My Why

Answer E: Edupreneurs Bridging Workforce & Education

This episode gives My Why- my story, how it has made me an edupreneur and what I hope to learn through this podcast.
I never fit into the classic student role, and I never related to the traditional career ladder concept. Grades never held much meaning to me, and I was more interested in learning about the people at school than the content.

Growing up, I spent my weekends learning to work with my hands as my family always had projects around the house- I learned to dig ditches for irrigation, helped build decks and crawled under the house to help feed electrical lines through, while learning to identify what termite towers looked like so we could know them down before they reached their goal.

I am a first generation college graduate, but my journey was more like climbing a tree than a ladder, investigating different branches.

Four years ago, I thought I had the answers to where my career was headed. I was the site principal at a small high school I had helped design to fit the needs of students in my community, and I thought my future was mapped out for me. When a historic wildfire burned down our school, community and homes, I had to start thinking differently. While we were designing the high school our team had the opportunity to visit innovative programs throughout the state and moving to the County Office gave me the opportunity to experience even more programs designed to fit unique student needs.

The more I learn, the more questions I have. I don’t have the answers– all of you do! My passion for non-traditional students like me, combined with our societal shifts, drive me towards finding innovative solutions to bridge our educational systems with the shortages in the workforce, in ways that fit our new generation of learners and workers.