Latest / Be A Global Citizen! / 215. GC Talks with Michelle Hobby-Mears: Being Anchored in Faith to Create Value

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215. GC Talks with Michelle Hobby-Mears: Being Anchored in Faith to Create Value · Be A Global Citizen!

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Hi there, and welcome to Be a Global Citizen, the podcast that
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explores the concept of global citizenship through the lens of
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value creating education. My name is Scott Bauer and I'm
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Ahsoka, researcher and educator. I hope you find the discussion,
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stories and insights on this podcast to be valuable and
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inspiring as we strive to become global citizens who are
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committed to living a contributive life.
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Enjoy. Hi, my name is Michelle Hobby
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Nears and I am based out of Orange County, California.
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I work at SOCA University of America as the Associate Dean of
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Students. Hi, Michelle, thank you so much
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for being on the podcast. I'm so happy to have you.
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And you know, I feel like this episode has been a long time
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coming because you've had such an important role in my own
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development when I was a student at SUA and many years after,
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right? I, I frequently visit the campus
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and whenever we we meet up and exchange stories and updates,
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it's always such a joy. And I, I want to learn more
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about what brought you to the work that you're doing over
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there at Soca University. I feel like it's, it's
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definitely a big calling and like per deeper purpose that not
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only brought you to a place like Soca, but had you staying there
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to continue the work and developing really important
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programs for all of the student population.
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And, and you do it with such heart.
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So, you know, wanted to to learn more from your wisdom, from your
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experiences and yeah, would love to to hear more about some of
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the milestones of your journey as an educator.
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So wanted to pass it over to you.
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Well, thank you and thank you for inviting me to be on your
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podcast. It's wonderful.
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I, I love your vision for this podcast and that to be able to
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share a little bit of my story. I, I feel privileged to do that.
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You're talking about my journey, at least with Soca, it dates
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back quite, quite some time ago. SOCA University of America in
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Aliso Viejo opened its doors in 2000, and that was one year
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before the first class arrived. And I had the pleasure of
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serving as the Director of Student Activities and
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Residential Life. And so, as you can imagine, one
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year before the students came, I needed to develop the student
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activities department, I needed to develop the residential life
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department, program services. And doing that for a population
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of students that I had never met was really a wonderful
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challenge. Certainly it was a special time
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for everyone working at SOCA and everyone who was behind SOCA to
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essentially open this institution from the very
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beginning. So to be a part of that was,
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yeah, just almost, almost difficult to conceive of, you
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know, that you're going to be a part of something, a
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groundbreaking, you know, institution, an institution that
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has an incredible vision, an incredible mission.
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I found out about SOCA because I was living in Aliso Viejo and at
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the time it was unincorporated and so was part of Laguna Hills.
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And I was pretty involved in, in what was going on in our soon to
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be city. At that time.
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I had learned that this university was being built and I
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was working at another university at the time and UC
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Irvine specifically. And I, I was just floored that,
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you know, Alisa Viejo, little Alisa Viejo that, you know,
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hasn't been around for, for very long, was actually going to be
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put on the map because the university was being built.
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And so I inquired, I saw, I saw a small article in the local
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newspaper, the Alisa Viejo News, announcing that Soca was being
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built. And there was a phone number and
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I placed that call and there's a gentleman by the name of Eric
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Harper who was instrumental in many ways in the building
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development of of Soka University.
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I had a chance to meet with him. I had a chance to meet with
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Archisawa and also with the current now current president,
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Ed Fiesel, and learned so much about the vision and, you know,
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this expectation of an institution that would bring
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people from around the world to study there that I was ready to
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sign up. And ultimately that's, that's
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what I did. I applied for the position and
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fortunately got it. And it's hard to, it's hard to
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believe for me that I have been there for now.
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This will be my 26th year come September.
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Wow, that's that's incredible. And I appreciate the way that
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you shared that that story with, with such, such heart and such
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deep like reflection, because it is truly like difficult to put
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into words the, the timing of things, right?
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And the way with which those events coalesced in, in you
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hearing about it, about the institution, And then also the
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opportunity to to play an important role in building out
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what, what that vision is. And you, you really emphasized,
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you know, when you first heard about Alicia Viejo coming,
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coming to be and then this university that there was this
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thing about the mission, right, That you you were connecting
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with important figures already there and you were learning
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about the vision of it. And, and you mentioned bits
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about how it was the university that would bring students from
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all around the world together. But could you speak a little bit
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more to what exactly sold you about the vision itself and how
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that ties into again, like the bigger purpose of like why it
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was being created? Because you know, again, you
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were like coming at it from like brand new, like don't know
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anything about soca. So what were some of the the
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aspects that you heard that really sent green flags for you
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and then got you excited to want to be part of that?
