My name is Jacob Monzingo. I was born and raised just north of Fort Colllins Colorado.

Overall, while my story is unique to me it is not necessarily anything out of the ordinary. My
first memories of childhood involve mostly my father. Typical outdoorsy/athletic things such as
fishing and playing basketball. However, I also have many memories of going to the doctor or
hospital with him. Before I was born, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called
scleroderma. This disease affects organs such as the liver, kidneys, and lungs. He passed away
when I was seven years old, so most of my childhood and young adult hood memories come
from a single parent home. My mom took on both rolls of mother and father and looking back on
it I still cannot believe how she managed to do so raising three boys. She taught me everything
from how to catch a baseball properly, sew, and cook a mean taco casserole.
After graduating and moving out in 2013 I attended Colorado State University. This was
great because I was still close to family, which is and always has been hugely important for me.
Luckily, they all understood it was my first experience on my own, so both my mom and two
older brothers gave me space to learn and grow while being close by to help if need be. At CSU I
majored in history and geography with a concentration in social and behavior sciences and I
absolutely loved it. During this time, I learned so much about myself and about the subject I am
passionate about. The place I learned the most was CSU’s mountain campus. I worked there for
5 summer and fall seasons during and shortly after undergrad. With its remoteness and lack of
modern connections to the rest of the world, one is forced to get to know themselves. It was here
that I really learned how to be comfortable in my own skin and identity.
Having graduated from CSU in May of 2017, I returned to the Mountain Campus, not
really knowing what I wished to do with life. It was around this time I started to become closer
with my Aunt Vicki. While she was a big part of my childhood and teen years, for some reason
we really just started to talk more. About this time, she recommended I go to her school,
Wellington Middle School to volunteer and get a feel for the classroom. After doing this, I
became more interested in a career in education and applied for my substitute teaching license.
On the second day of the new school year, Vicki called me to ask if I was available for the rest of
the week. After that, I spent all of the fall and a majority of the spring as a long-term sub at
WMS. Not one of the long-term jobs I had was in social studies. It was during this time I learned
so much about teaching on the fly. More importantly, I made some really great connections with
staff and students alike and realized that this is what I want to do. There is nothing more
satisfying that those one or two “light bulb” moments a day that students have. Even if a lesson
plan went terribly, a silly middle schoolers joke make all the hard work worth it.