Honesty, Hardwork, Commitment and Enthusiasm!

By Theresa A. "Terri" Horiye

Dear Families, Friends and East Side Community Members:

I sincerely treasure the hours that I have volunteered for the cause of the Low Functioning and Autistic Children. My name is Theresa Horiye and I am running for the East Side Union High School District Board. I believe it is important to bring a new team member to the district- Fresh new ideas and the honesty, hard work, commitment and enthusiasm for our children's education!! Thank you for your consideration in this very important position and allowing me to introduce myself as follows:

I have lived in the East Side Community for over 20 years. My husband, Tom, and I have two children enrolled in the public school system. Our eldest son, Anthony, attends the low functioning program for the developmentally disabled at Piedmont Hills. Our other son, Ryan, attends Piedmont Middle School. Between the both boys, we have remained extremely active in their educational needs with over 15years of volunteer work experience in East Side Union High School District, Berryessa Union School District, Special Olympics and San Andreas Regional Centers for the developmentally disabled in our community.

My strength lies in understanding and advocating for students' goals as well as a strong grasp of the parent rights and viewpoints equally important yet often overlooked. I co-founded the First Special Education Parent Club for East Side Union High School District and provided partnerships with local merchants in our community to raise over $4,000 for our children's class activities. I also created the first Special Education Newsletter for our children showcasing their activities and accomplishments. At the same time, I designed a simple to follow and understand Parent Resource Guidebook in collaboration with the State Board of Education, the County Office of Education and East Side SELPA- This Guidebook provided a valuable resource to US- the parents of the special needs child.

Finally, I would like to highlight my education and work experience as follows: I received my Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Santa Clara University, with added coursework through Berkeley's Extension Program. After working for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for over 10years, I decided to make the transition into the public school system after the birth of my son, Anthony. I am very proud of making this decision and take a lot of pride in my service to the educational field. I thank my sons for the greatest gift they brought me- The Greatest Gift of A CHILD'S EDUCATION!!!

Thank you for your time in reading this letter. Sincerely, Theresa "Terri" A. Horiye for East Side Union High School District Board Phone#408-923-1451 or email at thoriye@aol.com