Bio
Georgina Georgelos was born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, on October 18, 1967, to a Greek father, Charles H. Georgelos, and a Mexican mother, Bertha Godinez. She was raised in a bi-cultural, bilingual, and bi-faithful home for 18 years in Mexico. After high school, Georgina moved to Tucson, AZ, with her family to attend college at the University of Arizona. She graduated with a Master’s of Arts in Bilingual and Multicultural Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual/ESL Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish/Political Science, and a Lifetime Certification to teach Spanish and Cultural Education. Georgina spent 32 years teaching Kindergarten in Title 1 schools, simultaneously teaching college Spanish for 12 years. Georgina is a strong, sensitive, hard-working, compassionate woman who seeks the best in others, dedicated to helping in any way she can. Her lifelong mission has been to treat others as she would want to be treated.
Parenting Philosophy
Georgina’s parenting philosophy is shaped by raising a child with multiple disabilities as a single mom. She uses her background in teaching to help make her a better mother to her son, Mateo. As his homeschool teacher, she has turned their entire home into a space for Mateo to learn, grow, play, engage, and progress. Conversely, Georgina believes life cannot be just school and work. Mateo is intentionally encouraged to enjoy Play Time, independently and with others. Georgina’s philosophy is multifaceted, guided by two concepts – the whole child approach and meeting the child halfway. Using her teaching philosophy and thematic lesson plans as inspiration, Georgina organizes Mateo’s studies to engage him, immerse him, and ensure he absorbs the content. Georgina knows she must meet Mateo at his level and allow him to move at his own pace. She is constantly readjusting her approach to him, always ready to pursue the goal of the moment. As a faith-based woman, Georgina believes parenting has to be driven by love, understanding, and compassion. The happiness, mental health, physical health, and overall well-being of a child are key factors in measuring that child’s success. She believes the most important marker of success is measured by how happy the child is. This type of happiness is rooted in the heart and soul of the child. Through his expressions of happiness, Mateo fulfills Georgina as a mother and a person. She is grateful that he brings her into his magical world.
Motherhood and Community
Georgina established Matthew’s International “Give it Back” Organization in 2009. Its mission is focused on spreading the Gospel of God through donating clothes, toys, and school supplies to the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico, serving kids with special needs and adults with disabilities. Georgina, Matthew, and Grandma collect and compile the donations together, delivering supplies twice a year. In 2014, Georgina established the Matthew Georgelos Scholarship in Special Education at the University of Arizona, to be awarded to an undergraduate student studying Special Education. Georgina funded this scholarship on her limited income until 2024, when the university made it public. In 2025, thanks to the generosity of donors, the scholarship was able to increase its funding assistance from one student to four! Every year, the recipients send thank-you letters to Georgina and Matthew. They enjoy reading the letters together and adding them to Matthew’s keepsakes. In 2020, Georgina dedicated a bench in front of Old Main on the University of Arizona campus to her father, Charles H. Georgelos, who attended classes in the historic building in 1938, graduating as one of the first alumni of the college. Georgina and Matthew love sitting on the bench, reading their own names included in the Georgelos legacy, dreaming of Matthew attending the college himself. Georgina has also established two ground-breaking support groups inspired by the love she has for her son. First is “Mateo’s Amazing Team,” established in 2023, comprised of teams and individuals from the Department of Disabilities, doctors, Matthew’s school district, therapists, and other advocates. Georgina established a legacy by integrating these professions, working in collaboration toward the same goals. They meet bimonthly to discuss Matthew’s services and guide Georgina in pursuing any resources Matthew may need. This team not only supports Matthew, but also opens doors in the medical field to support families and practitioners of children with disabilities to work more closely and immersively. The second is the “Comadritas Support Group,” which Georgina established in 2012, consisting of 12 Latina women she developed relationships with through parenting children with disabilities. Each woman brings individual strengths to the group.