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Yes, I think there were multiple elements.
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I learned that soca means to create value, and it resonated
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so deeply with me. It is in many ways how I
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identify my focus in life. It's, it's outward facing, it is
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about contribution, it is about serving, it is about giving.
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And, you know, much of that is, is connected to my faith to be
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able to be a part of an institution that is guided by
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these principles that focus on doing for others, contributing
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in a way that is meaningful with the values of humanism and also
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pacifism. And, you know, recognizing this
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relationship that we have within this environment that we're
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living. So all living creatures.
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I mean, these are things that I, I believe in and certainly
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they're things that I want to actively pursue and develop in
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my own life. I don't feel that I have
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arrived, but I do believe that, you know, foundationally for me,
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it is it is not about self-serving it it's about
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serving, you know, outside of oneself.
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And and so that was that was a significant draw for me because
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again, it aligns with my values. And you know, I love what you're
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sharing because it's, it really speaks to many of the same
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values that that really drew me to the university as well.
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And, and important, important lessons that were impressed upon
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me when I was a student at the university.
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And I think in large part because of individuals like
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yourself who have anchored themselves in in, you know,
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words like really powerful words like like faith and like, and
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like service and contribution, right?
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These aspects that you brought up.
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And I, I wanted to ask though, because I feel like while I'm
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sure, you know, you had really important professional
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experience working at University of Irvine, right?
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And that of course was really important in helping you to step
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into a role where you could build out new programs in a new
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department. But I also think that the word
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faith and like kind of how, how you were established in your,
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your own grounding was really important for an institution to
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be able to see this is someone that we really need to further
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our mission. And I wanted to ask, could you,
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could you speak a little bit more about, about your faith and
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how that has like anchored you in your life and, and yeah, and
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really set yourself up to then be that much more receptive and
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like sensitive to the calling that you found at SUA at SOCA.
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I like that you use the word calling.
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I think there are many parts of my life where I have felt a
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calling and maybe before I tell you about my faith, I I will say
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that one of the callings that I had that shapes who I am today.
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One of the things that shapes me today was when I graduated from
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college, I graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, TN.
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It's a historically black college and I was presented with
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an opportunity to travel, to take a job overseas.
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And I loved travelling and in particular being able to
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experience different cultures and the different elements of,
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of, of the cultures from language, food, you know,
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history and so forth. And this opportunity was in
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Japan. And at the time, you know, I was
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in my early 20s and it, it just was so intriguing what was
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presented to me. I would have an opportunity to
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teach English and I spent, I spent about 3 1/2 years there
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and it was a long time for someone in their early 20s to
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make that commitment. But it was one of the best
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decisions that I made. It opened the door for many more
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opportunities for me. I had completely immersed myself
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in the language, in the culture, and, you know, made some
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wonderful connections with people, these relationships that
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have stood the test of time. And I think it's, it's from
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there that it, I guess, awakened in me this idea that I could
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commit myself to a career where I would be working with people
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from around the world. And so that's how I, I then went
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on to the University of California, Irvine and, and then
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ultimately to Soca. But you had asked a question
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about faith. Faith informs my life.
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I grew up as a Christian from childhood and had an
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opportunity, you know, after being introduced to the faith by
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my parents and you know, what was accustomed to go to church
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service every Sunday, then became an opportunity for me to
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make the decision as I got older about what I believed in and,
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and, and the foundation was, was powerful in a way that I could
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as a young person old enough to make a decision about what I
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believed in to, to really take and be what I claim as my path,
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my journey, my direction, my compass.
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So it, it, it has been as I, as I reflect on my life, faith is
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not on the side it the person that you know, is because of my
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faith, how I engage with people is because of my, my foundation
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in my faith, which I think in many ways is again, kind of
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going back to soca. There's a connection there,
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right? You know, soca has its
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foundation in lay Buddhist principles through sokagakai, a
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different a different tradition, but there are so many
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connections in terms of values. So yeah, I, my faith sustains
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me. It directs me.
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And yeah, it's it's an introduction to who I am.
