|
In December, 1984 I graduated from the University of Houston with a Management Information Systems degree. I worked as a business applications computer professional from 1985 until 1997. As a computer professional, I worked in a team environment with clients as well as other computer professionals from entry-level clerks to upper management. Also as a computer professional, I spent time training clients and members of my own staff on computer technology and computer systems.
In 1997, I became a wholesale electricity trader. In this role, I worked in a team environment buying and selling electricity and ensuring electrical system reliability, and was often responsible for training employees.
In February 2006, I volunteered to tutor Somali Bantu Refugees in Beaverton, Oregon. We read to pre-elementary school children, tutored school children with their homework and helped their mothers learn English.
In July 2006, I realized that I enjoyed working with the children so much that I had to become a schoolteacher. I applied to the model school of Thailand and to the Pacific University Masters of Arts in Teaching Program. I was accepted to both before the end of 2006.
In January 2007, I left my job as a wholesale electricity trader, and flew to Bangkok, Thailand. My wife and I taught English as a foreign language at the Sathya Sai School, the model school of Thailand, until the end of March. I also taught English as a foreign language at Bantadidam School and the Khaksalungwitthaya School in Lamnarai. While staying at the Sathya Sai School, we also attended teacher education classes.
After returning from Asia, I started the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Pacific University in June 2007. I have been doing my student teaching at Terra Linda Elementary School in Beaverton, Oregon. I will be graduating in June 2008.
Throughout my life, helping others and making the world a better place have always been important personal goals for me. For years, I had often thought about becoming a schoolteacher. For the first time in my life, my professional and personal goals are aligned.
|