Oakwood School Substitute and Coach &
Oakwood Alumni, Class of 2018
My journey with Oakwood began in 2013, during my challenging 8th-grade year when I was struggling academically and unsure about my high school prospects. While most of my peers aimed for local Catholic schools, I lacked the strong academic record or extracurriculars those schools sought, making my chances slim.
One day, my parents arranged a shadow day at Oakwood, a school I hadn’t heard of. Reluctantly, I went, unaware of the impact it would have on me. Oakwood took a chance on me and joining their basketball team that summer opened a new chapter. The coach’s welcoming attitude made me feel valued, igniting a passion for competitive basketball and marking the first time I felt truly at home in a school setting.
Freshman year posed academic challenges, but propelled by my love for basketball, I steadily progressed. With each semester, my grades ascended, transforming me from someone who disliked school to a student awarded a department scholarship at Saint Mary’s College of California. There, I studied Economics while nurturing my love for Catholic Theology and Religious Studies.
After college, despite securing a part-time youth minister role at a local church, I missed the team that had shaped me. Before the 2022-2023 basketball season, I contacted Coach Kort to join as an assistant coach. Soon, I was back in a place I loved. As that memorable season concluded, I sought full-time work and considered coaching. The players and Coach Kort suggested teaching positions, leading me to apply for an in-house substitute teacher role.
And yes, I did get the job.
Since September 2023, I’ve taken on various roles at Oakwood—assisting in basketball coaching, working as a substitute teacher, teaching PE to middle schoolers, and contributing to the communications team by creating final score graphics for social media. While I still cherish theology, working at Oakwood has broadened my horizons beyond what I once knew.
Although my career here is young, it’s unmistakably clear: every aspect of my growth, from being a student to evolving as an individual, my choice of college, and eventually transitioning into an educational career, all owe their beginnings to a singular moment—the pivotal decision of Oakwood's admissions department to take a chance on me back in 2013.
