"I have decided to pursue a career as an educator so I can share the wonders of the world around us with my students."

Hometown

Kailua-Kona, HI.

Department

Special Education

Related Degrees

• Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT)

Why did you choose to become a teacher, in general?

I chose to become a teacher because I want to engage with young minds about topics I am passionate about: science and the natural world. I have been working on farms for the past 5 years because of a desire to be connected with the earth. I have loved my career working on apple orchards, macadamia orchards and as the nursery manager of a coffee farm but felt that I was missing the excitement of teaching others about the wonderful aspects of farming. So, I have decided to pursue a career as an educator so I can share the wonders of the world around us with my students.

Why did you choose to become licensed in special education?

I chose to become a licensed special education teacher because I feel called to take a path that is not as commonly taken and feel that everybody deserves effective and thoughtful education. I am a very hands-on learner and I personally enjoy finding ways to learn and teach other people in a way that is engaging and out of the box so it makes a lasting impression. I want to create lessons that actively involve students and I feel that a special education classroom is the best setting for that because it highly encourages explicit instruction, UDL and other methods of instruction that meet a students needs.