Mallory O'Mahony is passionate about education. As a child development educator, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) alum is learning first-hand how impactful a positive learning experience can be.
O'Mahony works in a Child Development Center for the Department of Defense in Bellevue, Nebraska. Her job allows her to work with young children in a discovery based learning environment. O'Mahony says she enjoys the opportunity to share her passion for learning with children as young as 12-24 months old.
O'Mahony has been interested in education for as long as she can remember. The Baker City, Ore. native moved to Meridian as a young child and graduated from Centennial High School. She continued her education at CWI, where she graduated with an education degree in 2012. From there, O'Mahony transferred on to Boise State University where she completed her teaching certification. Upon graduation from Boise State, she was hired to teach third grade at East Canyon Elementary School in Nampa.
Looking back, O'Mahony reflects positively on her time at CWI and feels it helped prepare her for the next step in her journey.
“Coming right out of high school I admit I was very nervous. The College of Western Idaho made the transition smooth for me.”
O'Mahony has enjoyed providing the same care and concern for her own students that she received at CWI, and is excited about the potential of a long career in education.
“It is a career where I can continue learning new skills with my students and transfer those skills to other aspects of my life.”
She also says she isn’t done learning herself and even has plans of formally continuing her education by pursuing a graduate degree in the future.
“I love to learn and I want to know as much as I can about most subjects. I am generally interested in everything. I am really excited to continue my education. Knowledge is power. I want to be the best teacher I can be.”
