Hi, I’m Sophia Suzuki-Jones.
But, my students call me Miss J. I’m a nature-loving, avocado-eating, forever-learning educator living in foggy San Francisco.
Phone: (808) 753-4002
Email: sophia.suzuki-jones[at]gmail.com
But, my students call me Miss J. I’m a nature-loving, avocado-eating, forever-learning educator living in foggy San Francisco.
Phone: (808) 753-4002
Email: sophia.suzuki-jones[at]gmail.com
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. While growing up on the beautiful island of Oahu, I developed a deep love and passion for the ocean and environmental conservation. Thus, after graduating high school, I left Hawaii to attend the University of Redlands and study Environmental Science.
During my time at the University of Redlands, I was fortunate enough to travel to and live in several different places around the world. I studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany, where I focused on studying renewable energy and environmental ethics. I assisted my professor, Timothy Krantz, in his research project to compile a geographic information database for Tetiaroa atoll (also called Marlon Brando’s atoll) in French Polynesia. I worked for The Nature Conservancy on projects in Colorado and Mississippi. In Colorado, I worked on stewardship and outreach projects at Phantom Canyon Preserve, and in Mississippi, I worked on coastal conservation projects— collecting data on oyster reef recovery from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.
After graduating from the University of Redlands, I worked for Ocean Discovery Institute, a non-profit in San Diego where I provided informal science education to elementary and middle school students in underserved communities. Through this experience, I saw some of the injustices and inequalities that students faced in the classroom, and I was driven to become a teacher. After finishing my time at Ocean Discovery, I attended the University of San Diego and completed their credential and master’s program in elementary education last spring.
Last fall, I moved up to San Francisco and started substitute teaching to get to know the different schools and school districts around the Bay Area. Through substitute teaching, I got offered a position at AltSchool to finish up the school year teaching first and second grade students! I have so much love and appreciation for every single second of my journey to become a teacher, and I am so excited for all of the times to come.