“I was a community mobilizer for Safe Street,” recalls Ferguson. She became a Social Her Worker and Family Support Specialist at Community-in-School, which connects public schools with her community resources. That job started her lifelong love affair with the world of education. She attended the University of Washington, Tacoma and after earning her teaching qualification, she earned her Master of Arts in Education from Antioch College in Seattle. She began teaching in Tacoma Elementary Schools, becoming Principal in 2008 and Director of Early Learning and Title I for Tacoma Public Schools in 2013.

Her own childhood experiences in school were not always positive, and she later applied those experiences to her career as an educator. As a child of color, she didn’t always feel accepted for who she was. she remembers.

What made Ferguson make teaching his life’s work?

“I didn’t want another little black kid to go through what I went through,” she says. I wanted to create opportunities for them and remove the barriers that adults put up.” Ferguson says PLU made her passionate about working with people and helping them be the best they can be.

A graduate of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, she said she liked the fact that PLU is a local campus that allows her to attend college and still stay connected to the community she grew up in. Today, she works to ensure that everyone working in ESD-supported preschools maintains positive connections with young students. Preschool is where adults can help children build a solid foundation for future school success.

“My staff are trained educators,” she says. However, in addition to her academic background, she is looking for someone who is passionate about engaging young children in the way they best learn through play, movement and hands-on learning. “Walk into a preschool classroom and you’ll hear constant learning buzz,” she says.