The PiCED Gig

I thought I would share a little about why I came back (and Ethan came) to Samoa in the first place. We were offered a great opportunity with an awesome non-profit, PiCED - Pacific Islands Center for Educational Development. Since the American Samoa Department of Education is so lacking, PiCED works to provide students the necessary resources to succeed. We have a computer lab, offer tutoring, teach SAT Prep courses, provide college counseling, hold leadership courses, lead teacher training workshops, train parents of positive child development and much more. So we basically offer cradle to college services with the aim of improving the island’s education. For the next 13 months Ethan and I will invest all our energy into helping PiCED continue to grow, expand, and improve it’s programs. In my position, Program Manager, I will be in charge of creating, implementing, and overseeing all of PiCED’s programs. It’s a big position, and I’m thrilled to be able to continue my work in Samoa with this opportunity. Ethan will be the Student Services Coordinator. His position is very hands on, and he will have most of the day to day contacts with the students. He personally gets to walk them through all the college application processes and handles most of the classroom instruction. We are both so enthusiastic about the possibilities for the year ahead and the positive impact we can make. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to accomplish everything we are planning for!