SWOCC Alum making a difference!
As classrooms across the South Coast welcome students back this fall, North Bay Elementary’s Hope Huntley will be right there among them — beginning her 16th year as an elementary school teacher. And for her,
every first day of school is more than just tradition, it’s a full-circle moment.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Hope says. “SWOCC helped guide me into the profession with support and knowledge.”
A 2004 graduate of North Bend High School, Hope started her college journey at Western Oregon University. Like many students, she quickly realized she needed something closer to home. She returned to Coos
Bay and enrolled at SWOCC in the winter of 2005, where she found both direction and a community that believed in her.
“SWOCC was very inviting for me as a young person,” she reflects. “The professors were welcoming and worked hard to make sure I was successful in every way.”
Hope earned her associate degree and Child & Family Studies certificate from SWOCC in 2007, and lost her father shortly thereafter. She recalls SWOCC staff supporting her through that life-changing experience in many ways — making her realize being in Coos Bay was a positive choice for her moving forward.
Hope was able to continue her studies through Eastern Oregon University where she graduated with her bachelor’s in 2010. She began teaching that summer and has since taught first through fourth grade in both Coos Bay and North Bend schools.
Today, she teaches third grade at North Bay Elementary, where she also mentors students, helps lead professional learning, and coaches T-ball for the North Bend Independent Baseball Program. But what keeps her
going isn’t just curriculum — it’s community.
“I love my job, and the true joy is watching your former students walk at graduation. It’s the best gift you could give a teacher.”
She has since earned her master’s degree in education, taking hybrid classes at SWOCC during the summers.
“Because of SWOCC I was able to find myself and become the best version of myself. I am able to give back to my community every day by teaching and guiding students to success stories like mine.”
As she looks ahead, Hope’s goals are simple: to grow as an educator, be the best mom, wife, and friend she can be, and keep showing up for the community that helped shape her.
“SWOCC isn’t just a place to get a degree,” she says. “It’s a place to grow into who you’re meant to be.”