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Most definitely. And I, I really, I really like
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how you phrase this. Well, faith, it's something
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that's not on the sidelines and it's really, you know what, what
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you see before you right? That it's such a central
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component of how you present and how you show up for others, for
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students, friends and family, and that it's, it's not
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something that is like compartmentalized, right, or
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kind of like sectioned off with all the other aspects of who you
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are. And, and that's something that I
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can really appreciate and what I have come to start to recognize
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within my own sense of, of faith as as a Buddhist, that really I
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think individuals who are able to put faith core to who they
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are or like, maybe you can even substitute faith with values,
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right? If you're not, if it's like
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religion, it's not, you know, what you're wanting to be part
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of. I think it really shows in like
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the kind of sense of clarity and decision making, the clarity and
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how they again invade themselves through words and through their
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actions. And, and I think that that level
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of like consistency that then compounded over time really
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makes for striking individuals of, of, of character.
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And I think the word character for me comes up a lot when I
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think about faith, because when I meet individuals who have
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strong faith, more likely than not, they are individuals with
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great character. And I know that that's something
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that you, you, you interact with so many young people who are
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trying to makes sense of kind of where they're at at this
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critical juncture of their life. And you know, they're, they may
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be in there like like 18 to, I don't know, 25, you know, more
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of like the traditional kind of student age population.
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But there's so much going on. And I'm curious what your
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thoughts are in terms of the formation of those, those
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students characters and how you see aspects of of yourself
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reflected in that. And, and what are the ways in
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which you're able to support them in your capacity, not just
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as a professional, as an administrator, but also just as
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as a friend, you know, as, as, as a human being, right?
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As someone who's who's been there done that and wants to see
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them succeed. So I'm curious about that
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connection with like character and faith.
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And then it also goes into the mentorship, you know, area.
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Well, you know, I first I would say that my own sort of sense of
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self is that I'm still growing, I'm still developing.
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I think there are things that we were taught, even socialized
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into that, you know, over time we find value or some elements
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of it. We don't find value and, and we
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make decisions on, on how we want to, how we want to govern
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our lives again, whether rooted in faith or something that, you
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know, values that, that guide us.
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And I think in reflecting, you know, I'm, I'm evolving, but in
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those times where I'm reflecting, I'm, I'm thinking
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about where maybe the what was presented to me was limited and
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did not fully reflect diversity of thought or perspective or a
20:04
way of being. And sometimes we can find
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ourselves somewhat siloed just around people who share a
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similar view, same view and and you don't have this opportunity
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to expand your thinking. I think for me, the benefit of
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traveling and and working in an environment where you know,
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there are people who come from so many different places and
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have had different life experiences.
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If you aren't exposed in that way, you're, you're going to
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stay in perhaps a box. Maybe this is not true across
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the board. But the more exposure we have
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and in particular, where maybe a viewpoint or viewpoints that you
21:04
had in mind get turned upside down on their heads because
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you've now had this experience that should inform what the
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reality is. Or that there's more than one
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way of doing things or more than one way of being.
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And, you know, there's something so beautiful about being a part
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of a group or association or organized religion, if you
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would, a community of people who believe, as long as there's this
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perspective of openness and an opportunity to recognize the
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connections that we have with people who may not identify in
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the same way. And so that's I think, also part
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of the beauty of SOCA. Nearly 40 countries represented
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6 continents out of seven. You know, all in one place on
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103 acres, less than 500 students.
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You're going to have an opportunity, in particular if
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you come from a place where you know there are few people who
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identify outside of the majority.
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You know, if you come from a homogeneous, you know, country,
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you know, chances are you might not really have the kind of
22:47
exposure to all kinds of different people unless you
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travel. And so kind of relating this to
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faith. So you have this opportunity to
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engage with people from different faith traditions,
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faith backgrounds, and you learn so much more, you grow so much
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more as a result of that. And I just find that to be so
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beautiful and so captivating to me, despite the fact that I grew
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up where I was a part of a particular community.
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I was part of, you know, a particular church with, you
23:37
know, certain people who went to that church or those churches.
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As I've been to a number of churches.
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I've been a part of a number of churches.
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But once you have this opportunity to expand even more
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so it you really do begin to touch this.
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I don't know. Concept, reality of what being
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global means, right? Yeah.
