My name is Jessica Lopez I have been teaching and working in Special Education as an Educational Assistant III for 23 years now. I moved to Texas from Durango, Colorado, which is where I consider my home. I loved living in the mountains and I miss it everyday. I had some wonderful experiences in my life there. My home was in a fire station nestled in the Animas Valley where I lived for 26 years as a Resident Firefighters wife. I'm no longer married, but I have 3 wonderful children and 6 grandchildren. My oldest son Christopher, I adopted when he was just 3 months old. I have one daughter Amanda and my youngest son Eli. I love being their mom even during the challenging times. My grandchildren, well they make my life even better. Some of my hobbies and interest would include hiking, paddle boarding, biking, photography, cooking, baking and sewing.

While teaching in Colorado I had some wonderful and exciting experiences. At my school we would take our students skiing several times a week during the Winter. We paired our students up with Adaptive Sports Volunteers. Which is a non profit organization that makes it possible for students with special needs to participate in sports and overcome any physical or cognitive challenges. I loved my time on the mountain with my students. It was their time to shine and shine they did! I was grateful to be apart of that. In the Fall our students would participate in Therapeutic Horseback Riding. During this time they would groom/ brush the horses as well as riding. I was trained to be a side walker which monitors students and gives verbal commands to the horses for some of our students who were non verbal. The therapeutic riding was very beneficial and helped our students in so many ways. In the Spring we would take our students up to Fort Lewis College for swimming lessons. Teachers and college students would support the students during this time. We also participated in bowling, ice skating, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and Special Olympics. All of these experiences for our students built confidence, trust, pride and sense of accomplishment, which I believe helped them in the classroom and in their academics. I wanted a career were I could feel a sense of accomplishment and to be able to make a difference. I can honestly say I feel like I have. My students helped me overcome my own fears and because of their own fearlessness I tried things and had experiences I may never have had. I am blessed and grateful.