finding their own positive qualities and unknown talents, and they need a solid support system. I want to teach and guide these children to become creative, liberated, engaged and empowered to make a difference and change the world to be a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pregnant with her third child, Samantha reflected on her time at OSU as she walked with her fellow classmates at this year\u2019s commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program really did help me gain more knowledge, not just about special education, but about the world in general,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She now looks forward to settling in to her new life as she supports her husband, who is completing his postbaccalaureate computer science degree online<\/a> through Ecampus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he would admit this, but I think that he saw me going to school and working and being a mother, and I think that he knows that if I can do it, he can do it,\u201d she says. \u201cHe loves school as much as I do. We\u2019re both Beavers now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Samantha<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>When Samantha Diaz enrolled online with Oregon State Ecampus, she was a new mom with a job and a husband in the military. Over the years, her family added two more children and moved across the country twice. Through all of life\u2019s twists, she thrived as a distance student and made progress on achieving her goal of teaching kids with special needs and those with troubled backgrounds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[640,96],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-health-and-human-science","tag-psychology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Samantha-Diaz-Main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-3A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":689,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/diaz-family-stater\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":0},"title":"On the right track: Hard work and online learning with OSU Ecampus help this family to a better life","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"December 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When Albert Diaz gets home and his kids are asleep, he\u2019ll study alongside the only Oregon State student he has met face-to-face: his wife, Samantha, a psychology major. She was the first in the family to enroll with OSU Ecampus. They have never set foot on the Oregon State campus.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Albert Diaz lifts up his son Gabriel and the two laugh.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Albert-Diaz.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Albert-Diaz.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Albert-Diaz.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":461,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/christiania-jefferies\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":1},"title":"Caring for others","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"April 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Psychology student Christiania Jefferies realized she needed a college education to provide the best care for her son with autism. So she enrolled in Ecampus and wants to help others in need too.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State Ecampus psychology student Christiania Jefferies plays in the damp sand with her son at a beach near their hometown of Tillmook, Oregon.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christiania-Main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christiania-Main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Christiania-Main.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":624,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/getting-a-degree-while-in-the-military\/","url_meta":{"origin":222,"position":2},"title":"Getting a degree while in the military: What you need to know","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"November 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Six years in the Navy gave Albert Diaz a lifetime of experiences and knowledge. 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