College of Education Alumni Association (COEAA) Spotlight on:
Kayla Ueshiro, BEd Elementary Education
After graduating from Pearl City High School in 2015, Kayla Ueshiro had plans to become a pediatrician. However, after serving as an intern and tutor at Kapiolani Medical Center, she realized that her future was in education. While enrolled at the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE), Kayla served as the president of the COE Student Association, a COE Office of Student Academic Services peer mentor, and she was recently elected to the COE Alumni Association (COEAA).
Wanting to travel the world while working with children in other countries, Kayla planned to join the Peace Corps after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2019. She was assigned to serve as a primary teacher in Rwanda, Africa; however, the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted her plans. Kayla decided to apply for a position with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education. Presently, she is in her second year as a kindergarten teacher at Moanalua Elementary School, and she is also working on her MS in Education at Cal State Fullerton with a concentration in reading and literacy. Clearly, she is a busy teacher!
As a COE teacher candidate, Kayla shared, “When I look into my students’ eyes or see their smiles, I am constantly reminded of the wonderful opportunity I have to learn from and to empower our future. It is not always easy, but I am extremely lucky that I am on this journey of becoming a teacher.” Now that she is a teacher, Kayla is living her dream and will be impacting the lives of many students now and in the future!
