"The flexibility of doing the majority of the coursework in a month for three summers with the same group of colleagues… drew me to this program."

Hometown

Hoʻolehua, HI

Department

Curriculum Studies

Related Degrees

• MEd, Early Childhood Education

What drew you to the MEd ECE* program?
As a lifelong learner, I wanted to pursue a master’s degree, and since I enjoy the field of early childhood education, I was drawn to this program. The flexibility of doing the majority of the coursework in a month for three summers with the same group of colleagues also drew me to this program.

Where do you work?
For the past 10 months, I have been the administrator of Integrity Primary School, a village school in Uganda, Africa. Prior to this, I was the director and lead teacher of an early education program on the island of Molokaʻi for 10+ years.

How did you become interested in the field of early childhood education?
I have taught every age group from elementary through college and adult education. I worked my way up to early education and thought this program would be the next step for me. After working with older students, I realized that many of their lifelong behaviors were already set. I desired to work with children who still had the excitement for learning and where my investment of time and energy would have the greatest impact.

How have the ECE faculty and the college helped you along the way? 
The program director, Robyn Chun, and the staff have been very accommodating with me living halfway around the world. I love the flexibility of being able to Skype with Robyn when I have questions or need assistance. Whenever there is a need, Robyn does everything in her power to meet that need from making sure we are well fed to providing basics like a printer!

What are you future plans / goals in the field? 
Eventually, I would love to open my own early childhood program as well as teach adults who are interested in early childhood education at the collegiate level.

*The Master of Education in Early Childhood Education Program (MEd ECE) is an interdisciplinary graduate leadership program offered by the College of Education and the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources. The program meets the need for a variety of leaders in the field of early childhood education and care. MEd ECE graduates have attributed new jobs or roles within their current organizations to the completion of this program, and many have gone on to provide leadership in the areas of teaching; research; and program management, policy, and advocacy. This 30-credit program is designed to be completed in less than three years through a combination of three-week summer sessions over three summers and a variety of online, hybrid, and condensed format on-campus classes. The MEd ECE program is currently recruiting for Cohort V, which begins Summer 2015.