Olivia Lucy Alumni Profile

Olivia Lucy graduated from Texas Tech in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood (EC) and teaching certification. Today, Olivia is pursuing a master's degree in Literacy Learning and Literacy Difficulties at University College London (UCL), and will be graduating in Sept.

“I've known since I was little that I wanted to be a teacher, so that decision was easy,” said. “I thought I would major in elementary education, but my heart has always been with young children and I knew Early Childhood was the right path for me. I thought it was important to learn about how our littlest learners think and develop before attempting to teach them myself.”

For the past four years Olivia has been an assistant teacher at the American School in London (ASL). Throughout her time in that role Olivia has been able to teach full time, sharing the classroom responsibilities with a teaching partner, and simultaneously attend school at UCL part time.

Olivia credits her time at the Christine DeVitt and Helen DeVitt Jones Child Development Research Center (CDRC) for giving her the head start she needed to get ahead in her career.

“The time I spent at the CDRC really allowed me to watch children learn through play and develop socially and emotionally,” Olivia said. “I am thankful for Texas Tech's EC program with teacher certification (Tech Teach) and the hands-on experience that I truly think helped me secure my position in London. I was able to talk about working in a play-based environment in the CDRC and spending an entire year in a real classroom before I even graduated, which was a huge advantage in my job search.”

What started as a one year abroad trip for Olivia has quickly turned into a life-changing career.

“My senior year I went to a job fair, talked to several schools, and was fortunate enough to be offered a position in London,” Olivia said. “My time abroad has quickly become four years in London and at least two more in Milan. I started in a Reggio based Kindergarten for the first two years and have made the switch to 3rd grade for the last two.”

Upon completion of her master's degree, Olivia will be making another move abroad to teach her own classroom at the American School in Milan (ASM).

“I cannot wait to bring what I've learned in my time at ASL to ASM and to learn from my new colleagues in Milan,” Olivia said. “More than anything I can't wait to meet my class of 3rd graders and to start building a community of learners together!”

Although Olivia is living big abroad, she says that she has not forgotten the impact that the College of Human Sciences had on her during her time in Lubbock.

“I was always inspired by the dedication, passion, and expertise my professors shared and appreciate the relationships I formed with them during my college career (I absolutely adore Mitzi Ziegner!),” Olivia said. “The things I remember the most are the things I learned while I was working hands-on in the CDRC and in the reflection on my time spent there.”