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It's, it's hard for me to to fully express the significance
24:25
of of that and what it means for students to be able to on this
24:32
campus, engage with so many different people on this campus.
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Students have access to so many different people, so many
24:48
different backgrounds, and all they have to do is be receptive
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and open. And if I may just add to, to
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what you've, you've been sharing about it, it kind of brings this
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image to my mind. And I've heard this analogy used
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before of, you know, different people, you know, can think of
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them like different potatoes and like a knapsack.
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And the the fact that they're close in proximity, they're kind
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of somewhat, you know, forced into like, you know, interacting
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and wrapping up against each other.
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And so the more you're shaking this like knapsack, the more
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they're in effect kind of polishing themselves and
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revealing a certain kind of like glean to them that wouldn't have
25:33
been possible if they were just a solitary potato in the bag by
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themselves. And I feel like that kind of
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speaks a little bit in simple terms to what you're describing
25:45
is going on at Soka University. And, and I can attest from my
25:48
own experience as a student, I definitely had my fair share of
25:52
of cultural shocks, if you will, where I would come up across
25:58
like an individual who maybe held a very different belief
26:01
from me, right? Or spoke about an experience
26:03
that was really powerful and very true for them, but was I
26:08
had completely no idea I couldn't fully empathize with.
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And, and other times when I was challenged on my own kind of
26:16
assumptions because of my own upbringing and my own worldview
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and my own reality like you were talking about.
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And I think that it's this process.
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Maybe it's trial and error. Maybe it's, it's a process of
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humility where you come to grips with how diverse this world is
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and how, you know, bursting your bubble is not the end of
26:44
anything, but it's really the beginning of a new possibility,
26:48
a new kind of relationship that we we develop.
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And I think that, you know, going back to not just like the
26:56
faith component, but the character component as well, is
26:59
that we're able to grow our sense of character in relation
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to others. And, and yeah, the Tokyo
27:07
University is just that place where we're really able to bring
27:11
out our best version, the best version of ourselves.
27:14
And I think travel is, is a really incredible way to do
27:19
that, right? Whether it's students from
27:21
around the world coming to one place, right, to study, but then
27:25
there's also the mandatory study abroad.
27:27
We're now they're going back out into the world and creating
27:31
their own memories and then being able to share that with
27:34
each other. And you, you spoke about your
27:36
time teaching English abroad in Japan for, for over three years.
27:41
And so you, you fully understand just how powerful that
27:45
perspective taking of being in another culture, appreciating
27:48
what they have and growing, evolving as, as a person.
27:51
And so you kind of spoke about this, you know, there's this
27:54
deeply rooted aspect of how you've grown in your faith from
28:01
local churches, but then you also speaking to this global
28:05
dimension of having interactions with people from various
28:09
different backgrounds. And I feel like that that sets
28:12
us up really nicely for a conversation about what being a
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global citizen means. Because I feel like you're, you
28:18
know, already articulating so much about it.
28:21
But I'm, I'd, I'd love to hear from you if there's like a
28:26
specific, I don't know, like phrasing of global citizenship
28:30
that really speaks true to, to the work that you're doing at,
28:35
at Soca University. Or if there's yeah, like your
28:38
understanding of global citizenship, like over these 26
28:42
years at at Soca, Like how does it kind of like ring for you,
28:46
Like how, how do you kind of convey that to your students
28:49
about like what it means to be a global citizen?
28:52
You know, I, I have not, I have not focused on defining it for
29:02
students. I think if anything, if
29:09
anything, there is a kind of understanding that I think
29:21
people take away from being at SOCA over a four year period of
29:30
time. And obviously we have our
29:35
Graduate School as a two year program.
29:39
I think that from a very personal perspective, I haven't
29:49
fully sought to even define it. And, and by that I mean there
29:58
are elements of of that I see are a part of global
30:03
citizenship. But in in some ways it's hard
30:07
for me to be so specific because I feel it is for everyone.
30:15
And because it's for everyone, there's an opportunity for each
30:21
person to define for themselves what that means.
30:25
The thought of developing oneself, even thinking about
30:29
character, is something that is so individualized.
30:36
And I believe that global citizenship certainly suggests
30:43
that we are all a part of it. We're all a part of this global
30:48
landscape. We are global people, and
30:56
there's something to be said about recognizing our
31:02
connections to one another. And then what does that look
31:06
like? What does that mean?
31:08
How are we to engage? How are we to connect?
