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Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT

Undergraduate Degree:

Bachelor of Science in STEM

Minor: GPA: Graduated:

Psychology 3.905 May 2021

Graduate Degree:

Master of Arts in Teaching;

Elementary (1-6)--- NY & CT

Cross Endorsement (CT):

Computer Science

GPA: 4.0 Graduated: May 2022

I grew up in Mahopac, NY with my parents and older brother. In my free time, I enjoy crafting, cooking, shopping, and visiting the beach.

Vanessa Parrillo. Digital Portfolio .pdf

Click HERE to see my digital portfolio!

I was a member of the Sacred Heart University Education Club during my four years of undergraduate. I was honored to hold the position of president for the '19/'20 and '20/'21 academic years. Through this, I engaged with future educators via discussion and various volunteer opportunities.

Click the arrows to view some pictures!

Student Government is a passion of mine, as I love to help others. Whether it be service events, or entertainment events, I enjoyed seeing the smiles of students and individuals from the community. I was the president of my class in high school, but when I came to college, I was nervous to get involved. I soon learned, that getting involved was one of the best things to do to make a difference for not only myself, but also others. I served as the Executive Board Secretary my sophomore year of college, Class President junior year, and School President my senior year. With my experiences with student government, it is my hope to one day advise a student government at my elementary school to provide future students the opportunity to find their passion and help others.

Throughout college, I was apart of the Habitat for Humanity Club. Helping others is something that I am passionate about doing. It was an honor to help build homes for families to build memories in. I was fortunate to go on 3 service trips (Dade City, FL, Fort Smith, AR, & Mandeville, LA).

Click the arrows to view pictures from the trips!

Induction into Kappa Delta Pi- Education Honor Society.

Reading books to children at the Bridgeport Public Library.

Volunteering to make project kits at the Discovery Museum.

I was honored to star in an Amazon Prime special, The College Tour to talk about my experiences at SHU for the student involvement segment.

I was honored to receive the John Croffy Outstanding Leader Award, April 2021 in recognition for my leadership on campus.

I served as a Student Ambassador at SHU sophomore-senior year to help perspective Pioneers find their home at SHU as a tour guide.

I studied abroad in Dingle, Ireland for a 2-week intersession and took a course called, Irish Education Comparative Perspectives. This course focused on the comparison between the Irish and American school systems. I was fully immersed into the Irish culture and their education system.

Aside from the breathtaking views or the green fields of sheep and cows, I was thrilled to spend time in the Irish classrooms and see a typical Irish classroom first hand.

Some things that stood out to me:

Music is a big part of their education
Many schools are a 1-room school house. One teacher is responsible for teaching a class of 20/30 students ranging from 1st-5th grade all in one classroom
All school lessons are taught in Irish, rather than their native language spoken at home
Religion is sometimes apart of the classroom
Teachers must pass an oral Irish exam before they can get their teaching certificate
Students take the Leaving Certification Test in high school, which determines what they will do after high school (career/university)
Students were learning so many "every day" tasks such as how to tie a shoe and how to type