Cynthia Ortiz Lopez and her daughter, Cynthia Irene Lopez, earn master's degrees this year.

Mother-Daughter Teachers to Earn Master's Degrees in Education

Both to Participate in Sunday's Cal State Fullerton Commencement

May 16, 2008 :: No. 269

Mothers and daughters aren't always alike. But for this mother-daughter duo, they have a lot in common: Both are teachers and both will don a cap and gown Sunday, May 18, to mark the completion of their master's degrees from Cal State Fullerton.

Cynthia Ortiz Lopez, an elementary mathematics coach, will be receiving her master's in education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. Her daughter, Cynthia Irene Lopez, a fifth grade teacher, will be getting a master's in education with a concentration in reading.

"I think it's very special. It's nice to share this experience with her," said the elder Lopez, a mother of three who has taught for 27 years. "I'm very proud of my daughter."

Daughter Lopez called it a memorable experience to go through the master's program with her mother. "It's helped my mother and me grow even closer."

While her mother has been an inspiration to her, Lopez said her desire to also become an educator came from a strong inner passion to promote lifelong learning in young children. "My mother said she had a calling, and I felt the same calling."

In 2004, the younger Lopez earned her bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Cal State Fullerton and a year later, completed studies at the university to get a multiple-subject teaching credential and bilingual certification. Her siblings also are Cal State Fullerton students. Her brother, Enrique, is an engineering major and her sister, Tiffany, is studying biochemistry.

Ortiz Lopez earned her bachelor's degree in liberal studies from USC in 1980 and five years later garnered her teaching credential. The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, she was the first one in her family to graduate from college.

It is a "big accomplishment that I'm getting my master's degree after all these years," said Ortiz Lopez. "But having three great kids who have sought higher education - that is by far my greatest accomplishment."

Ortiz Lopez is a math coach in the Whittier City School District, and her daughter teaches at Lakeview Elementary School in Santa Fe Springs. Both live in Pico Rivera.

Lopez, who teaches English language learners, said her master's project focused on creating a teacher's handbook about the vocabulary development of English language learners. She pursued a master's degree simply "to become a better teacher."

As a teacher, Ortiz Lopez was recognized as 2001 Bilingual Teacher of the Year and 2002 Teacher of the Year for her commitment to her students in the Whittier City School District.

One of her proudest achievements as a teacher is instituting family math nights at schools in her district to get parents more engaged with their children's learning, and to get students interested in math and be academically successful. The elder Lopez's master project focused on getting Latino parents involved with their children's math studies through "family math nights." She plans on publishing her work to "contribute to my profession" and to motivate more people to become math teachers.

Their commencement exercise will be held Sunday in the Titan Gym at approximately 9:45 a.m., following the 8 a.m. university ceremony on the athletics fields north of the gymnasium.

Media Contacts:
Debra Cano Ramos, Public Affairs, 657-278-4027 or dcanoramos@fullerton.edu

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