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Letting Spirit Shine in the Workplace

Kathy Engelstad

This month we are celebrating spirituality and its role in our careers. I feel blessed to be a part of a small work community where this feeling is expressed, and a difference is being made for young people in the city of Stockton, CA.

I work as a career counselor for the Institute of Business, Management and Law, a charter high school located on the campus of Humphreys College. This school is a joint effort between Humphreys College and the Stockton Unified School District. More than this, our school is the dream of our Dean, Wilma Okamoto Vaughn. She has held the vision for what we are now doing for many years, knowing that it would happen in spite of formidable odds.

Stockton is a small city with a high population of very low-income residents, and a history of poor academic achievement. The public high schools are overcrowded and students are not excited about learning. In the midst of this environment, Wilma has held a vision of bringing a charter high school to her college environment where the students can receive an excellent education and an opportunity to believe in the possibility of a college education.

We have not been without challenge since the school opened in 2004. A new idea is very often criticized. However, we are still growing, and our test scores have shown that we are successful in reaching the students. We are on a mission with a worthy cause, and we will not fail.

What I have noticed is the very positive influence that Wilma has projected during our struggle. She has shared with me a few jewels of her philosophy that help her to take the next step forward against all odds. The first thing that she shared is something that she says to her students when they feel that the odds are against them. She says that what we perceive as a brick wall is really a Plexiglass wall – we can look beyond the wall and see a new direction.

Wilma comes from a Chinese heritage. Her father is an immigrant from China who taught her to always have respect for others, and never to expect anything to be handed to her. She is definitely not afraid of hard work. Her mother is a third generation Chinese American with a combination of Chinese roots and American values. She feels very blessed to have this combination of viewpoints from which to draw.

Wilma draws strength from many sources. She spoke with me about the influence of Chin Ning Chu (a very influential lady who has counseled leaders throughout the world and authored several books), of Ophra’s Angel Network, and Robert Schuler’s powerful influence. She has also spoken of the power of appreciating the other person’s view, and not pre-judging.

What I really see as the most spiritual concept in operation in our small school is the determination and the knowledge that we will succeed because we have a dream and the leadership to make it into a reality that benefits humanity.