Two options were available to her: the marriage path and become “so-and-so’s wife, so-and-so’s mother, and so-and-so’s grandmother” or the career path and become an old spinster.
She created a third option: pursue a doctoral degree in the US.
Okhee struck a deal with her father to delay marriage arrangements for 1 year so she could apply to doctoral programs in the US. If she was accepted and awarded a scholarship, she would have his permission to study in the US. If not, she would follow his wishes and marry. Before the year was up, Okhee accepted a scholarship from Michigan State University.
“I think my father never dreamed his daughter had a chance of being accepted to a university in the US,” she says.
Working in the education field for over 40 years, Okhee is a leading education scholar committed to improving K-12 STEM education with equity and justice.
Okhee is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University (NYU). Previously, she was a professor in the School of Education at the University of Miami in Florida.
She was a member of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) writing team and served as leader for the NGSS Diversity and Equity team. She also was a member of the Steering Committee for Understanding Language at Stanford University.
Her work involves integrating science, language, and computational thinking with a focus on multilingual learners. Her latest work addresses justice-centered STEM education with multilingual learners by integrating multiple STEM subjects, including data science and computer science, to address pressing societal challenges using the case of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Okhee brings research and policy to practice. Her NYU team developed a yearlong fifth-grade science curriculum called Science And Integrated Language (SAIL) that translates contemporary science standards into classroom practice with all students, especially multilingual learners. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the curriculum and accompanying professional development program underwent a field trial with New York City Public Schools. Using the SAIL curriculum, her team published teacher resources in collaboration with the New York State Education Department. In addition, her team published teacher resources in collaboration with the National Science Teaching Association and made them freely available.
Okhee is the recipient of numerous honors, awards, and fellowships.
