Hello, 

     My name is Cole and I have been a teacher all my adult life. I started teaching cosmetology at age 19. I have been licensed in Cosmetology, Esthetics and Nail Technology since 2002. I studied at Gene Juarez Academy and, after graduation, moved directly into their Instructor Training Program. After teaching at Gene Juarez Academy for a year I moved on to working behind the chair.  From 2004-2015 I worked for Northwest Hair Academy and held such positions as Instructor, Director, Instructor Trainer, and Curriculum Leader. From 2016-2021 I worked for Paroba College from as Education lead.  

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Working in the Beauty Industry

     My time working in the beauty industry has been invaluable to my growth as a teacher. I was fortunate enough to attend many trainings by companies such as Paul Mitchell, Pivot Point, Milady and Success Signals. Learning how to teach in a vocational environment has made me a creative educator. The student body I have encountered in the vocational setting has been extremely diverse and has included many students with learning differences and learning disability diagnoses. This helped build my passion for teaching in a learner-centered environment. At least seven of the twenty years I have been teaching included teaching and over-seeing instructor training programs. 

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Going Back to School

     When one of the schools I was working for went out of business, I decided to go back to school with the goal of teaching at a community college. I had become passionate about teaching students who didn't think they could learn. I decided on psychology as a focus because of my interest in memory, cognition and learning.

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Surprise...You are Autistic

     In the process of acquiring my degree I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This diagnosis has helped me understand myself much better as well as many of my students. Looking back, I think that being autistic has been very beneficial for me as a teacher. I credit my autism for my ability to break things down into bite size pieces for my students. It has also been beneficial in relating to students who are atypical.

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More recently...

     In 2021 I left the beauty industry to focus on completing my degree. In 2023 I completed my Master's of Science in Psychology.

     Currently, I am in the Neurodiversity Navigators program at Bellevue College.