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When Judith Navarro enrolled in the Nevada Forward™ Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program (UAP), she thought she was taking one last chance on a dream she had nearly given up.
She’d always wanted to become a teacher. She worked in schools throughout Southern California as a teacher assistant, playground supervisor, and special education instructional aide. Outside of work, she volunteered for years teaching religious education, eventually becoming a youth director at her church.
But she put college on hold to raise her three sons. She eventually returned to the College of Southern Nevada, taking courses while working full time for the Clark County School District where she spent years working in school offices. Her experience gave her a deep understanding of education from multiple perspectives and reinforced the calling she had felt since she was young.
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For Las Vegas native Mardeane Gaston, becoming a teacher wasn’t a sudden decision—it was a lifelong calling, shaped by decades of experience, perseverance, and an unwavering love for children.
Now in her second year as a licensed pre-K teacher, Mardeane brings more than 35 years of experience in the school district to her classroom. She began her career working in support roles, including food service, before realizing that her passion for working directly with children could become something more.
Her path to teaching, however, was anything but linear.
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For Michael Norsworthy, the path to the classroom wasn’t something he planned—it was something that unfolded.
“I don’t think I really chose this path,” he says. “It kind of just happened for me. I walk in faith, and I think God aligned it.”
A native of Las Vegas and a proud product of the Clark County School District, Michael has spent more than two decades serving the district in a variety of roles. He began working at just 18 years old as a support staffer, later moving into human resources and recruitment. For five years, he traveled across the country recruiting future educators to CCSD and proudly “selling” his home district.
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For Holly Salazar, education is a calling. As a dedicated paraprofessional with the Elko County School District, she’s spent years supporting students. Now, through a unique pre-apprenticeship program, she’s taking the next step toward achieving her dream of becoming a full-time teacher.
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Jaime Sullivan, a graduate of UNLV’s NVForward teacher apprenticeship program, was honored as one of the Clark County School District’s 2022–2023 New Educators of the Year. Celebrated at Robert O. Gibson Leadership Academy, Sullivan’s recognition highlights the success of NVForward in preparing dedicated educators who make a meaningful impact in Nevada classrooms.
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When the morning bells ring at Mountain View Elementary School, Susan Allsup-Cotten, ‘09 BA Criminal Justice, walks into her classroom. To her students, she probably looks the same: warm, caring and calm. But for Susan, everything is changing. After working as a substitute teacher for over a decade, she’s now on the path to becoming a licensed teacher with an advanced degree- all without ever leaving her family and community in Elko.
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When Mark Farthing steps into his fifth-grade classroom at Mamie Towles Elementary in Reno, Nevada, he’s not just leading a lesson—he’s living a new calling. A former marketing and technology manager, Mark made a bold mid-career switch into education through the Nevada Forward Graduate Apprenticeship Program, and today, he’s seeing the real-time impact of that decision every day in his classroom.
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“I didn’t know programs like this existed.”
That was Cristal Villalpando’s first reaction when she learned about UNLV’s Nevada Forward Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program. This pathway would allow her to become a licensed elementary teacher without quitting her job, relocating her family from Elko, or taking on student loans.