31:13
At the university, we talk about dialogue.
31:16
We talk about what it means to in some ways be outwardly
31:23
focused, at least as it relates to leading a contributive life
31:30
as the mission details. For us as a global citizen.
31:36
It is the recognition of others and the connection to others.
31:41
It is not about othering. It is realizing that for me that
31:48
I exist. I am because we are.
31:54
And I see that every day on campus.
32:01
I see that in the conversations that are taking place.
32:05
I see that in the relationships that are forming.
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I see that in a dedicated focus for so many of our students in
32:18
the classroom. Yearning to learn, yearning to
32:21
grow, yearning to understand. So I may, I may disappoint by
32:29
not providing, you know, a formal, you know, definition,
32:34
but more of kind of a connotation, I guess, of what
32:40
global citizenship means to me. I feel that we all have a
32:46
responsibility. I feel that we all have a
32:50
responsibility as global citizens and awareness of where
32:57
we are, how we're engaging, how we treat one another, how we
33:03
treat this environment that we this home that we live in.
33:09
Yeah. That's that's beautifully said.
33:14
And I love how you, you started off by making it clear you're,
33:19
you're not here to say what global citizenship is for, for
33:23
everyone, right? So you speak from a place of
33:25
your own, you know, positionality and your own
33:28
rootedness. And also recognizing that as an
33:31
administrator and someone who many, many of the students look
33:37
up to and like, come to for support and advice, that you
33:42
know, your words are powerful and, and that you're also
33:45
understanding that this is an opportunity, right?
33:47
Being at SOCA for them to discover it themselves, right?
33:50
How much more fulfilling and deeply rooted that is for them
33:53
to acquire their own understanding through their own
33:56
questioning rather than just simply being, you know, handed
34:00
the answer on a silver plate just because, let's say that's
34:04
the easier thing to do, but that's the more convenient thing
34:07
to do. Or that there's some other
34:08
agenda being, you know, on the person's mind that everyone
34:12
should believe in this way or that because then that's
34:14
antithetical to it. I think a lot of the kind of
34:17
critical thinking mentality that the learning environment is
34:21
trying to cultivate for those students.
34:23
But you know, from from what you shared about global citizenship
34:28
as it pertains to not only the mission and what you understand
34:31
it, but also in your own experiences.
34:33
I think you you did a lot to cover much of kind of what, what
34:38
it means to live a contributive life.
34:40
You know, you've, you've mentioned this multiple times
34:42
already about this, this the service that comes from be more,
34:49
you know, outwardly focused. And I think it's not to say that
34:52
it's just outwardly focused without doing the inner work.
34:55
Actually, I mean, I think my understanding from what you said
34:57
is that like, Oh no, you have to do the inner work as it pertains
35:01
to maybe it's the faith route, or maybe it's in terms of your
35:05
own passions and what you do and the work.
35:08
But from there, being able to contribute means you have, you
35:12
know, done the, the work necessary to cultivate certain
35:16
skills and and mindsets that would be of, of use, right?
35:20
And so interconnection and like the not othering of other like
35:23
of, of people from different backgrounds.
35:27
One, one thing that really I really liked, and maybe you
35:31
could share more about this. You said it's that students at
35:35
Soca, and I'm sure students in general, but maybe in the
35:39
condition like the environment at Soca, it's, it's, it's so
35:43
special. It's, you know, of course, very
35:46
privileged, right, with the resources that they have
35:48
available, but they're coming into this learning environment
35:52
with a, a yearning to grow. You said yearning to grow, a
35:55
yearning to understand. And I think I, I don't, I really
35:58
like that word yearning that it, it, it speaks to this, this
36:04
drive that they have to, to go beyond their immediate, you
36:10
know, understanding or reality. And, and also to recognize that
36:16
it's, they're not going to be able to fully step into that new
36:21
plane of understanding just by themselves, right?
36:24
It's in relation to others, right through dialogue that you
36:26
talked about. And, and so I'm, I'm curious to
36:30
to learn more about, you know, again, as it relates to this
36:32
yearning to grow and yearning to understand the ways in which
36:35
your office is is able to support students in that
36:39
capacity through programming, through one to one office hours,
36:44
through events that are happening.
36:48
I know there's so many things that are happening.
