Learning, Innovation and Design - MAEd

Flor has been an educator for over 10 years, primarily teaching middle school math and currently teaching 4th grade in the California Bay Area.  During her time in the MAEd Learning, Innovation and Design program, Flor found a plethora of research on student wellness, but limited literature on teacher wellness.  To address this issue, Flor conducted an action research project aimed to improve teacher wellness and ultimately educator effectiveness, job satisfaction, and retention.  Employing wellness interventions, her goal is to make a significant impact on teacher well-being and mental health which will, in turn, positively impact student learning outcomes and school culture.

Jacqueline serves as the TRiO Program Specialist at Pacific and during her time in the MAEd program, developed projects with students and student-parents in mind. Using human-centered design, she designed a center—with resources such as daycare and study spaces—for student-parents of young children to feel supported and connected to the campus community while pursuing higher education.  Yet to be implemented as part of her ongoing work, Jacqueline’s ultimate goal is to create equitable spaces for academic success in the community she serves.

Jessica's work during the Learning, Innovation and Design program bridged the worlds of education and cosmetology as she reimagined salon spaces as inclusive, healing, and community-centered environments. She explored how beauty professionals can co-design better client experiences, support emotional wellness, and use learning frameworks like Universal Design for Learning to improve both training and client care in salon environments. Jessica's vision is to create a new model for equity-driven beauty care that uplifts marginalized voices and centers the well-being of both clients and stylists. 

Destiny serves as Coordinator of Field Experience and Credential Analyst at Benerd College, and is committed to cultivating holistic, innovative learning environments where all students are seen and valued. In the MAEd program, Destiny examined the unique academic challenges faced by undergraduate students after completing their first year and focused on improving academic guidance, promoting retention, and creating a more equitable learning environment for first generation, upper-division, and nontraditional students. Data collected from her action research project encourages educational leaders to shift practices to more holistic, student-centered interventions that yield positive student outcomes. 

As Digital Projects Manager for Pacific, Yusif knows the fundamental importance of the university's commitment to hands-on, innovative learning. As part of his work in the MAEd Learning, Innovation and Design program, Yusif developed and implemented initiatives at Pacific’s Innovation Projects Studio (IPS)—a cross-disciplinary, student-led initiative dedicated to developing high-impact, real-world solutions across education, technology, health, and community engagement. Contributing innovative ideas to this hands-on incubator, Yusif supported teams on projects such as app development, data dashboards, virtual simulations, assistive technologies, and public service. 

Amanda has worked in education for 20 years, and aims to support a more human-centered, empathetic approach to teaching and learning. As part of her MAEd research and with a goal to encourage positive student behaviors, Amanda instituted "Faire Fridays," dedicated time for students to engage in fun activities based on having met behavior expectations during the week. Designed by Amanda, for and with teachers, students, and families, evidence of the program’s impact is school-wide implementation and teacher reports of increased positive behaviors.