In 2019, Selena Monique Vista—now known with admiration as Teacher Selene—was thriving as a PR and Marketing Associate at the SGEN Learning Village. What began as a professional detour soon became a life-defining turning point when she enrolled in Southville International School and Colleges’ Teaching Certificate Program (TCP).

Her decision to pursue the TCP wasn’t driven merely by convenience, but by conviction. “Many of my workmates were Southville alumni,” she recalls. “I saw the training, the care, the community. I wanted to be part of that.” That desire to grow soon transformed into a commitment to teach.

Designed for non-education degree holders, Southville’s TCP is fulfilled over two semesters, offering a strong foundation for aspiring educators. Far more than academic theory, it focuses on reflective practice, hands-on learning, and the discovery of one’s identity as a teacher. Its flexible structure also makes it ideal for working professionals and parents, supporting students like Selene as they balance work, study, and personal life.

“We weren’t just preparing for exams,” she shares. “We were discovering who we are as educators.”

Selene didn’t immediately take the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) due to the pandemic. Still, when she sat for it in 2024, she passed with a remarkable score. “I was amazed how much of what I learned in TCP was still so relevant,” she says, reflecting with pride.

Balancing life as a single mother and working student, Selene relied heavily on the program’s flexible schedule and the faculty’s understanding approach. “What really sealed the deal for me was how accommodating the schedule was. I never felt alone,” she shares.

Today, Teacher Selene serves as a STAR Campus Level Facilitator and full-time faculty member at Southville, bringing her journey full circle. Her classroom is no longer just a place for instruction—it has become a sanctuary of purpose and transformation.

Teaching, she believes, is not just a profession. It is a calling, a privilege, and a promise to shape the future one student at a time.

Southville’s Teaching Certificate Program remains a vital pathway for career shifters and aspiring educators seeking a meaningful transition into the teaching profession. For those ready to turn purpose into practice, Southville offers the foundation to begin.