Melody Wu is a master’s student in the International Education Policy Analysis (IEPA) program, graduating in December of 2020. During her time at Stanford, Wu worked with GSE-IT to support the Digital Ambassador Program, the Teaching Resources website, and other academic projects.

In this interview, Wu shares some of the challenges she has faced with studying and working while taking care of a preschool-aged child. She also provides helpful tips to other students who might be in similar situations during shelter-in-place and recommends being honest about your needs.

Highlights

“So one thing that I did was be super honest about my situation to my director and my professors, to let them know how much work and how much time I could handle.” (0:51)
“Providing a good estimation of what I can do and what kind of support I would need.” (1:09)
“Have a very structured schedule of the day when [taking care of a child] and learning online.” (1:34)
“I leveraged the detailed agendas that my professors were able to provide.” (1:45)
“A detailed class schedule is so helpful, especially for classes that are three hours long.” (2:02)