Joshua Galloway - Our Team

Lucy was born and raised in Canada but moved to Beijing and Malaysia as a teenager. Growing up in a family of teachers, she became interested in becoming a teacher herself from a young age. She studied at Nottingham University Malaysia where she obtained a First Class Honors in a Bachelor of Education degree.

Lucy believes all children are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially -- in their own time and through differentiated teaching and learning. While education should be borderless, teaching and learning should not only be confined to the classroom but also involve learning outdoors and within the community. Ideally, students should develop an excitement and purpose for learning. Lucy aims to cultivate this type of atmosphere where students can reach their fullest potential through project-based learning with an opportunity for cross-curricular and deeper learning.

Lucy is committed to caring for students as individuals and inspiring in them the love for learning. She strives to provide a safe environment where students are invited to share their ideas and take risks; where students will learn from mistakes and more importantly, not be afraid to make mistakes but to consider them as steps along the path to learning. She believes in the importance of making every student feel welcomed and secure in her classroom so that they can become their best selves in this inclusive setting.

In her leisure, Lucy is interested in textiles, visual art, cooking and multiple sports – hardly surprising given that she was once the captain for her football first team, and played in the first team for basketball and volleyball!

Nathan O'Brien is a passionate and versatile educator from Portland, Oregon, USA. After completing his undergraduate studies in Exercise Science, Nathan embarked on a rewarding career that took him around the world, working in sales, marketing, and business development. During this time, he also earned his MBA, further developing his business acumen. However, Nathan always felt a desire to make a more meaningful impact and give back to his community.

Being married to a teacher, Nathan has always been surrounded by education and has been continuously inspired by the joy and wonder he witnessed in her students. This experience helped Nathan discover a passion for working with children. Motivated by this, Nathan made the decision to pursue a career in elementary education. He obtained his teaching certification and embraced the opportunity to mold young minds and instill a lifelong love of learning.

In the classroom, Nathan brings a warm and nurturing presence, thoughtfully supporting students' instructional needs and fostering a positive learning environment. At his core, Nathan believes that cultivating a sense of wonder and curiosity is essential for helping students develop a love of learning. He encourages his students to approach their education with an open mindset, embracing learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Beyond the classroom, Nathan lives an active lifestyle and spends his free time running and exploring local hiking trails. He and his wife enjoy traveling, experiencing new cultures, and trying different cuisines around the world. Nathan is excited to join the Bloom Community and share his genuine enthusiasm for learning and his passion with students.

Shu Chen is an expert in several Chinese dialects. A native Mandarin speaker, she is also proficient in Shanghainese and Cantonese as well as English. Her skills and passion in language learning led her to a career in education where she can share the beauty of Chinese culture with non-Chinese as well as Chinese students.

After her Bachelor of Science degree in business at Benedictine College, Shu obtained her Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Master of Education from the Hong Kong Baptist University. She taught Mandarin for 8 years in local Hong Kong secondary and international schools, as well as Liberal Studies for secondary students. Well-trained in the IB teaching system, Shu was also a grade-level teacher who incorporated interdisciplinary learning across various subjects. She was most recently Year Level Head at the Singapore International School Hong Kong overseeing curriculum planning, designing assessments, and developing immersion programs in cultural studies.

Over her decade-long teaching career, Shu observed how a student’s l environment can impact their mental development. She believes that successful positive learning is best achieved by teaching students to be self-motivated to pursue knowledge and become inquisitive learners through asking questions. Shu’s students practice learning-by-doing to reinforce active recall of their knowledge and language in real-life situations and to acquire critical thinking skills to analyze different situations they might encounter.

Shu is currently working towards her Doctoral Degree in Education with research on the development of Chinese curriculum. She is excited to join Bloom to share her love for Chinese language, history, and rich cultural heritage.