About Mary
Hello, I’m Mary, and I am excited to be a teacher candidate in the 2026/27 Middle Years and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) cohort.
I grew up in Coquitlam on the unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation, and I currently live and study on the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Quw'utsun (Cowichan) Nations. My first languages are English and Cantonese, and I am currently learning French and Mandarin. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Interactive Arts and Technology from SFU and a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UBC.
My path to education has been non-linear but deeply purposeful. After graduating, I worked as a UI/UX Designer on the FIFA and NHL teams at Electronic Arts. The rigorous schedule taught me resilience, but I soon transitioned into the healthcare sector, where I discovered my true passion for pedagogy. I co-designed assistive technology lessons for clients needing to communicate with loved ones and later created tech-training lesson plans for adult healthcare workers. Earning my M.Ed. at UBC was a turning point; it solidified my belief that educators are co-learners and that students construct knowledge within their zone of proximal development. This revelation inspired me to leave a stable corporate career to pursue my lifelong dream of teaching.
My foundational experience with youth includes volunteering as a church drummer and leading arts-and-crafts teams for children. More recently, I worked as an Education Assistant at a local independent school, supporting students with diverse learning needs, including autism. Collaborating closely with the Learning Support teacher, I co-facilitated kindergarten group work and leveraged my tech background to design an interactive game that supported early literacy. This hands-on experience confirmed my desire to teach and highlighted the profound importance of meeting students exactly where they are.
I specifically chose the Middle Years and Self-Regulated Learning cohort because I want to move beyond surface-level behavior management to understand the cognitive and emotional strategies that empower students to self-regulate and advocate for themselves. The middle years are a critical developmental window for identity and autonomy, and my goal is to become confident in lesson planning while learning how to foster independent, lifelong learners. My primary hope for this year is to build strong, trusting relationships with school staff, parents, and learners, and to grow collaboratively within my practicum settings.
Outside of academia, I am passionate about physical health, fitness dance classes, cooking, baking, and scrapbooking. I see these as powerful pedagogical tools: fitness and dance translate to engaging kinesthetic brain breaks, cooking and baking offer practical math integration, and my background in interactive design allows me to create gamified learning experiences. I am also actively involved in community organizing. These extracurriculars positively bring high energy and strong organizational skills to my practice.
