Ainaria Johnson knew from an early age that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of students with special needs.
Through her training in Cal State Fullerton’s master’s in education and early childhood special education credential programs, Ainaria gained the necessary skills to teach children with disabilities from birth through kindergarten.
For her graduate thesis, she examined alternative communication strategies for children with Down syndrome to help them build language skills. Ainaria presented her research at CSUF’s Titan Grad Slam competition and won first place.
Today, Ainaria is a special education teacher at Richard Henry Dana Exceptional Needs Facility in Orange County and a recipient of the school’s Teacher of the Year Award.