Joseph Castillo ’23, ’28 M.Ed

Future science educator Joseph Castillo credits the Meline Kasparian Scholarship with ensuring he can continue his studies by reducing his levels of financial stress. Joseph, who earned his BS in biology from UMass in 2023, is a graduate student at the College of Education.

“I have been paying for my own tuition since I began my undergraduate studies. I started off at Greenfield Community College and then transferred to UMass to save on tuition fees,” he says. “Receiving the scholarship last spring allowed me to pay for that semester’s tuition almost entirely upfront, and this has made the program overall a lot less stressful for me.”

Tuition payments have been a significant burden for Joseph, who comes from a low-income background.

“The costs associated with the College of Education’s University to Schools program were nearly prohibitive; the funding of my education was truly transformative,” he says. “The Meline Kasparian Scholarship alleviates this financial strain, enabling me to devote myself fully to my journey toward becoming an excellent educator.”

Joseph was homeschooled by his mother, who did her own studies in biology and worked as a speech therapist with young children. Throughout elementary and secondary school, Joseph’s mother instilled in him a love and gratitude for learning.

“I think that attitude has followed me and was what eventually led to my pursuit of a teaching career,” Joseph says.

Now, as a paraprofessional at Hampshire Regional High School in Southampton, Massachusetts, Joseph understands that his own life experiences have been vastly different than most of his students.

“I think that has given me a different perspective on education. I have a great deal of respect for anyone that chooses to teach,” he says.

When he does have free time, Joseph likes to listen to music, sing, and play the guitar and bass. He also likes to go hiking with his dog and strength train. His strength training led him to start an after-school weightlifting program for his middle school students.

“One of the most valuable lessons that I have learned from working in the classroom is that every student has a busy and complex life, and that I am only seeing a small part of it,” he says. “Teaching a specific subject can really put you on an island in terms of how you interact with your students. I think it is important for teachers to find other ways to interact with their students, such as by running after-school programs, going to extracurriculars like sports or theater productions, or anything similar.”

Joseph’s goal is to develop a thoughtful educational practice that empowers students to be positive agents of change within their communities.