That was before she graduated from Western Michigan University. ““I also had the opportunity to work in a Head Start classroom and private preschool classroom.” After she graduated, she worked for eight years as an elementary school science teacher, where she was responsible for developing a comprehensive K-4 curriculum.
After going back to school for her Master’s degree, Gorinac applied her education background to a wide variety of positions in the field. For 14 years, she was the Assistant Director of General Education at Sanilac Intermediate School District. She then worked as a Curriculum Supervisor at the Port Huron Area School District, and has been at St. Clair RESA for the past four and a half years as the Assistant Director of Education Services.
“In my new position, I oversee three early childhood programs administered through St. Clair County RESA. Collectively, these programs have a budget of about $3.7 million, serve more than 1,000 children and employ 37 full-time employees and three part-time employees.” Gorinac said.
Gorinac will be the first to hold this position, operating three programs that were previously separated. Combining management of these programs will lead to a cohesive set of services in early childhood education. Gorinac has no doubt that attending WMU was crucial to her success. “I believe that WMU provided me a well-rounded background in elementary education. I was able to have field experiences in multiple settings that helped me learn the basics of being an elementary teacher.”
Beyond her education, Gorinac has fond memories of WMU. “Living in the dorms for the first two years gave opportunities to make new friends, some that I still am in contact with today. We would all go to the café and spend hours talking and laughing about nothing important.”
Posted by Samantha Macy