Nicole Prater is a California native. She was raised in the San Joaquin Valley and spent most of her life in Bakersfield. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies. In May 2024, she will receive a Master of Science in Educational Administration. 

 

Mrs. Prater’s father made a significant impact on her career choice. His family worked in the fields to survive. Her father would share stories about the discrimination he faced in school and life, but despite these challenges, he excelled in academics and sports. Mrs. Prater came to understand that education was the key to success, and she decided that her purpose was to break down barriers and make school accessible to all students. 

 

Mrs. Prater has been in the education field for 25 years. She taught high school English in rural and urban communities. Her students included English Learners, Honors/GATE programs, migrant students, justice-involved youth, unhoused, and gang-involved. In addition to being a high school English teacher, Mrs. Prater has been a student leadership program advisor, college mentor teacher for new teachers earning their preliminary credentials, English department chair, lead teacher, Learning Center Coordinator, and Assistant Principal. As a student leadership program advisor, she developed a student leadership plan that focused on community service inside and outside the school. This plan was adopted by other schools in her region. Mrs. Prater was awarded the Most Respected Teacher for having high academic expectations while being patient and understanding with students. 

 

After 16 years of teaching at different traditional public high schools, Mrs. Prater moved to an independent-study charter high school.  At this school, Mrs. Prater became familiar with personalized learning and flexible schedules. She worked directly with students who were behind in credits or wanted to graduate early. She worked with adults, parenting students, and students who wanted individualized attention that would meet their educational needs.