Emely Castellanos

Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School

Nominated in 2025

Emely was a shy young woman in my class. All I knew was that I came to teach this class half way through her education and most fo the students were just attending school for the sake of going to school. Emely was a single mother and she needed this career to be able to provide for her daughter.

At first I wasn't sure how serious the students were in this class because the class lacked structure before I got there. Emely showed effort and she really tried. Even though she was quiet and spoke softly, she was gaining the confidence to ask questions and definately had the ability to do well in this class. She continued to work hard and her grades were impressive. She challenged herself to improve every quiz and final score and never missed a class. Her punctuality was impeccable. She completed the didactic learnig earning one of the top scores in her cohort and continued to excel in her experiential education. She completed 240 hoiurs at West Anaheim Medical Center. She did so well the pharmacy director created a position for Emely so she can work there once she got her license from the California Board of Pharmacy.

Once licenesed not only did she gain employment at West Anaheim Medical Center, ( where she is currently working part-time with benefits) she also aquired a per diem job and PIH Downey Hospital as a pharmacy technician as well. The skills she aquired inschool gave her the ability to obtain these jobs and take care of her daughter. She is proud to be part of amazing pharmacy teams and I feel she deserves this recognition for her hard work and dedication.