"I believe that this is important to being an ambassador for the COE and ESEE program as it enables me to share high-quality personal experiences from a teacher-candidate perspective."

Departments

Special Education; School of Teacher Education - Elementary

Related Degrees

• BEd, Exceptional Students & Elementary Education

Why did you choose to pursue to pursue the BEd, Exceptional Students & Elementary Education program?

Beginning my college journey, I was highly discouraged by my family to pursue a career in teaching due to the well-known challenges that teachers face such as the low income and stressful demands. Additionally, as a first-generation college student, I was expected by my parents to enter a career that would result in high financial security and status over my own happiness. For a while, I followed their wishes and believed that they knew what was best for me. However, passion overtook this feeling when I was given the opportunity to teach kindergarten students how to wash their hands and wear masks during COVID-19. There was a fire inside of me that ignited and gave me the confidence to follow my own dreams and choose what makes me happy. From then on, I realized that teaching was something that I deeply wanted to pursue, especially within the special education field. I aspire to become a teacher to impact the lives of our future generations by providing all learners with accessible and memorable learning experiences. I aim to become the teacher that I would have wanted and needed as an elementary school student to assist in my learning. Additionally, with being born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi I strive to give back to my community and advocate for the students and families of Hawaiʻi.

Why did you want to be a Social Media Ambassador for your program?

I believe that this is important to being an ambassador for the COE and ESEE program as it enables me to share high-quality personal experiences from a teacher-candidate perspective. The experiences gained from my program are unique and authentic, demonstrating credibility because they come from a student in the program. I believe that this will increase the impact of the content created under the COE to support enrollment. Additionally, with this position, it is certain that I will encounter a multitude of individuals with various stories, strengths, needs, and abilities. I believe that empathy plays a large role in being an ambassador as it assists in the understanding of the emotions and perspectives of others. This also aids in building lasting relationships and meaningful experiences that will surely be memorable.

Anything else you’d like to share?

As a first-generation college student, being the daughter of Asian immigrant parents has challenged me to overcome difficult obstacles, strengthening and building who I am today. Being the first child to my parents, I was expected to know everything that my parents didn’t and to endure my journey alone with my academics and career. On the surface, to them, I’m highly independent and intelligent. To them, I hold the key to my brother’s future in assisting him through his senior year of high school and then college. While I don’t disagree with the idea of me that they hold, underneath the surface lies the sleepless nights that I endured to satisfy them with straight As and the frustration I felt when I wasn’t as perfect as my manangs and manongs, my older cousins. However, it is these experiences that make me who I am today and have strengthened me to become a strong and independent individual.

I currently reside off-campus in my own apartment and will commute to UH Mānoa to attend classes under the ESEE program. When I’m not on campus, I spend my time working at an elementary school with students in grades K-5 in general and special education classrooms. I’m extremely grateful for this experience that I have as it enables me to apply the knowledge gained from my ESEE courses and learn through being in the classroom.