Education empowers us to shift how we perceive and navigate the world. Whether that’s in a traditional classroom setting or at a global NGO, meet three graduates of the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) who are expanding the horizons of students and educators.
Jason Kelleher, M.A. ’02
Senior Advisor, FHI360
Jason Kelleher quickly realized that teaching wasn’t for him after moving to the Czech Republic for a teaching position. However, educational administration intrigued him — and being in the right place at the right time meant he became a founding staff member of the Central European University. It was there he learned about systems, policy, and people management, all on the fly, as they navigated the accreditation process. It was also there that he discovered a chance to delve further into the field of international education.
With a return to the States, he sought a master’s degree from the George Washington University, where he found himself drawn to the impact and influence of economics, communities, and social norms related to access to education. In another instance of right time, right place, his new workplace asked him to focus on positive youth development programming that maximized benefits. It required pulling together technical expertise across the organization and synthesizing it into a framework, tools, approaches, methodologies, and points of contact to move this initiative forward. “It was really that process of driving that helped me understand better…the foundational role education plays in everything, but also the interconnectedness with all of these other social and development trends the world was navigating.”
He has gone on to build mentorship programs that lead to economic opportunity for students in Mozambique; to reduce barriers for youth with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce in Romania; and more. What started as an international teaching stint in the Czech Republic turned into a lifelong career focusing on the intersection of education, economics, and opportunity and creating change on a global scale.
Elaine Jeanette Walton, M.A. ’24
Co-Founder and Director, Tiina Jori Ko Ba
Elaine Jeanette Walton’s first brush with the country that would later become her home was a summer internship teaching English to Ghanaian students. There, she witnessed firsthand the disparities in the education system. Most notably, she recognized that students with special needs were isolated from the rest of the community — and any educational opportunities — due to their labeling as “spirit” children. To enhance her capacity and knowledge, she returned to the United States to pursue a graduate degree in international education. What drew her to the Graduate School of Educational and Human Development was the fact that “GW had a UNESCO Chair within the international education program and faculty members who are very active in the international education sphere.”
Her decision was validated thanks to the many connections with practitioners in her field who were able to align what she was doing in Ghana with her coursework at GSEHD. It also led to a pivotal role in facilitating the first International Inclusive Education Symposium in Ghana, where educators were trained in inclusive education techniques. A highlight for Walton was reviewing feedback and seeing a recurring theme from participants who felt newly encouraged to speak up when they saw a child being denied an education. Plans are underway to expand the symposium to more locations throughout West Africa and to reach more educators in partnership with faculty from GSEHD.
Today, she holds dual roles as a co-founder and director of Tiina Jori Ko Ba, a nonprofit that works to promote quality healthcare and education in the most impoverished regions in Ghana. As an output of the nonprofit, she serves as curriculum coordinator at the J.O.S. Children’s School, which focuses on inclusive education for students with special needs. She credits her time at GW for providing her the education, the connections, and the faculty who have led her to her current career.
Katherine Blanchard, M.A. ’16
Assistant Division Director of Professional Services, Smithsonian Science Education Center
Katherine Blanchard already had a passion for international exploration, with multiple study abroad experiences as an undergraduate student, followed by a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Serbia. But it was an entry-level role and subsequent career at the Smithsonian Science Education Center that catalyzed her interest in international education. She realized she wanted to better understand how we can create education systems that are supportive of young people and to learn about other models of teaching and learning. For her, the best way to do that was by pursuing a master’s degree in international education.
“One of the things I really value about my experience with GW is that it wasn't just a program that was focused on what you know or training you for a specific job. It was a program that was focused on helping you learn how to think and learn how to examine complexities and understand systems.” She found a connection between her ongoing work and her education in their shared focus on shaping the future. At the Smithsonian, she embraced its mission to examine history and deepen our understanding of the world to create a better future. Similarly, her studies encouraged her to consider how we have historically taught students compared with how we want to prepare them for a future that may not yet exist at this moment in time.
Most importantly, her time at GW allowed her to think about the design of and perspective of the role she wanted to take within the Smithsonian Science Education Center. And for her, that meant being a convener of people who are shifting the conversation on international science education — and connecting them to the historical, art, and cultural resources of the Smithsonian Institutions to support communities around the globe.
With more than 30 years of experience, GW’s International Education Program (IEP) empowers participants to improve systems of education and increase access to quality education around the world. Learn more about the master’s in international education and discover how you can elevate your career. For more information, reach out to a GSEHD admissions coach.