Teaching English. Learning Thai? Riding a motor scooter?!

My time in high school

Attended high school in the
1970s

Overall high school experience
8/10. Participated in choir and band and prop production for plays. Took American History in French, which was interesting!

Grades in high school
A's and B's.

 

Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Math

Struggled with...
PE. I wasn't too coordinated. When I struggled with other subjects (like French and science) I worked harder at them until they were better.

Favorite extracurricular
Music


Life since high school

Some things that I first thought would be failures were really part of the path toward a success in helping others.

Attended college / university at
Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon.

Majored in
Political Science (with as much music as I could fit in)

Post-graduate education or training
Graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California (1979) Got a Masters in Teaching from Washington State University, Vancouver, (2006)

Places lived in US
Washington

Places lived outside the US
Thailand

Current occupations / past occupations
Now: Volunteer English Teacher in a Christian Thai elementary school.
Before that: Substitute teacher
Before that: Family business secretary substitute
Before that: Mother, homeschooler, church education director, church choir director
During the rest of this: Family business legal advisor
Before that: Lawyer

Industries I've worked in
- Construction
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (e.g. Law, Accounting, Interior Design, Graphic Design, R&D, PR, Advertising, etc.)
- Management of Companies and Enterprises
- Administrative and Support Services
- Educational Services

Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes.

Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes. It was in the legal field, then it was in education mostly.


A little introspection...

To me, being successful means...
Having a life that glorifies God, that shows how He is working in you and through you to help others.

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Some things that I first thought would be failures were really part of the path toward a success in helping others.

My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Having three children out living responsibly and two of them living to glorify God. God uses our obedience to work through us to accomplish good things 

My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Being too hard on my oldest child. To be more merciful. 

An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
Isn't most of life unexpected? I crashed our motor scooter into a curb (in Thailand) when my husband was out of town. The only person around to help me was our housekeeper. She did many things to help me, took care of the motor scooter, helped me at the hospital, and other things. It greatly increased my trust of her and strengthened our relationship. She is still our good friend after 6 years here.

Anything else you'd like to share?
My most unexpected activity has been riding a motor scooter around in Thailand at 57


This alumni is open to your questions and follow-ups.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto

I remember some fun times at Shakey's Pizza with friends.