{"id":2864,"date":"2025-10-21T10:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T17:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=2864"},"modified":"2026-04-02T10:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:39:31","slug":"yajaira-fuentes-tauber-science-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/yajaira-fuentes-tauber-science-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon State graduate shatters barriers, earns national science teaching award"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u2018sense of belonging\u2019 Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber felt while earning her OSU master\u2019s degree online is still empowering her as a lifelong learner<\/h2>\n

A lot has changed in the 14 years since graduating with a master\u2019s in science education online from Oregon State University. I\u2019ve moved states, become a mom, found my professional home, earned an Ed.D., and have continued to break glass ceilings.<\/p>\n

Though I started teaching in 2007, I was able to do so because I had completed an alternative certification program. In fact, the master\u2019s of education at OSU was the first formal, post-secondary training I completed in my journey to becoming a better educator \u2014 a journey I\u2019m still on as a lifelong learner.<\/p>\n

Despite being what some may consider a nontraditional student because I completed my master\u2019s degree fully online, Oregon State had a great impact both at a personal and professional level.<\/p>\n

\u2018Genuine support\u2019 for a first-generation college student<\/h3>\n

Oregon State Ecampus really fostered a sense of belonging in all courses, in our interactions with other grad students, advisors, you name it. I had the opportunity to attend graduation in spring of 2011, and while the visit was short, when I met my advisors and other fellow graduates, there was a sense of familiarity. To this day we still talk about the picnic my advisor planned on campus for my family and me the day before graduation.<\/p>\n

OSU acknowledged the significance of first-generation college graduates. I recall attending the ceremony where our achievements as first-gen graduates were celebrated and where I received the \u201cSi se pudo\u201d stole, my favorite to this date. Though this may not seem out of the ordinary, as a Hispanic, Latina, emerging English learner and first-gen graduate raised in a city ranked amongst those with the highest poverty rates in the U.S., I haven\u2019t always experienced this level of genuine support.<\/p>\n

\u2018OSU\u2019s online learning program helped build the foundation\u2019<\/h3>\n

The rigor of the classes and level of quality fostered my curiosity for data collection within the classroom and ongoing reflection. In fact, thanks to my advisor\u2019s encouragement and support, I had the opportunity to present my OSU class research at the National Science Teacher Association Conference during a roundtable session. Little did I know that this would be the first of many future opportunities to present and co-present at the local, regional and national levels.<\/p>\n

\"Yajaira

Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber and her family visited Oregon State’s Corvallis campus for commencement in 2011 after she earned her master’s degree online.<\/p><\/div>\n

Presenting at conferences helped expand my network further, opening new doors to take active roles in committees, review proposals for future conferences, and even serve as the Region 1 Secondary Director of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers. Even though I’m well into my 19th year of teaching, as a lifelong learner, I strive to stay up to date with pedagogy and tools that promote student learning, and it all started with someone who believed that my research was worth sharing.<\/p>\n

Contrary to some people\u2019s opinions around online degrees, the master\u2019s in science education program I completed online from Oregon State<\/a> was rigorous. I was impressed with the level of engagement during both synchronous and asynchronous sessions, as well as with the level of feedback offered by professors. OSU\u2019s online learning program helped build the foundation that opened the door to work on a contract basis for National Geographic as the teaching assistant for the course Teaching Climate Change in Your Classroom.<\/p>\n

The program also taught me the skills and laid the foundation for the experience I wanted my students to have when we ended up going remote due to the pandemic. Much like the experience that I had with OSU, I wanted there to be a sense of belonging and engagement that transcended our online interactions.<\/p>\n

\n

Tell us your story<\/h3>\n

Write your own Oregon State Everywhere story by sharing the triumphs and challenges you experienced while learning online with Oregon State University. Share your story \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Breaking the glass ceiling on a national level<\/h3>\n

The program, along with the experiences, prepared me for successfully completing my Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership in 2018. While many master\u2019s programs require 36 credits, OSU\u2019s higher expectations and additional credit requirements led to credit transfers for my doctoral coursework. Earning a doctoral degree was the ultimate educational glass ceiling to break, and OSU helped build a strong foundation, skills and confidence needed for me to join the 2% of adults in the U.S. with a doctoral degree.<\/p>\n

In January 2025, I received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching<\/a> from the National Science Foundation and the White House. Career-wise, earning this award was the ultimate career glass ceiling to shatter, and it was special because my son said, \u201cIf Mami can do science, I can do science too!\u201d<\/p>\n

I hope that sharing my story in the classroom will help inspire other students to see their potential and empower them to pursue their academic and professional goals.<\/p>\n

\n

Want to impact your community through education like Yajaira? Gain the knowledge you need by earning a degree, certificate or microcredential online or in a hybrid format from Oregon State University.<\/em><\/p>\n

Explore Oregon State\u2019s online education programs<\/a><\/h3>\n

(Photo of Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber provided by Poudre School District<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 4<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Despite completing my master\u2019s degree fully online, Oregon State had a great impact both at a personal and professional level. Oregon State Ecampus really fostered a sense of belonging in all courses, in our interactions with other grad students, advisors, you name it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":2866,"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":[1,677,8],"tags":[180,18,544],"class_list":["post-2864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-college-of-education","tag-ms-in-education","tag-osu-everywhere"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Yajaira-Fuentes-Tauber-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-Kc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2702,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/best-online-bachelors-degrees-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":2864,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State ranks in national top 10 for online bachelor\u2019s degrees for 11th straight year","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"CORVALLIS, Ore. \u2014\u00a0Following a year in which it received numerous national honors related to excellence in online education, Oregon State University is starting 2025 in a similar fashion. Today Oregon State earned a No. 7 ranking on U.S. News & World Report\u2019s annual Best Online Bachelor\u2019s Programs list, marking the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scenic image of the black entrance sign to Oregon State University with trees in the background","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OSU-entrance-sign-2022.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OSU-entrance-sign-2022.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OSU-entrance-sign-2022.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OSU-entrance-sign-2022.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/mat-beaverton-school-district\/","url_meta":{"origin":2864,"position":1},"title":"Oregon State, Beaverton School District to deliver new hybrid teacher licensure program","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"April 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Master of Arts in Teaching with an option in Clinically Based Elementary program is a two-year, full-time master\u2019s degree program that immerses students in the classroom from day one, where they will co-teach and work side by side with experienced Beaverton School District educators.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A teacher works with four students in the Beaverton School District. 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