High school student Emma Molick thought she wanted to work with younger children. After spending the summer as a teaching assistant with Clackamas ESD’s summer school program for migrant youth, she began to see a different future for herself.
“I initially wanted to work with younger students, but now I would like to work with upper elementary students because working with these students was cool,” said Molick, a high school intern in Clackamas Education Service District’s paid summer internship program.
For aspiring educators across Clackamas County, the path to the classroom often begins long before a teaching license is in hand. It may begin with a high school student discovering the joy of working with children, or with a classified staff member who supports students every day and is ready to take the first step toward becoming a licensed teacher.
With support from Meyer Memorial Trust, Clackamas ESD helped make that path more visible, more affordable, and more attainable.
The funding supported two connected efforts to strengthen educator pathways: a paid summer internship for high school students and a teacher residency for classified staff pursuing careers as licensed educators. Together, the efforts reflect Clackamas ESD’s commitment to investing in local talent, removing barriers to the profession, and helping future teachers gain the experience, mentorship, and financial support they need to serve students and families.
Building a Workforce That Reflects Oregon’s Students
For students, seeing educators who understand their communities and lived experiences can help shape whether school feels welcoming, relevant, and possible.
In Oregon, more than 41% of K-12 students are students of color, while fewer than 14% of educators share their racial or ethnic backgrounds. Closing that gap requires intentional approaches that help more students and school staff see teaching as a possible, supported, and meaningful career.
Clackamas ESD’s project, Community Educators to Empower Our Youth, was made possible through Meyer Memorial Trust’s Our Empowered Youth program. The project reflected a shared belief that strong educator pathways can begin within local communities, with people who already know and care deeply about the students and families they serve.
Helping Students See Themselves as Future Teachers
The paid internship was offered in partnership with Clackamas ESD’s summer school program for migrant youth. High school students from participating districts who completed a Clackamas Community College advanced college credit course were eligible to apply.
Two interns were recruited and supported by Clackamas ESD. During the 2025 summer school program, they served as teaching assistants, gaining hands-on classroom experience while working alongside dedicated teacher mentors. Grant funding provided stipends for mentors and supported working lunches where interns and mentors could meet, plan, and coordinate to create a meaningful classroom experience.
For intern Vanessa Valdovinos, the experience affirmed her interest in becoming a teacher while giving her a new perspective on working with elementary students.
“I want to be a teacher and had previous experience working with preschoolers, so I wanted to work with littles as well,” Valdovinos said. “But working with K-4 students worked out, and this experience was more structured than my previous experience working with students. My mentor Hadley was so sweet. She’s my ideal teacher and inspiration. Hadley is who I want to be.”
The internship helped both students build confidence and practice skills they can carry into college, careers, and future classrooms. Molick said she became more comfortable speaking up in front of students and being “one of the adults in charge,” while also learning the importance of self-advocacy and taking charge when needed.
The interns also learned that classroom work requires patience, clarity, and flexibility, especially when helping students navigate expectations and routines.
“The challenging pieces for me were being direct with students and rewording what I wanted from them so it was clear,” Valdovinos said. “I needed to find ways to let students know we interns were not their peers and deserved respectful behavior from them.”
Molick said she also learned how much intentionality it takes to guide student attention and participation, including finding ways to keep students engaged and encourage them to raise their hands rather than talk aloud.
Mentors said the internship gave students an authentic look at the teaching profession while also creating space for reflection, encouragement, and honest conversations about what it means to work in education.
“The program offered an excellent hands-on experience for my intern, giving her valuable real-world insight even before her first college class,” one mentor shared. “It addressed a question I had as a student: ‘How does this relate to real-life experience?’”
Another mentor said the internship created opportunities to encourage future educators while also helping them understand the rewards and realities of the profession, including the challenges.
Both interns plan to continue their studies, with one attending Clackamas Community College and the other attending Portland State University. By the end of the summer, both had gained classroom experience, stronger communication skills, and a clearer sense of how they might pursue education as a career.
The internship reflects research-based strategies for strengthening the teacher pipeline by starting early, offering high school students opportunities to earn dual enrollment credit, receive mentoring, and gain early exposure to teaching.
Opening Doors for Classified Staff
While the internship helped high school students imagine themselves in the classroom, the teacher residency supported current school staff who were already working with students and ready to take the next step toward becoming a licensed teacher.
For classified staff already working alongside students, the residency offered a supported way to move from helping in classrooms to leading them.
The grant made it possible to launch a teacher residency for current Clackamas ESD employees pursuing teaching degrees and licensure. The residency began in January 2025 and supported a cohort of classified staff through the coursework and requirements needed for preliminary licensure.
Eight staff members received wraparound support that addressed some of the most common barriers to becoming a teacher, including college tuition and fees, testing fees, materials, time, and access to experienced mentors.
Each resident was matched with a mentor who offered guidance on lesson planning, classroom management, and other aspects of teaching or program services, while also providing encouragement throughout the licensure process.
Removing Barriers Through Mentorship and Financial Support
Residents met regularly with mentors, set professional goals, and participated in site visits that gave them opportunities to observe classroom environments, instructional practices, and relationships with students. Visits highlighted strong teaching and support across Clackamas ESD’s Life Enrichment Education Program and Head Start to Success classrooms, provider sites, and district partner classrooms.
The residency was originally scheduled to end after December 2025, but when funding remained in the budget, Meyer Memorial Trust extended the funding period. That extension allowed Clackamas ESD to continue supporting residents through the winter term 2026, including another round of tuition reimbursement and mentorship opportunities.
For participants, the additional term was a game-changer, especially for those who had just begun the residency and needed sustained support to continue moving toward licensure. For residents, the initiative helped reduce financial pressure while keeping them connected to mentors and classroom-based learning.
Celebrating Progress Toward the Classroom
The residency culminated in April 2026 with a celebration, where participants received certificates of completion and materials highlighting classroom visits from the winter term. The celebration marked not only the close of a funding period, but also the progress of educators who are moving closer to their goal of serving students from the front of the classroom.
For interns like Emma and Vanessa, and for classified staff pursuing licensure, the grant did more than fund a program. It helped make teaching feel possible.
As Clackamas ESD looks ahead, the Meyer Memorial Trust grant has reinforced the value of pairing financial assistance with meaningful mentorship. By investing in aspiring educators early and supporting classified staff on the path to licensure, Clackamas ESD is helping build a stronger, more representative educator workforce rooted in community, experience, and a deep commitment to students.
