English Lecturer
English lecturer Kia’s engagement with sustainability goes beyond the world of professional interest, and is more of a profound commitment deeply rooted in her experiences and values.
From an early age, Kia faced adversity head-on, propelled by a determination to honour her mother’s sacrifices and, most importantly, to make her proud. A series of life-altering experiences, including a traumatic event that led to chronic illness and C-PTSD, could have derailed her aspirations, but instead they only spurred her on.
Inspired to follow the academic route, Kia set her sights on education and becoming a teacher. “Sustainability now has intrinsic ties to my identity as an educator, as a researcher, who I am as a person,” Kia reflects, emphasising the integration of sustainability into her personal and professional identity.
Her approach to sustainability is comprehensive, viewing it as a principle that transcends environmental conservation to encompass social responsibility, community support, and educational innovation. And, Kia’s dedication to sustainability came from a realisation about just how much impact one individual can have on the broader community.
This realisation came in the form of the ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ concept that she encountered during her PGCE at the University of Plymouth. It provided her with a framework to understand the complexities of sustainability and its relevance to her field, with an introduction sparked a passion that has since become central to her teaching and research.
In her role at City College Plymouth, Kia has endeavoured to embed sustainability into the curriculum and foster an environment that encourages students to engage with sustainable practices both academically and personally. Her approach is characterised by a commitment to creating a supportive educational environment where students can explore the implications of sustainability in their lives and future professions.
“Sustainability is something to be shared and liberally poured into everything around us; I’m doing the best with what I have to put that into practice,” she states, highlighting her proactive efforts to integrate sustainability into her teaching methodology and interactions with students.
