What appeals to me about the word vision is its ability to convey two complementary ideas at once. When we speak of vision, we mean the ability to see into the future with insight or wisdom and the capacity to look into the future with an aspiration to make the world a better place.
I imagine an island on the horizon that contains all that we aspire to as a college, and the ship of Pacific Oaks is sailing toward that island. Over the past two years, we have crossed stormy seas and faced strong winds that could have blown us off course, but throughout all the uncertainty, our eyes remained focused on our destination.
If this metaphor is too abstract, consider the Pacific Oaks class of 2022, which were individuals full of vision. Our undergraduates saw their college experience change overnight, and some of our graduate students completed their entire degree programs under restrictive COVID-19 protocols. Many were also parents of young children, which meant navigating schooling and child care as well.
They could have given up, but they remained true to their vision. Without their focus on graduation, many of them may have fallen off track. They saw the island, and they prepared their vessel to reach that island, and that is commendable. This class has a lot to teach the next generation.
Over the last two years, the faculty, students, and staff of Pacific Oaks stepped up to help one another and the community we serve. These efforts are reflected in the features and stories we find in this issue of VOICES.
The cover feature, “Emerging Education” outlines a pathway for integrating children with special needs into general classrooms through the use of individualized lesson plans and support for classroom teachers. Our second feature, “Humane Resources” suggests socially aware businesses can weather the current labor shortage with compassionate, individualized solutions. The third feature, “Broken Bootstraps,” documents the physical, mental, and emotional trauma experienced by people living in poverty and suggests ways in which social workers are uniquely positioned to help.
The visions highlighted in this issue allow us new ways of looking at old challenges, one individual at a time. We are a diverse community. Therefore, the needs are diverse as well. The challenges we cope with day to day are as individualized as the people we serve. This is why our programs at Pacific Oaks focus on community need.
That is the lesson: Visions come in many forms, but we are all looking at the future with the singular focus of making the world a better place. If we maintain that focus, we will reach our destination.
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