36:49
Yeah. So maybe if you can share just a
36:51
few of those that I'd love to hear about how you're really
36:55
supporting these students in their own development as the
36:57
global citizens. Yes, I, you know, I, I would say
37:05
that the way in which at least I, I think the best method so
37:17
far for me in in doing this work, in supporting students is
37:26
to, to give them space to conceptualize, to envision
37:35
something that they want to build.
37:38
So of course, all student organizations on campus, clubs,
37:44
affinity groups formed because students felt there was a need
37:50
or a desire. And oftentimes it's, it's
37:54
centered around sharing culture, whether it's it's through
38:01
performance, music, dance, whether it was through history,
38:05
sharing lived experiences that students could conceive of
38:11
something that would be meaningful for people who shared
38:16
similar experiences, backgrounds, but also thinking
38:20
about those who had not, who have not experienced, you know,
38:26
certain elements of particular culture.
38:30
And so it's in some ways it's remarkable that a population of
38:38
under 500 students would have 40, roughly 4044 clubs operating
38:50
and affinity groups. It really speaks to, I think
38:56
this desire to create, to to to build, to identify where there
39:04
is a need for something and to be able to not only form it, but
39:11
essentially develop events and programs, facilitate workshops,
39:18
whatever it is that they envision that they're able to do
39:22
that. I will tell you some of the
39:27
powerful things that have happened as a result of students
39:31
coming together. You know, we have groups that
39:37
have contributed back to the university, whether it's through
39:42
performances or even being able to educate the community about
39:52
about a culture or about an identity group.
39:56
As an example. We, you know, recognize that our
40:02
campus population, students, staff and faculty may have
40:10
different needs. We think about those who
40:14
identify as disabled, how important it is for us to have.
40:20
Things working in a way universally so that everyone has
40:26
access, but to, to have a student group, you know, step
40:35
forward and say, hey, here are some areas that university needs
40:40
to look at. We need to make sure that this
40:43
is functioning properly. You know, doing an assessment of
40:47
accessible doors, all the initiative of students, it's
40:55
that's a, a great example in my mind of how students desire, so
41:02
many students desire, sometimes out of their own interest to be
41:07
able to have something that is meaningful for them.
41:11
But then also sharing that out so that the community at large
41:16
has benefit that the community at large, if they don't identify
41:21
with whatever that focus is, whatever that identity group is,
41:27
because they don't identify themselves.
41:29
But then they have this opportunity to understand better
41:33
how important certain things are and what we can do as a
41:37
community, not just administrators, but the
41:40
community at large, to be aware and sensitive and supportive.
41:48
Wow, you know, it's, I've, I've heard it said that universities
41:53
should function in essence like, you know, society, the society
41:58
in miniature. And the way in which you, you
42:01
speak about really listening to the students, understanding that
42:06
their, their, their powers of perception and their proactive
42:10
stance on wanting to create and make change.
42:14
And then for as an institution to really grapple with that and
42:18
really take the proper actions to, to meet students right where
42:23
their, their interests are and where they feel change needs to
42:26
be made and to work together right through dialogue.
42:30
I feel like, you know, that's, you know, what you're, you're
42:33
conveying and, and what a, what a great world that would be if
42:37
that were to be expanded further into the, the realms of, you
42:42
know, all and pervading all society.
42:44
And I think, you know, again, it's not just the desire to to
42:48
grow and to understand, but you, as you said, that desire to
42:52
create, I think really sets up so good students to to
42:57
understand that by the time they graduate, there's a there's a
43:00
lot of things that need to be, you know, addressed.
43:04
And it's going to take time. It may not be the same kind of
43:08
environment that they are accustomed to with SUA and the
43:13
kind of responsiveness, maybe that, you know, one could say
43:16
that their their concerns are being addressed with, but
43:20
nonetheless, to still pursue those as worthy endeavors and to
43:25
make careers out of that and to spend their lives in that, that,
43:29
you know, contributive stance, that outward, you know, kind of
43:32
focus of like, I want my environment to reflect these
43:36
deep, deeply held inner beliefs and ideals that I have.
43:40
And, and I think that through affinity groups, through the
43:44
clubs that are created and in all that kind of is entailed
43:48
with the, the maintaining of those clubs and the support and
43:52
the advice that they get from different departments and
43:55
offices. I think it's so wonderful.
43:58
And you know, I, I did want to mention one, one story that I'd
44:03
be remiss to not bring up because I feel like, you know,
44:05
again, in your, your capacity, you oversee many, many, many
44:10
different aspects, You know, in terms of like a student
44:14
student's journey. And, and then, you know, again,
44:17
student affairs being like a major component of like how
44:20
students interact with, with one another and, and make friends.
