Blog Post Three
Full Circle – A Journey Back WITH Family
Hello! I’m Ken Willis, co-founder of Willis Global Education and Willis Global English. Thank you for joining us on our journey. In our last blog, I shared our early experiences in Asia and the incredible hospitality we encountered.
Today, I’d like to continue our story. After our time in Hong Kong, we returned to central Pennsylvania to reconnect with our families. Tyler, our firstborn, was the first grandson, paving the way for many cousins to follow.
During these years in the USA, we also had the opportunity to live in San Jose, California, where I completed my Master’s Degree in International & Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco. Upon graduation from USF, Brenda and I were thrilled to return to Pennsylvania, to be closer to our families, and engage in careers focused on multicultural residential education. We settled in Hershey—known as the Sweetest Place on Earth—with our two sons, until the joyful arrival of our third son, Mitchell.
These years in Hershey were rich, rewarding, and filled with wonderful experiences. The families and students we met became like a second family to us, many of whom we still cherish today. As Tyler approached high school, we faced a pivotal decision: we wanted him to see the country of his birth. This sparked the idea of a family study abroad year in Taiwan. The boys were on board, and Brenda and I secured positions at Hsinchu International School, setting the stage for our next adventure.
Hsinchu International School welcomed us with open arms, and soon after our arrival, Tyler expressed a desire to stay and graduate with his new friends. Embracing this idea, our one-year plan transformed into a seven-year adventure in Taiwan, filled with family activities and unforgettable experiences—school performances, holiday celebrations, basketball games in Taichung and Taipei, island-wide road trips, and vacations in Kenting, Hualien, and even Bali. The memories we created are countless!
During this time, I earned my second Master’s degree, an MBA from National Chiao Tung University, while Brenda thrived as an Elementary Teacher at HIS. I also gained valuable experience as a university instructor and corporate Business English trainer. After my MBA, I worked as a regional sales consultant for a global education publishing company, engaging clients across Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Our eldest son, Tyler, graduated from HIS and went on to study Communications at Penn State University. Today, he is a Co-Founder and Coach at WGE, and still guides youth in Hsinchu on their English-learning journeys. Jordan also graduated from HIS and completed his Business Administration studies at Susquehanna University. He now works at Arconic, a Fortune 500 company, while also contributing to WGE as a Business Analyst.
Mitchell embarked on his own adventure in Thailand, completing his junior high school years at the International School of the Eastern Seaboard. He later returned to Pennsylvania with us, completed high school then graduated with a degree in Cybersecurity/IT from The Pennsylvania College of Technology. He now works for a US-based cybersecurity firm and supports WGE as an IT Specialist.
In our next blog, Tyler will share his personal journey of returning to Taiwan to marry, start a family, and envision new ventures supporting English learners.
We invite you to share your own stories about life-changing moves or decisions. Thank you for being part of our journey!
