"The COE has been able to connect me with amazing friends and mentors who inspire me to be better each and every day."

Hometown

Honolulu, HI

Department

School of Teacher Education - Elementary

Related Degrees

• BEd, Elementary Education

Where do you currently work?
For the past five years, I have been working at the Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios where I teach ukulele to children and adults in both group and private settings. I have also been working at the Na‘au Learning Center for three years, helping preschool through high school students in different academic areas.

What organizations are you involved in at the university?
I currently serve as the president of the College of Education Student Association (CESA) and as the UH Mānoa representative on the Hawai‘i Young Professional Educators (HYPE) Board of Directors.

How do you find balance among school, work, and home?
With so many responsibilities on my shoulders, it is easy for me to feel very overwhelmed very quickly.  I feel like of these three areas, the most important to emphasize is home.  At the end of each day, I am fortunate to return home to my family and friends who support my endeavors.  Making time to spend with them is essential because it not only provides something to look forward to, but it also provides an outlet where I can express my frustrations and seek advice from those I trust.

Briefly describe your road to the field of education.
My path to education has always been set; however, my journey has had many twists and turns.  I entered college as a secondary education major with an emphasis in chemistry.  After a year, I left the COE and joined the College of Natural Sciences where I pursued my BS in chemistry.  After realizing that science research and physics were not for me, I returned to the COE once again as a secondary education major.  That same year, I had the opportunity to teach at an elementary school, and it was then that I decided to change to elementary education.

How has your experience in the COE helped you along the way?
The COE has been able to connect me with amazing friends and mentors who inspire me to be better each and every day.  Being a part of the COE is like being a part of a family.  There are so many different people I look to for support and guidance.  To be a member of a community, where nothing but excellence is expected, is truly an honor.  Faculty members Jennifer Padua and Andrea Aiona are just two examples of amazing faculty members who have left an everlasting impression on who I am as a teacher.  At its core, it is all about caring, and the COE definitely makes me feel cared for.

What are your future plans?
Within the next few years, I’d like to pursue a master’s and a PhD.  I would like to research how place-based learning can be an effective framework for instruction in math and science, especially for students here in Hawai‘i.  I would eventually like to return to the COE to work with future teacher candidates.  As of right now, I am focusing on completing my BEd and securing a teaching job next school year.