Autumn Thomas

In my current role I serve as the Program Coordinator for two USAID funded projects, FHI’s Ghana Learning Numeracy and Curriculum Revision Project and Chemonics International’s Early Grade Reading in Afghanistan. In both capacities I provide technical assistance and support on international education evaluations and data cleaning as well as overseeing subcontract administration with international partners and supporting communication to field teams and clients.

Having just relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, I am still in the process of discovering the city and the various organizations and communities within it. Most recently, I joined an Intermediate co-ed Soccer League in the city and Reality Church San Francisco.

I would tell myself to not sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff. College goes by so quickly, and the moments and friendships are something to be treasured and valued. Taking risks, making mistakes and surrounding yourself with a team of people who are going to grow with you on this journey are so important. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

When considering what to do after graduation I reflected back on what a mentor of mine, Dr. Tom Owens, in the College of Education, once told me: “You can go on to simply be a citizen of this country, or become a citizen of the world.” That statement has since inspired me to root my interests in using education as a tool to address human rights disparities in order to increase the potential opportunities awarded to students from marginalized communities. Over the last two years I had the privilege of serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga (2013-2015). The Peace Corps was an extension of other volunteer opportunities; however, it was unique in that I was now completely inundated and immersed in an environment where I could see how economic, social, and government disparities all played a hand in shaping the structure of school. I don’t know if I would have pushed through the labor intensive application process if it weren’t for Dr. Owens and Dr. Karen Biraimah who allowed me to spontaneously pop into their offices from time to time and who provided me with the wisdom and advice that I needed as a student. Having them as mentors helped me navigate through my last two years at UCF, and it’s something that I continue to value and treasure to this day.

My most valuable experiences outside of the classroom were two programs, sponsored through the College of Education, that provided me with an opportunity to travel to Spain and Botswana. The first was a 12-week bi-lingual field experience in Spain where I spent 11 weeks under the supervision of a Spanish teacher teaching English in a rural elementary school in Zamora (2010). This was my first experience living and working abroad, and it established the foundation upon which I began to explore a career in international development focusing on education. My interest in research developed as a result of my participation in a Fulbright-Hays Program in Botswana (2011). My time in Botswana allowed me to examine the challenges of providing high quality educational opportunities for underrepresented student populations within that country. It was through discussions with teachers, students, ministry education officials, and parents that I discovered that the challenges of providing students with a quality education was not only a domestic issue but an international issue. Both experiences were pivotal in my choice of my Master’s degree in International and Comparative Education at FSU.