Mr. Paulin has 32 years of experience in education, 12 years as a junior high and high school teacher, and 20 years in school administration. He earned his Master's in Educational Leadership, studying and creating innovative alternative school structures and schedules to meet the needs of small, rural schools in Northern California. He served as the secondary principal and Principal/Superintendent of Potter Valley Schools in Mendocino County, California, before accepting the position of secondary principal at APIS, Seoul, in 2011. During his time at the school in Seoul, he was promoted to Deputy Head and worked with the school’s founder, Dr. Euysung Kim, to locate the property on Oahu and develop and open the Hawaii campus.

Mr. Paulin returned to California in 2018, where he served as the Director of Alternative Education at Ukiah Unified Schools, leading a variety of alternative schools and programs, developing a comprehensive college and career counseling program for the district, and mentoring new administrators. Scott completed his time with Ukiah Unified as the Assistant Superintendent, overseeing the district’s 11 schools. Mr. Paulin believes in a relational approach to education, focusing on loving God and loving others, and strives to create schools where students are at the heart of every decision and supported in pursuing their highest aspirations. Many of his fondest moments in education have been with APIS, and he is thrilled to be rejoining the APIS family.

Mr. Purser earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University, which marked the beginning of his career in education. He started by leading adjudicated youth on month-long Outward Bound expeditions, where he developed his foundational leadership and educational philosophies. This experience propelled him into a teaching role at an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound middle school in New York City, where he taught science and earned a Master's degree in Math, Science, and Technology Education from New York University.
After a brief time in Boston, Mr. Purser moved to California, where he launched his school leadership career and earned a Master's in School Leadership from the University of California, Berkeley. Over the next 19 years, he led a diverse range of small and large high schools and nonprofit organizations, consistently focusing on creating rigorous, project-based learning experiences for students, teachers, and families.
In 2019, Mr. Purser and his wife relocated to Shenzhen, China, where they led a small American International School focused on Project-Based Learning (PBL) before returning to the Bay Area.
Outside of his professional life, Mr. Purser is passionate about anything related to water, outdoors, farming, and running makerspaces.

Since 2005, Mrs. Sea has been enriching students' lives in Winchester School District, MA, USA, and Seoul, South Korea. She joined APIS in 2009 and has played a key role in developing a dynamic art curriculum and leading various academic programs, including NPCA, summer school coordination, and chairing the Visual Art and Literary Magazine, Pacific Pencil.
Mrs. Sea believes in discovering and nurturing each student's unique passion and learning path. Her expertise in Project-Based Learning (PBL), 21st-century skills, and standards-based curriculum development aims to deeply engage teachers and inspire students. She is dedicated to creating a cohesive curriculum aligned with the school's mission and vision, strengthening the school's identity.
As part of a Christian community, Mrs. Sea is committed to helping students develop skills to become globally enlightened citizens grounded in the love of Jesus Christ.
Having served as both a teacher and a leader at APIS Seoul for the past 16 years, Mrs. Sea is excited to bring her experience to APIS Hawaii. She looks forward to sharing Korean culture and language with the school community while supporting faculty and students in meaningful ways. Her hope is to contribute to the continued growth and development of the Hawaii campus.
Mrs. Sea loves traveling, cooking, and spending quality time with her husband and daughter.

Mr. Peeler received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Biola University where he specialized in instrumental music and studied piano with Dr. Li-Shan Hung. Following the awarding of his degree at Biola, he completed his student teaching at Hutchinson Middle School and California High School working with band directors Craig Jordan and Doug Nordquist. During his time at Biola University, Mr. Peeler participated in symphonic winds, chorus, piano accompanying, and percussion ensemble. While with the chorus, he toured South Korea performing concerts in schools, churches, and concert halls around the country. Outside of the music building, Mr. Peeler was heavily involved in the international community aiding students with papers and spoken English; he also participated in the campus homeless ministry delivering meals and the gospel to people in Long Beach. In his spare time, Mr. Peeler enjoys playing the piano and guitar, exercising, reading, playing sports, studying Korean, and speaking with his family. He has been at the APIS Hawaii campus since its start.

