Title: Special Education Teacher
Company: Whiteriver Unified School District
Location: Fort Apache, Arizona, United States
Joahna Tupas, Special Education Teacher at Whiteriver Unified School District, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for her dedication, achievements, and leadership in Multimedia Production, as well as in Experiential and Character Education.
Stemming from her initial quest as a Psychologist at the De La Salle University, Manila, during her college years, Ms. Tupas found active interest in Multimedia Arts. Before graduating from this course at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, Philippines, she opened a multimedia arts agency and production company from 2003 to 2010. Because of this experience, she was invited by her alma mater to take the role as a College Professor of Multimedia Arts in 2010.
Such experiences paved the way for Ms. Tupas’ bright career, including as a member of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2010, Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations at PeopleBrowsr Inc. in Sydney, Australia from 2010 to 2015, a consultant for Getaround in San Francisco Bay Area from 2013 to 2015, and as a long-standing volunteer for Every Nation Churches and Ministries, the Philippine Bible Christian Community, and My Shelter Foundation, which she has also co-directed.
Still, the climax of her career came out of her active role as a hands-on worldschooling parent to her only child, whose insatiable curiosity inspired her to form School in a Backpack in 2015. A nurturing resource for parents, School in a Backpack, champions worldschooling in the Philippines by upholding holistic child-rearing, millennial parenting and experiential education. This further led her as a resource for K-12 music and arts curriculums at the Victory Christian International School, a grade 10 unit for science for the Philippine Department of Education, and Teacher at Homeschoolers PH in Pasig, Philippines from 2015 to 2017, and thereafter landing her success as a Special Education Teacher at Whiteriver Unified School District (USD) 20 in Whiteriver, Arizona since 2017.
Having carved her passion for education, important projects naturally fell on her lap, such as coordinating with White Mountain Apache Tribe establishments for social emotional learning for students with disabilities, and partnering with community establishments within the Fort Apache Indian Reservation for community immersion and hands-on career opportunities. Adding to this notable list is her participation as a presenter at the National Arts Educators Association Conference and at the Neuroscience in the Classroom Virtual International Conference in 2021, as well as at the Kennedy Center Office of VSA and Accessibility in 2022.
In the coming years, Ms. Tupas intends to create curricula for schools that will enhance students’ socio-emotional learning, as well as authoring some self-help parents/educators texts and children’s books.
Contact Ms. Tupas:
