Little House on the Prairie is the reason that Saori Miura is here in the United States, teaching graphic arts at DeLaSalle.

She grew up watching this show on television in Akita, Japan, and vowed that one day she would visit Missouri where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her Little House books.

In 1994, her dream came true when she took a ten-day tour of the Midwest. During the trip, she befriended her tour guide, a Japanese woman who lived in Missouri.

When she went back to Japan, she returned to her government job that included postal work, insurance and banking services. (Sounds like an interesting combination of job duties!)

In 1996, she contacted her former tour guide to arrange an extended stay in the United States. She quit her well-paying government job, after which her father would not speak to her for several days. She stayed with the tour guide's family in Branson, Missouri while she convinced the dean of admissions at the local College of the Ozarks to allow her to attend college. (She had always wanted to go to college but had deferred that dream while in Japan as she had already passed the more rigorous government exam.)

She worked her way through college participating in the unique work study program at the College of the Ozarks. She completed a double major in graphic arts and child development after four and one-half years. She then enrolled at Central Missouri State University where she earned a graduate degree in technology and occupational education, and then an educational specialist degree.

This is her fourth year of teaching at DeLaSalle. She is one of the most successful teachers at DeLaSalle, and is deeply passionate about helping our students complete their diploma and to prepare for the world of work.

And guess what? Her birthday is the same day as Laura Ingalls Wilder!