Aubrey Kliaman has always loved teaching. It’s a passion that began during a summer job as a teenager and eventually inspired her to pursue teaching full time. Ironically, she left college before graduation to fully commit to her career as an educator.
After teaching for 20 years, her school closed, forcing her to take a different direction. Confident in her skills and experience, Kliaman quickly found another teaching opportunity, but her decision to leave college suddenly became a major obstacle. The school wanted to hire her, but needed her to complete more college units for employment eligibility. “I was definitely worried. I hadn’t been to school in almost 20 years,” she says.
So, Kliaman enrolled in Los Angeles Valley College and completed the necessary classes to get the job. Her brief time back in school, however, made her realize that college was not as intimidating as she had remembered, and she decided to push herself even further.
“I was scared, but after completing a few courses that I needed, I realized I could do it,” she says. “Then, I remembered that different mentors during my career had talked about how Pacific Oaks changed their idea of traditional education, and how much they loved it.”
This intrigued Kliaman, who desired to continue her education but never really liked the idea of a traditional college experience. “For me, it was always very difficult,” she says. “So, when I finally found Pacific Oaks it was the perfect place for me.”
Finding a way to go further
She enrolled in the B.A. in Human Development program at Pacific Oaks, with a concentration in early childhood education and development. Through Pacific Oaks’ Credit for Learning from Experience program, Kliaman was able to transform her 20 years of teaching experience into credit toward her degree.
“I don’t think pursuing my bachelor’s degree would have been an option if I wasn’t able to gain credit for my experience,” Kliaman says. “Completing almost 30 additional credits isn’t something that I was ready or willing to do, so allowing my experience to count as credit really changed my life.”
Kliaman excelled in the program, which explores different factors that contribute to psychological development throughout the human lifespan. She credits Pacific Oaks’ teaching style with allowing her to look deeper into her personal development. Students in any academic program are regularly encouraged to relate course subject material to their own personal experiences—sharing with their teacher and fellow students.
“Throughout the program I just continued to grow as a person,” she says. “Every time I went to class or did an assignment, I just felt like I grew as a human being. The way the classes are structured in terms of deep learning through conversation made a huge difference for me.”
Making long-ago dreams come true
In May 2017, Kliaman graduated with her bachelor’s degree. And she enjoyed her experience so much that she decided to pursue her master’s degree at Pacific Oaks, too, graduating in May 2019.
Now she hopes to combine her years of experience in early childhood education with her master’s degree to help train others for a career in teaching.
“I feel like so many young, eager teachers are coming out of college without a well-rounded idea of all the careers that early childhood education can offer. And so I would love to teach early childhood development and education at the college-level,” she says.
Currently, Kliaman is working as a child development specialist and consultant. She has also designed a parenting workshop centered on mindfulness practices, and routinely helps children with special needs by using relationship-based therapy techniques. While she may have initially been scared to head back to school, the decision ultimately turned into a transformative experience for her.
“In my time at Pacific Oaks, it wasn’t just about coming to class, doing your work, and leaving,” she says. “It was about being part of a community and supporting each other. I’ve made long-lasting friendships in the short time that I was there because we supported each other, and the experience is something I’ll never forget.”
Learn more about Pacific Oaks College
If you would like to learn more about the academic programs and Credit for Learning from Experience program available at Pacific Oaks, fill out the form below to request more information, or you can apply today through our application portal.
