Career Trajectory
As someone that has crossed two cultures, understanding cross-cultural experiences has been both my personal and professional interests. I was born and raised and got my bachelor degree in Humanities in English from Thailand. When I came to Hawaii almost 30 years ago, I thought I was well prepared, but quickly realized that crossing cultures requires life-long learning, and constant adjustment and adaptation. This personal journey led me to be interested in cross-cultural studies and I decided to pursue my master’s degree in Intercultural Communication at the School of Communications at the University of Hawaii. While working on my master’s degree as a Thai student in American classrooms I realized first-hand how significant culture plays a role in teaching and learning. This sparked my interest in pursuing my doctorate degree in applying cross-cultural theories and practices in classroom situations. For this reason, the EDEF program at the Department of Education at UHM fits for my personal and academic goals perfectly. Not only did the program help me connect and apply cross-cultural theories and knowledge with teaching and learning, it also helps deepen my understanding of broader multicultural, educational, and social issues. All of my preparation and educational goals have been aimed at working towards a more just and fair school and society for all.
Location
- Original: Thailand
- Current: Hawaii
Program & Year
PhD in Education: Educational Foundations, 2013
Publications
- Dissertation: Cross-cultural teaching: Experiences of American teachers in Thai higher education.
- Master’s Thesis: Social ties and sojourner adjustment of Thai students in Oahu, Hawaii.