My name is Delilah Montecino, I am a student at Pacific Oaks College pursuing a

bachelors degree in human development as a generalist. I created this portfolio to fulfill the
degree requirement in which I demonstrate the work that I did during my time at PO. My time at
PO seems to have flown by but I have gained much from my experience here, PO has a different
approach to learning, teachers are more accessible, they know each of their students and dont
just lecture at you. I have been fortunate to have great teachers who modeled facilitating and
created classroom environments where everyone had the opportunity to be heard and peoples
experiences were valued. At PO Ive learned to redefine what I think it means to be a leader and
teacher. Before PO I never viewed my self as a leader because I dont like to tell people what to
do but Ive learned that leading isnt just about bossing people around and I am excited to use the
things that I learned at PO in my future endeavors.
I havent decided where I want to pursue my masters degree but I do know that I want to
study school psychology because my long-term goal is to become a school psychologist. I want
to work with high school student because adolescents is a crucial time in human development but
I think many adults dont have the patients or knowledge to work with and understand them.
When I was an adolescent, and to this day my mom would say that she hated teenagers because
they are so difficult to deal with. I think this is the attitude of many adults because I often get
questioning reactions when I tell people that I want to work with adolescents. Those types of
reactions reaffirm in me that this is the group that I want to work with because many adults find
them challenging and I love a challenge. My adolescent years were challenging and full of
rebellion, I hated the world and I didnt understand why I felt the way that I did. Understanding
others and myself has always been my motivation for pursuing this particular field for my
education.

Another motivation for me has been my nephew, when he was born I was determined to
raise him differently than my siblings and I were raised. We were raised in a very authoritarian
household where we were expected to follow rules without question and rules were enforced
with threats. Our mom was more nurturing but she feared our dad just as much as we did.
Looking back on it I understand that my parents were raising us the only way that they knew
how so I wanted to learn a different way which is why I first pursued child development. One of
the things that I learned during the course of my studies was the importance of modeling the
behavior you want to seem from children. I took that to heart and have tried to be the best role
model possible for my nephew and 2 nieces. My nephew is a teenager now and I practice my
communication techniques with him and give him the time and respect that I wished for at that
age.
I have an auntie who passed away a few years ago, we became very close at the end of
her life and during one of our last conversations she told me that she admired how goal oriented I
was, that when I set my mind to something I did it. I always remember that and use her words as
motivation whenever I doubt myself. My goal is to eventually get a PhD but there were times
when I didnt think that was possible. Im the first female in my family to get a bachelors degree
so just getting to this point seemed far-fetched but now my goals seem within reach. I want to
help people realize their potential and attain their goals because I know what a fulfilling
experience that could be. I think that I have gained many valuable skills at PO to get me closer to
achieving my goals. I think that education is a life long process and Im glad to have had PO be
part of that process.