Abdul AlHomoud

Throughout my education prior to college, I was immersed in the world of STEM. All I knew was math, chemistry, biology, and physics. I enjoyed learning, but something didn’t quite click. After a summer abroad and reading different forms of literature to broaden my horizons, I stumbled upon Carl Jung and his psychology. Becoming interested in human development and the experience of being human was my first step towards an academic adventure that was not rooted in STEM.

I was born in Kuwait and was educated through the British Curriculum before having the privileged opportunity to attend a university of my choice abroad in the United States. I chose to go to UC Davis for my bachelor’s degree, which I earned in the fields of psychology and philosophy. Most of my undergraduate education focused on the foundations of what education and human development is all about. I focused on the philosophy of language and the philosophy of education, and I went on to earn my master’s degree in philosophy with an emphasis on the philosophy of education and social philosophy. I had the very fortunate opportunity to create my own syllabus and lecture my own class of undergraduates throughout this experience, which was my first introduction to teaching. I became enamored with how people learn and the plethora of different ways in which we do so.

Having taught in a lecture hall, I yearned for the one-on-one modality of teaching. The one-on-one setting offers the opportunity to learn about an individual on a deeper level. Understanding what each student excels at, what they struggle with, and the patterns through which they think is something that is not feasible when teaching a class of a hundred, or even twenty, students. The more personal 1-on-1 experience creates a dynamic in which the student is not merely a receiver of information, but a person with goals and aspirations that education serves as a helping hand with.

In my spare time, I love to spend time playing video games with friends, exploring hole in the wall restaurants, and keeping up with my favorite shows!