Donor Impact 2015
L. Denice Randle
L. Denice Randle
Graduation year: 2007
Major: English Language Arts
Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
Member, Whitworth University Board of Trustees
Director of Education & Employment at Metropolitan Development Council – Tacoma
I never imagined that at the age of 31 I would be the director of education and employment programs at a nonprofit community-action agency. As the leader of managers and front-line staff, I work with my teams to support first-generation, low-income and/or homeless individuals with college access, retention and employment-support services.
While this position is a trajectory I never imagined for myself, God knew the plan he had for me – and that my acceptance into the Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative would bring me to Whitworth University, where I would strengthen my sense of vocation and calling. Prior to attending Whitworth, I had my mind dead set on being a news reporter. It wasn’t too long, after a few communications classes, that professors and mentors helped me realize that my passion for community, my gifts, my talents and my skill sets could lend themselves more effectively to a different profession. So, with a mentor’s encouragement, I visited an area high school in Spokane, Wash., and from that experience, I knew immediately that becoming a classroom teacher was not only a passion I wanted to pursue, but a calling I couldn’t deny.
Not long after making this shift, I was enrolled in Poverty and Community Development, a class with Whitworth’s Julie Stronks. This class not only allowed me to grapple with and navigate challenging social topics with like-minded peers, but the experience provided me with clear strategies and approaches to addressing the needs of poverty. My passion to serve under-represented individuals was intensified as my classmates and I participated in an urban plunge in downtown Spokane. Dr. Stronks not only expected us to read primary authorities on the topic; she exposed us to the issue first-hand. I was moved to anger as we passed several individuals during the tour who were using dumpsters for shelter. To my surprise, we learned how systems that were designed to help people forced them instead into tough decisions, perhaps between having a meal at a mission at 6 p.m. and being in line for a shelter across town at the same time. It was during this experience that I really came to know that in addition to classroom teaching, my calling would be to address the systematic barriers that perpetuate poverty.
I am proud to have attended an institution that exposed me to real-life scenarios that allowed me to explore vocation and calling through a variety of lenses. My time at Whitworth helped me understand that my calling was never to become a classroom teacher and stop there. My calling was never to work in administration and stop there. My calling was to use my ever-evolving gifts and talents to be an advocate and champion to meet the areas of need across my community. I entered Whitworth expecting to learn the skills and resources required to be an agent of change in my community. I was enlightened when, in addition, I was led to discover the many passions inside me. I was empowered to use my education of mind and heart to have an impact upon my community – one area of need, one meeting, one grant, one college degree, one mentee, one college tour, one acceptance letter, one “You’re hired!” at a time. And, for that, I am forever grateful for an experience that helped to expose my passions while providing me with the tools needed to influence systems to become collaborative and beneficial in their efforts.