Origins of Grace’s success
Dr. Grace Young was always drawn to math and science. At a very young age she enjoyed the structure math provided and loved to learn how things work. “By second or third grade, I stopped asking for bedtime stories at night. When my mom tucked me into bed, I’d ask for math problems,” she shared. The same talents and skills that make Grace special also posed a challenge for her education. Grace was ready for AP Calculus by grade nine; however, her local public school denied this acceleration in her course work, attesting that she already had enough math credits to graduate. That experience was the final straw that led Grace and her family in search of a school that could meet her needs for advanced course work and for time to pursue her passion for the flute. She stated,“My mom and I started looking and found JIA.”
At JIA, which has since expanded to U-Tech Preparatory Academy to reach students nationally and world-wide, Grace engaged in online courses outside of the standard curriculum with a more flexible schedule. She took advantage of the dual enrollment option to begin her university pathway while still in high school. Grace remembered her very first meeting with JIA/U-Tech Executive Director, Dr. Rebekah Redmer, who assured Grace that her needs would be met. Indeed they were. While at JIA, Grace was able to complete ten university courses and experience the support and mentoring of excellent teachers. She described how JIA/U-Tech’s Dean of Faculty, Mr. Cameron Kuiper, actively supported her development of the advanced writing skills necessary to write a PhD thesis. Grace explained her success in her academic and professional life:
Managing your own time is something that is critical when you’re taking online courses, and is critical to succeed, especially in grad school, and the workplace…JIA let me take control of my HS education… executing those plans really set me up for success later in life. I know how to learn, and so I was able to be successful in this job [at Garmin]…from day one, I hit the ground running.
Grace’s role as teacher and mentor
The understanding of the value of the critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills Grace obtained at JIA inspired her to add an additional professional role as a JIA/U-Tech teacher and mentor. She acknowledges the importance of grades and class content, but recognizes that students need to independently think through and solve problems as she did at JIA. Grace aims to instill that same drive in the students she teaches and mentors. “I honestly don’t think of my role at JIA/U-Tech as a job, I just love it. I love answering the students’ questions,” she commented. She described her teaching philosophy as teaching critical thinking and problem solving through the lens of content and promoting a “can-do” attitude. Grace said of her students, “They’re just so fun… every single one of them is different.” She appreciates the flexibility she has as a JIA/U-Tech teacher to mentor students as individuals based on their different needs. She learns about their interests and what gets them excited about their pathways to success.
Fun and some facts
Although Dr. Grace Young works as a data scientist, which might sound quite serious, she makes time to represent Garmin when playing League of Legends with her husband against other corporations, like Google and Amazon. Grace’s other hobbies include reading, board games, crafting, and robotics. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics & PhD in Computer Science from the University of Kansas. She cannot recommend JIA/U-Tech enough.
