Meet Shoon

I am Shoon Wai and I am the basic and beginning evening instructor at OLC. I am originally from Myanmar. I moved to Little Rock with my family when I was in middle school. We later moved to Fayetteville while I was in high school, and I have lived here ever since. I graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 2021 from the University of Arkansas. I am currently taking a gap year before applying for medical school. I think teaching at OLC is a great way to give back during this time. I learned about OLC through my mom (who you may recognize), Tin Wai. She has been attending classes at OLC since 2016.

 I am glad that I chose to do this during my gap year. I am learning to have more compassion and a more open mind. Even though I am an immigrant myself, there are so many different experiences that our students arrive with as they come to America and as they come to OLC to learn English. It has opened my mind a lot. It would be really easy to see how working at a clinic this year might prepare me for med school and learning how to help people with their physical needs. In this environment, I am able to help people with their mental needs more and helping them to learn. I think that is just as important for me to learn as I become a doctor.

I am really enjoying my time here. I love learning about my students. I love listening to them talk about themselves, learning where they are from and about their different cultural backgrounds. It feels so rewarding when my students feel comfortable enough to open up to me. When I first started, it was a little scary – I’d never made a lesson plan before or taught from a curriculum. As I’ve gotten more comfortable, I’ve been able to let go of the structure a bit and adapt to students’ needs and incorporate their interests. I think they have been able to learn a lot better that way.