Ms. Everett graduated from the University of Houston at Houston with bachelor’s degrees in political science, early childhood education, and a minor in women studies. She also holds a degree as a Certified Professional Nanny, from the English Nanny and Governess School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Ms. Everett has over ten years of teaching experience in grades pre-kindergarten through third grade. In those ten years as a teacher, she has worked in public schools, Montessori schools, as well as Reggio Emilia schools. Ms. Everett has taught in her home state of Texas, on the North Slope of Alaska in a native village, as well as at an international school in Cambodia. Her hobbies include traveling the world, meeting new people, swimming, going to the beach, and trying unique foods.

Ms. Furusawa earned her Bachelor of Arts from Massey University, New Zealand, as well as a Master of Education and Postgraduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is certified to teach both Japanese and Chinese languages. Ms. Furusawa taught Japanese in Taiwan for seven years and was also a writer for a monthly Japanese magazine published nationally in Taiwan. She has been with APIS since 2011 and moved to APIS Hawai'i campus after serving in Seoul campus for 8 years. Always fascinated by languages and new cultures, Ms. Furusawa enjoys teaching and researching various aspects of language acquisition and usage. Her other interests include traveling, cooking traditional Japanese food, photography, and reading.

Mr. Jacobsen graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from San Francisco State University and began his career in education first as a general music teacher followed by many years in both lower and upper elementary homeroom positions before receiving a master's degree in instructional technology from East Carolina University. Mr. Jacobsen has since taught technology integration and most recently STEM for the past five years at Korea International School in South Korea. In 2021, Mr. Jacobsen was recognized as International Teacher of the Year by KORCOS. Mr. Jacobsen enjoys seeing his students become passionate about their learning through creating a fun and engaging environment that promotes curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. In his spare time, Mr. Jacobsen enjoys traveling, cooking and exploring with his wife Jessica and daughters Cadence and Aria.

Mrs. Jacobsen graduated with her master’s degree in educational administration from Campbell University in North Carolina and her bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University. She has taught in California and North Carolina in elementary school, grades kindergarten through 4th grade. She also served as an assistant principal at an elementary school in North Carolina. Recently she taught kindergarten at Korea International School, where she led the early childhood education team in designing and implementing a program where students were able to use their interests and passions to lead their learning through projects and play. She has mentored many aspiring teachers and is a strong advocate for the rights of children in education. Additionally, Mrs. Jacobsen has led extracurricular activities based on student excitement to deepen understanding and growth. She believes in a strong school, family, and community connection to build young learners. She enjoys reading, baking, animals, exploring, and spending time with friends and family.

Mr. Beatty received his bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from Eastern Michigan University with concentrations in history, geography, economics, and political science. Before joining APIS, he taught middle school social studies in Michigan, emphasizing inquiry-based learning, student-led exploration, and global citizenship. He designed an original elective that challenged students to analyze cultural and historical themes through interactive, hands-on experiences.
Raised in Michigan, Mr. Beatty has traveled extensively across the United States and throughout Europe. These experiences continue to shape his passion for connecting students within the global community. He supports his students not only in developing historical thinking skills but also in building confidence, independence, and empathy. Outside the classroom, he enjoys hiking, traveling, playing sports, and reading. He is excited to contribute to the APIS community and grow alongside his students.

Pastor Garrett was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, and graduated from Kahuku High School in 2001. He became a Christian right before graduating, and this created an insatiable desire to study all things theology. This led him to a small Bible College which was formerly in Murrieta California, including one semester abroad in Peru.
Since then he returned to Peru to serve the people and Bible College there, came back to Hawaii for further schooling, and went on (via online classes) to get an M. Div from a small Seminary which also was in California. During most of this schooling He served as a small church in Wahiawa that he helped to pastor for ten years, and then started a church on the eastside which meets at APIS called the Refuge Church Koolauloa of which he has been the lead Pastor for the last 5 years.
Pastor G is constantly learning and taking other courses for self-improvement as well. This even led to his passion for videography and photography. He has taken various courses on these subjects and has dabbled in wedding films, and photography, as well as family photography, water photography, school portraits, and aerial photography.
Pastor Garrett is married to Sara and they have four children that he loves to spend time with at the beach, play board games with, and watch the cinematic masterpieces of the 80’s. And he loves surfing with his kids.