Sahvanna Mease (‘15) is a Colorado State University alumna with a B.S. in family and consumer sciences and human development and family studies. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Mease came to CSU because it is the only Colorado university offering a degree in family and consumer sciences. During her time at CSU, Mease was an active member of Alpha Phi Omega; a service fraternity that taught her service-learning skills, which she now applies in her classroom. After graduating from CSU, Mease moved with her husband to his hometown of Calhan, Colorado, where both work as schoolteachers at Calhan High School. Mease along with her husband and their 7-year-old son are avid sports fans. In their spare time, they run Rock Island Cornhole, a local cornhole business and league.
Describe your current position and some of the responsibilities that come with it.
I am currently the Family Consumer Sciences teacher at Calhan School District. I teach an Education & Training pathway for students who may be interested in working with kids in the future. I am also the FCCLA adviser and LifeSmarts coach!
Why did you decide to pursue teaching?
I decided to pursue my career because I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My high school FCS Teacher, Annie Friesema, encouraged me to try it out during an internship at the local middle school my senior year. I love all things FCS but am drawn to the human development content that I get to teach in Child Development, Education Exploration, and Teacher Cadet courses. I love seeing students grow in their ability to public speak, make an impact in our community through service learning, and accomplish goals they set for themselves.
How have your education and experiences at CSU helped you in your career?
CSU is still the only college in Colorado to offer a degree in FCS. My education prepared me to teach a wide variety of classes and be able to adapt my program as our students and community needs change. While at CSU I was also a part of Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity that helped me focus on what service-learning can look like and how to bring it into a classroom setting. I also participated in classroom practicum experiences as often as possible and was able to learn from amazing teachers that helped model what my classroom looks like today.
Are there any faculty or staff who made an impact on you and your career?
Dawn Mallette had a strong impact on me and my career not only while I was at CSU but still to this day. She is actively involved in educating current and future FCS educators around the state and shares the opportunity of family consumer sciences with students at FCCLA state leadership conference every year. She helped me personally by encouraging me to pursue my double major while in college so I could learn more about teaching life skills as I focused on my human development degree and work experiences with adults with disabilities.
What advice do you have for students looking to join your field?
For students looking at joining FCS as a career, I would say do not be afraid to jump in and explore what you love. FCS gives you the ability to become educated in a variety of career pathways including nutrition and wellness, hospitality, fashion, and many others. Be involved in as many opportunities presented to you as you can, including Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, or other career and technical student organizations offered during high school. The great thing about FCS is that it can prepare you for careers in or outside of education. If you do decide the education route, we are one of the best states in sharing resources and supporting one another across the state.
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the School of Education, which houses the Family and Consumer Sciences program, are both part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
