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Scholars Served
All of our people including the founders are volunteers with the exception of the Khmer staff. In order for our people to co-create a space for collective work, we abide by these four Community Agreements:
Jen Hyatt has worked in education for over 30 years, as a public high school English teacher in New York state, as the Associate Director of the Center for Creative Teaching at Bennington College, and as the Academic Dean at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont, where she has been a teacher and administrator since 2004. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary English education from SUNY Oneonta, a master’s degree in English from SUNY Albany, and a master’s degree in independent school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia Teachers College.
Before joining Pearl West, Steven was a Co-Founder and CEO of an advertising agency where he managed all aspects of the organization. During the four years of his leadership, the agency transformed from a start-up into a profitable eight-figure business. Previous to his work at the agency, Steven served as an Executive Director of Operations for a large non-profit organization in the United States, where he learned the importance of creating team culture and developing clear core values. Steven is passionate about helping people with personal and professional growth, which has been his primary motivation throughout his extensive career spanning sales, operations, and management across various industries such as pharmaceutical, retail, and e-commerce. Steven earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Washington.
Rattana was born in Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand from parents who fled Cambodia in the mist of the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge. His family immigrated to Seattle, WA in 1984. He is a lifelong learner and passionate educator. He has been teaching for 16 years. Thirteen of those years, he taught in public education in the greater Seattle area and 3 of those years in a private international school in Cambodia. Currently, he is a high school mathematics teacher in Seattle Public Schools. His academic preparation includes Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Washington, Bachelor of Science from Mathematics Maryville State University, and Master’s in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University.
Co-Founder | Worthy & True
Dr. Nikum Pon has dedicated the last 25 years of his life working with a wide range of students and their families in racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse communities in predominantly low-income settings in the greater Seattle area and with various educational institutions and non-profit organizations locally, regionally and nationally. His academic preparation includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Cell Molecular Biology and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington, and Master’s Degree in Education from Seattle Pacific University. In addition, he completed his certification in Adaptive Leadership, a high impact collaborative leadership model, from Leadership Eastside as class of 2017. Nikum is a life-long learner as he continues to find ways to deepen his learning and practice as a systems thinker and critical leader. Since August of 2019, he and his family moved to Cambodia to build high quality schools for low-income families where he and his wife built an Early Learning Center in an impoverished area outside of Phnom Penh, the capital city. His vision is to build a pre-K through 12th grade school in every province in Cambodia.
Co-Founder | Worthy & True
Jessica’s purpose in life is to unlock the innovation and creativity in children. Currently, she is a 1st grade teacher at Asian Hope International School as she continues her practice in developing and implementing artistic ideas and strategies in her classroom. Prior to her teaching position, she is a co-founder of Shine Early Learning Center, a high-quality international standard school in an impoverished area in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she served for three years. She continues to support the school as an advisor. Before her move to Cambodia, she was an entrepreneur for four years, and Kids Ministry director for another three years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Washington.
Amanda Sandico is an accountant with extensive bookkeeping experience, currently working at the Northshore School District as the accounting lead. Amanda is skilled at streamlining financial workflows and excited to volunteer her expertise in financial management to support Worthy & True. She holds a B.S. in Accounting and is currently pursuing her MBA
As an Instructional Systems Designer, Luis Manuel Ortiz designs engaging learning experiences for a spectrum of adult learners to become proficient in key skills within their industries. Luis empowers companies to help their employees bridge knowledge and skill gaps in practical, relevant, and authentic ways to their positions. With over 10+ years of experience as a social worker and 6 years as a learning specialist within education, Luis Manuel is a multilingual learning specialist and social scientist. Luis Manuel has extensive experience with instructor-led training, assessments, learning management systems, program management, interpretation, transcription, and translation. He is passionate about helping learners bridge knowledge and skill gaps in practical, relevant, and authentic ways to their positions.
Brendan Sandico is currently working in Cambodia as a Creative Generalist for Worthy & True. His roles are to support and assist local Khmer teachers at Shine Early Learning Center and cultivate relationships locally and globally through social media and other creative avenues. He has recently graduated from The University of Washington with a Bachelors degree in Sociology and is pursuing further education in the Social Sciences.
Sarun Chan, Lietkanah Maing, Samphors Mao, Chanthou Phang, Chanra Ron, Lakhena Samnang, Johnny Tailor, Linat Tiv, Srey Yam, & Sambath Yorn