AL UM N I H I G HLIGH T
Allie Wong, Class of 2011 I chose to study at SUA because of the school’s philosophy of global citizenship, the emphasis on living a life in which we each contribute to world peace and the student-centered approach to learning.
T
hrough the challenging course work in each of my classes, I learned how to persevere through challenges. Through study abroad, I learned to take risks and bring forth my courage. Through the friendships I made during my time at SUA, I learned what it means to be truly empathetic towards others. I found my career path through my experiences at SUA. At the start of my senior year, I was still unsure of what I wanted to do. I did know what I loved, such as learning, helping others, playing music, and working on teams. It was through a lot of reflection and encouragement from my friends and professors that I realized that I had a calling in teaching. My first time leading my own classroom, I realized that I had found something that came naturally to me. After graduating from SUA in 2011, I went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) with my Master’s in Teaching and Curriculum in 2012. I chose to attend UPenn because I wanted to experience living on the opposite coast of the US and because UPenn has a wonderful program for teachers. I became a teacher and while teaching, I earned a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in 2017 from the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. I had already been working at High Tech High as a middle school math and science teacher for four years, and since this program was embedded in my school, it was convenient to continue my education there while still working.
12
I currently live in San Diego and am the principal of an elementary school. Our school has 432 students, and I am responsible for managing and supporting teachers to implement student-centered, project-based instruction, designing and facilitating professional development for faculty and staff, hiring, and managing the budget for the school. Many of my fondest memories of SUA are related to the clubs and sports in which I participated. I served as president for the choir group Soul Wings and also played on the SUA women’s soccer team. I have many memories of rehearsals and performances making beautiful music with my friends. One of my favorite performances was an acapella performance of the song “You Gotta Be” that our club performed for Lion’s Roar. I also have great memories of traveling around California to games with my team and had fun whether we won or lost. As an inaugural member of the women’s soccer team, I had the honor of scoring the first ever goal for the SUA women’s team during overtime to win our first match. It is an honor that I have always cherished and will never forget. I had many amazing classes and I loved most of them. Ten years later, however, what I remember most are the professors who supported me and built relationships with me such as Esther Chang, Ted Lowe and Ed Feasel. All their classes were my favorite because of our student-teacher relationship.
www.soka.edu
