Tawny Choi

Bio

Hello, everyone. My name is Tawny Choi. I was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. I went to Bonneville High school where I was in DECA, Science Olympiad, and the Honor Society. I then went to Weber. It was the only college to offer me any kind of scholarship which I knew I needed as I am the oldest child of a single mom. While at Weber I was very involved with lots of groups on campus. At first, I had to be as be involved as a requirement for my scholarship then later I realized how much I love being a part of the university. I ended up serving as the Traditional Student Senator for 2 years and then the Diversity and Unity Vice President. I am very proud to say that I was able to pay for all my tuition, fees, and books on my own by being offered pell grants, loans, work study, scholarships and by working. I worked a several jobs while studying, most of them on campus.

After finishing my Associates in General Studies, I had no clue what I wanted to major in. I thought I’d find classes that I liked or would spark my interest but that didn’t happen. So, I really had to think. I realized that I already taught children to ski and I really liked that so I decided to major in Elementary Education. I struggled during my student teaching and even came to the point where I wanted to quit. I knew I just had a few months then I’d be done with school so I pushed through.

After graduation I wanted to travel but like many students I had no money to travel. Then someone close to me told me the obvious choice was to teach abroad. I applied to many different programs and schools, the first school to offer me a job was in Taiwan. I said yes, not even knowing where Taiwan was on a map. The initial contract was for only 6 months and I knew I could do 6 months even if it was bad. I ended up living in Taiwan for 7 years!! I love Taiwan and find myself missing it every now and again. After, living in Taiwan I moved to Hong Kong where I met my husband. We lived there together for 3 years before we decided it would be best for us to move to the States. I moved back at the end of 2022 and found myself once again back at Weber State. I definitely bleed purple!