About Us
TEEA is a school club established in the fall of 2023 at the University of Washington. Our aim is to build a bridge between UW students and elementary school students in Taiwan, fostering mutual exchange and learning. We are committed to providing long-term and stable English teaching and companionship.
Our Story
As international students at the University of Washington who grew up in Taiwan, we’ve always been interested in the education issues in rural areas of Taiwan.
After the experience of volunteering at various summer camps in rural areas in high school, we’ve noticed that most of these camps lacked the cultivation of a “long-term companionship” between volunteers and children. Considering these problems, we built a team of volunteers of junior high to high school students who can commit to serving at a specific elementary school for six years, maintaining long-term connections with local students.
After a few years of activities, we realized the shortcomings in the experiences of high school students and understood the challenges of committing to long-term participation. Therefore, we aim to improve the team. TEEA, leveraging the richer experiences of university students and adopting the format of participating in school clubs, aims to achieve a long-term and more comprehensive learning system.
Meet the Team
Finance/Foundraising
Irene Wang
Sociology Major
I have been working with elementary school students since high school. It requires a lot of work and sometimes makes me doubt my decision to continue, but the children’s reactions and smiles always keep me motivated and reaffirm that I made the right choice.
#ILoveMovies #NobodyKnows #FloridaProject #Yiyi
Curriculum Coordinator
Samantha Trinh
Linguistics & Business Major
I love working with children! It is something that I have been doing for a long time and can't imagine not doing. Watching the children I work with slowly open up and become more excited about things always makes me happy.
#kimbap #onigiri #popcornchicken #banhmi #nom
Curriculum Coordinator / School Liaison
Isaiah Quinby
Linguistics, Global&Regional Studies Major
I’m passionate about language learning, speak Mandarin, and plan to teach English in Taiwan in the future. The club is a great opportunity to get a taste for teaching English in a real-world scenario, and helping with administration and training tutors also gives me a chance to see what types of difficulties educators deal with when faced with such a significant language barrier.
I speak a little Taiwanese, a little Korean, and can probably beat most of the club at mahjong.
Secretary
Amber Chou
Psychology & ECFS Major
Growing up in Taiwan, I was very lucky to have the resources and support system I had while learning English; they not only motivated me to step outside of my comfort zone but also definitely helped shape who I am today. With my passion for working with children, especially those with special needs, I wanted to find an opportunity here at UW that would allow me to give back to my community, further positively impacting the lives of our future generations.
#ToyStory #sleep #travel #ramen #IcedChai
Social Media
Ryan Yu
Linguistics & Japanese Major
Growing up in China and coming to the U.S. since High School, I realized the importance of cultural exchange and knowing how to speak English in the 21st century. I’ve been looking for opportunities to work with and teach children who lack the educational privileges that many others have so that I can give back to the community.
#CrayonShinchan #photo #msuic #games #cats