44:24
But you know, you also play a very important role in not only
44:29
welcoming students, but being kind of like sounding board for
44:34
students on a one to one basis that are really trying to make
44:37
sense of just who they are and who they are becoming as global
44:42
citizens, as, you know, good human beings.
44:46
And, and from my own experience, I had a very wonderful
44:51
one-on-one with you when I was about to graduate.
44:55
And I recall I, I came into your office and was just basically
44:59
pouring out all of my anxieties of what is, what is going to
45:03
happen when I graduate. I've had this wonderful
45:05
experience like 4 years at, at SOCA and, and now and now what?
45:09
And, and you gave me a small diary with a dragonfly really
45:15
beautifully imprinted on this, on this cover.
45:18
And you spoke about how recording your thoughts and your
45:22
your journeys is going to be really valuable.
45:24
And, and that similar to the dragonfly, it represents
45:28
transformation. And that was over a decade ago.
45:31
And I will say that, you know, that simple, you know, the
45:35
simple act of listening and inviting someone to really like,
45:42
value their own experiences by writing it down, think was such
45:46
a wonderful way to support me rather than telling me exactly,
45:50
this is what's going to happen. Look out for this.
45:52
But it was like, no, just go out there and, and live your life.
45:56
And I, I really feel like that that was what I needed to hear
46:00
in that moment. And and I'm sure you've had that
46:03
impact with many, many other students on campus.
46:06
So just wanted to make sure the listeners know that, you know,
46:10
Yeah. No, I appreciate that
46:13
reflection. And you know, I should, I should
46:15
tell you that, you know, perhaps early in my career I thought it
46:22
was truly about just dispensing some wisdom or, you know, some
46:30
hopefully sage thoughts about life.
46:40
But there's a kind of reciprocity that happens.
46:44
These are bilateral relationships, right?
46:49
And there are students that you become close with maybe because
46:56
they work in the office or because, you know, they're
47:00
looking to do a program and and, you know, there's a there's a
47:02
connection made. My door has always been open.
47:08
And you know, we're living in a time where communication looks a
47:14
little different, engagement looks a little different.
47:17
In particular one-on-one engagement we started out of my
47:23
office a mentoring program and we call it Nexus.
47:29
And this has certainly been one way for me to contribute, not
47:39
necessarily dispense a, a whole lot of advice, but to be on the
47:45
journey, you know, with, with students and, you know, kind of
47:50
runs the gamut in terms of, of what we talked about.
47:54
And in some ways it's comprehensive.
47:58
My hope is that I will continue to be sought out.
48:01
And, you know, whether I'm in my office or yeah, I'm around
48:07
campus, I always engage with people.
48:10
I always greet people. And yeah, that's just part of of
48:16
who I am. And, and some people find a
48:20
connection to me from that initial interaction.
48:24
So I'm glad you did. And, and I definitely remember
48:29
that conversation, Scott and I, I, you know, I was, I was
48:36
flattered that you would come and share where you were at at
48:41
that time and that, you know, you were able to, you know,
48:46
figure a number of things out in a way that turned out to be
48:51
quite meaningful. And because of that, because
48:54
we've stayed in touch, you know, there's this wonderful benefit
48:59
for me to be able to hear that, you know, that dragonfly was
49:05
really a wonderful symbol of, of who you are, you know, as as an
49:10
individual seeking your life, seeking your, your path, if you
49:15
would, which is ongoing. Wow, Thank you so much,
49:21
Michelle. Yeah, the very deeply like I, I
49:25
reciprocate those, those sentiments and I feel like our,
49:29
our, our friendship has really deepened over the years.
49:32
Just really appreciate you and all that you've contributed to
49:37
not only my experience at SOCA and beyond, but you know, the,
49:41
the students, many students over the years and the current
49:44
students. There's such important work to
49:47
still be done as it's ongoing work.
49:50
And I love that you again, have framed this multiple, you know,
49:54
points in our conversation that your own work is still ongoing.
49:59
And you, I think you framed it as you have not quite arrived
50:03
there yourself, right? So you're still engaged in
50:06
reflection. You're still extracting deeper
50:09
meaning out of the decisions that you've made and the the
50:12
places that, that that you're at right now.
