Inspiring Alumni: Meet Michelle Wu!

Michelle on a vacation to Osaka, Japan. Travel “has become one of the ways [she] challenges [herself] to stay curious, step outside what's familiar, and to keep evolving.”

As the Children’s Village team has been working hard to prepare for our Alumni Social in March, we have been lucky enough to reconnect with some of our inspiring alumni. We sat down with Michelle Wu, a creative professional and a Production Innovation Analyst at PNC Bank, to talk about her memories of CV and the experiences she had at our center that stuck with her and helped to shape her life.

Michelle attended Children’s Village from infancy to fourth grade in the early 2000s. She thinks fondly back on her early years, crediting Children’s Village with giving her the opportunity to figure out who she was as a young kid. “[Children’s Village staff] throw a lot at you, and I mean that in a good way. They expose you to a lot" - from learning to play the guitar, to making pizza, to learning how to ride a bright pink bike donated by CV to her family

Michelle as a toddler, reading with Ms. Felicia, a fantastic teacher who just rejoined our staff!

Michelle remembers going on many field trips throughout her time at CV. On one excursion to the zoo, many members of her family, including her older sister, mom, aunts, and cousins, were able to attend–a special occasion as having them come along wasn't always possible due to their various work schedules. Family involvement is an integral component of high-quality early childhood education and a core part of our approach of respecting parents as a child’s primary teachers. Even as a child, Michelle was able to recognize that her family had the opportunity to be involved at CV beyond the usual chaperone duties. 

Michelle’s story is just one example of how Children’s Village is not only a child care and early education program, but a launching point for development and success later in life.

If you are a Children’s Village alum yourself, you are invited to attend our Alumni Social on March 26th from 6-8pm at Queen & Rook Game Cafe. More information available here.