Hoda Ehsan (Childhood Education, 2015)

Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 6 - Issue 1 - August 2022

Doctor Hoda Ehsan graduated from the Childhood Education program in 2015. She is currently the Director of Engineering and Design at the Hill School, where she chairs the Engineering Department and oversees and leads the engineering, design, and computer science programs. “I am responsible for expanding the programs by developing and adapting new curricula, so the programs are aligned with the current—and near future—needs of engineering and technology industries. I also mentor junior faculty and students.” 

When asked to describe her experience in the Childhood Education program, Doctor Ehsan explained that she applied to the program just a couple of months after she moved to the United States from Iran. She had two years of experience as a director of education and creativity in an Iranian elementary school, but she did not have any formal training in the education field. Her undergraduate degree is in engineering, and she had worked as an engineer for a little less than two years. “Thus, I knew studying childhood education in graduate school was going to be challenging,” she says. When she joined the program, she struggled with a lot of things. “English was not my native language and I had limited knowledge of the United States’ education system. However, the professors I had understood my needs and supported me. They guided me to use the resources CCNY was providing, such as the Writing Center. They were always available when I had questions and needed help with my assignments.” 

Doctor Ehsan graduated with a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University in 2020 and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech. After that, she decided to take a break from higher education and academia and accepted an administrative position at the Hill School, a large boarding school in Pennsylvania. As a pre-college engineering education researcher, she continues to conduct research in the field and collaborate with colleagues from various universities. Moreover, she is very involved with the Executive Board of the Pre-College Engineering Education Division of the American Society for Engineering Education. Finally, she has also founded a small limited liability company, Sunny Skies Academy, through which she provides STEM and engineering education services to vulnerable and low-resourced communities, both locally and globally.