When Lawson Duce returned from his mission in Micronesia in March 2020, he could not have foreseen that a year and a half later he would be returning to the country, this time with his wife, Ava Duce, and another mission in mind.
The two Canadian BYU students decided to defer their schooling and move overseas for a year to teach school to children on a remote island.
The couple teaches at Akoyikoyi School in Chuuk Micronesia. According to Lawson, Chuuk comprises several islands within a lagoon. Akoyikoyi School is located on the main island, Weno.
Ava explained she and her husband had dreamed of returning to Chuuk together since they were married in December 2021.
The chance presented itself when Lawson saw a Facebook advertisement for candidates with at least two years of college education to travel to Chuuk and teach at the Akoyikoyi School.
According to Ava, Lawson was absolutely giddy when he came home to tell her about the opportunity. They reached out to the school’s director, Clark Graham, and corresponded with him via email and video call.
The next step was to figure out how to put school on hold for two whole semesters. Ava had just been accepted to the BYU nursing program, and Lawson was studying cell biology and physiology.
The BYU College of Nursing was supportive of the opportunity for experiential learning, Ava said. Nursing advisors, along with the international office advisors, helped Ava and Lawson with the deferment process.
The school was founded by Graham; his wife, Chineina Graham; and their son, Keitani Graham, in 2010. Graham came to the area as a peace corps volunteer in 1966 and has stayed ever since.
Akoyikoyi School is named after a bird native to Chuuk that sings at the start of a new day, Lawson said. This coincides with the school’s motto: Awakening opportunities.
There is a severe lack of teachers on the island, he said, and many elementary school children simply cannot attend school because of it.
According to Graham, the school does not charge tuition and accepts all students. It serves students grades K-8.
Curriculum includes oral English, reading and arithmetic. Additionally, Lawson and Ava each teach an extracurricular class. Ava teaches music and Lawson teaches gardening and plant propagation.
We were so short of teachers that, to be perfectly honest, had Ava and Lawson not come to teach at Akoyikoyi School, we might still not be open, he said.
On the weekends, Ava said they explore the island. Their activities include hiking, sightseeing, boating, picnicking, fishing, and visiting Lawson’s mission friends.
One of the couple’s favorite places to explore was a lighthouse built by Japan during World War II.
According to Lawson, children in the community of Chuuk often do not get the opportunity to receive an education because of the need for more teachers.
Akoyikoyi is one of the best schools in the area, and many graduates from Akoyikoyi get into the best private high schools in the country, Lawson said. This helps them go on to attend college, sometimes in the U.S.
Teaching at Akoyikoyi School and living in Chuuk has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, Ava said.
The experience has brought the couple so much closer together already, Ava said. She explained the lifestyle feels similar to a mission but teaching school instead of missionary lessons.
Both of our missions were such formative parts of who we are and now we are experiencing something similar but together … We are creating memories that I know we will look back on and talk about for the rest of our lives, she said.
The couple highly recommended the experience, and Graham said the school is actively recruiting more teachers. Anyone with interest should email him for more information or fill out a teacher application on the website.