50:15
And I think that that's great modeling for for what these
50:20
students have to look forward to in terms of like the lifelong
50:24
learning, really asking the big questions, the difficult
50:27
questions being in relation to others, growing from differences
50:33
that others might have. So you know, so many, so many
50:36
things that you don't even have to impart, let you know advice.
50:39
You just live your life and people take notice.
50:42
I think that's the best, the best way of doing it.
50:44
So wanted to ask one final question as we are kind of
50:48
getting closer to the end of our conversation.
50:51
And this is a question I ask all of my guests.
50:53
It's book or movie recommendations or anything
50:56
you'd like to share with the listeners.
51:00
Yes, I would say Tipping Point, written by Malcolm Gladwell.
51:10
I I am, I'm intrigued. I'm going to say mostly
51:15
intrigued by books that really cause us to go deeper.
51:22
Some work in questioning, some work in observing what is around
51:31
us. I think, you know, sometimes in
51:33
life we can move so quickly and we miss things.
51:38
And often times there's so much to glean that we can take in
51:46
that can affect our lives in a positive way.
51:51
And the tipping point, actually, I think the full title is The
51:56
Tipping Point, How Little things can make a big difference.
52:00
And it really explores how small actions, even trends or I'd say
52:09
maybe social behavior, how all of that kind of can reach a
52:16
critical mass and then essentially tip and spread and
52:22
have an impact, a powerful almost reverberating impact.
52:29
And, and I remember just being so moved by that, this sense of
52:36
collective contribution, collective engagement, how all
52:43
of that can have such a powerful effect on, on the whole, it
52:51
makes me think about the greater good.
52:53
I mean, we can leverage things for good or bad.
52:56
And you know, even as a side note, I want to say about kind
53:02
of going back to Soca, I would not be at Soca for 26 years if I
53:08
didn't think it was a special place and not not, and it is a
53:14
special place because the people make it a special place.
53:18
And so thinking about the kind of collective whole and all that
53:23
is happening on the campus in many ways, I think about the
53:29
tipping point and, and, and it and it continues to happen.
53:34
It's happening on campus, it's happening off campus, it's
53:38
happening when people graduate from the campus, right?
53:41
They're going out and they're doing they're leading
53:44
contributive lives. I, I, I should say as a, a sort
53:49
of side note that I think SOCA is kind of like a repository
53:55
for, you know, the, the opportunity to understand your
54:07
potential. It's where, you know, your seed
54:12
gets watered, your plant is fertilized and you know, there
54:19
are exceptional people there for sure.
54:22
There are challenges. There's real life stuff that
54:26
happens at soca. Everyone is on their path.
54:30
It's not all the same path. And I don't know if I would
54:35
appreciate, appreciate it any other way because of the
54:40
uniqueness of it, because of the uniqueness of every individual
54:46
and that their path, their paths are all different, but that we
54:52
come together under soca with an understanding that, you know,
55:02
we're going to do something. Of course, no.
55:04
Thank you so much, Michelle. Great book recommendation and I
55:09
love the the the subtitle of it because, you know, it's true
55:12
that little things do make a big difference.
55:16
They reach a certain threshold. But in order to reach that, you
55:21
have to have steady actions, right?
55:24
Hence the mission statement of SOCA being a steady stream of
55:27
global citizens and, and yeah. And so I'm, I feel very proud to
55:32
be part of that study stream. And I'm very, very appreciative
55:37
that I've had the opportunities to, to, to, to learn from and be
55:42
in, in strong friendship with individuals like you, Michelle,
55:46
and really appreciate you taking the time to share about your own
55:49
journey at SOCA. And, and the deeper, you know,
55:53
yeah, the deeper ideals and, and values that you hold close to
55:56
yourself that allowed you to really contribute to such an
56:00
extent over the past 26 years and, and, and more.
56:04
So thank you so much, Michelle, and wanted to give you the last,
56:07
last word. Any final send off?
56:10
Any final thoughts as we wrap with this conversation?
56:14
I, you know, again, so appreciate you taking the time
56:21
to connect with me. And in this way, I think it's it
56:27
really is a powerful kind of testimony, if you would, for
56:37
what you believe in and to be able to share that with the
56:42
world. Thank, thank goodness for
56:45
technology making that possible. And yeah, I just, yeah, I
56:54
appreciate the fact that you're keeping the conversation going.
56:59
And so thank you for that.