Welcome to Justine's little online world...

My name is Cara Justine Feaster.  Don't ask me why I go by my middle name, ask my parents, they named me.  I was born in a small town outside Dallas, Texas, lived in Huntsville, Alabama for a bit, Dallas again for a bit, and finally ended up in Escondido, California where I was raised.  I was homeschool my whole life, except for a brief and miserable stint at a public school for 8th grade. I have played tennis since I was eight years old, and dropped out of high school my freshman year in order to devote more hours per day to practicing.  Realizing that dropping out of school would probably not serve me well in the future, I began taking classes at Palomar College.  I moved to Las Vegas to attend a tennis academy for a year, during which time I also earned my high school diploma.  I was then recruited to play tennis for Nova Southeastern University, a private Division II school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  I received my Bachelor's in Psychology before moving back to Escondido in June of this year. After several months of living with my parents and having no clue as to what my next step in life would be, I decided that I would pursue my life passion and become a Special Education teacher.  I was told that Cal State San Marcos has the best credential program in So. Cal., so here I am.  Phew!

I would say that my proficiency in technology is average for my generation.  I know more than some my age and a whole lot less than others. I am an unashamed Mac lover. I think the advancements that technology has made and continues to make are wonderful and in general make our world a better place to live in.  However, I have strong opinions about the lack of human interaction that my generation and especially the generation after mine is becoming accustomed to.  Children who are raised on texting, email and instant messaging are at risk of never learning how to have appropriate face-to-face interactions, and I think interpersonal skills will become a greatly coveted quality.

The mission statement of the CSUSM College of Education did not factor into my decision to attend this university.  That being said, the mission statement does factor into my decision to continue my education here and to pursue the credential program next fall.  I am very impressed with the philosophy of the College of Education and the practical sense in which the mission statement is presented. Just about every school, college, educational establishment, restaurant and shoe store (kidding), has a mission statement, but I feel that often times these statements are just there for show and are riddled with fluffy filler words and sentences that look nice but often don't mean anything or represent the people who make up the institution.  The CoE mission statement is very practical and easy for students to identify with.  "Our practices demonstrate a commitment to student-centered education..."  This piece of the mission statement speaks loudly to me and is something I plan to focus on as I continue my studies and as I enter the credential program.