Andrea ("Andi") Okoh
To Andrea (“Andi”) Okoh, Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) is more than a place of employment and education; it is home. Born and raised in San Bernardino, Andi recalls spending much of her childhood with her family on the CSUSB campus. “There wasn’t ever a time that my sister and I weren’t on campus,” shared Andi. At the age of 10, Andi vividly remembered sitting on the fifth floor of the Pfau Library with her sister, while they waited for their mother to finish classes. “The thing was,” said Andi, “we didn’t quite always stay in the library, we toured the campus grounds and got to learn so much about the campus!”.
As the years progressed, Andi returned to CSUSB as an enthusiastic undergraduate student, full of ambition, brimming with potential and on a full scholarship. She secured a student assistant position with Recreation & Wellness and was the first face patrons would see at the front desk of Membership Services. Andi grew in her role as a student assistant, became a supervisor, and eventually advanced to an Administrative Analyst/Specialist for Student Affairs.
Andi left CSUSB to advance her education. She earned her Masters in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University (CBU). Everything came full circle for Andi when she accepted the HR Manager position with the Santos Manuel Student Union at CSUSB. “I realized then,” shared Andi, “that this is what I’ve always wanted to do. I want to help people, and I realized that HR provided a balance to what I naturally love to do!”
Although Andi feels fortunate to find her career path, she also understands that others may feel stuck, or may struggle in realizing career goals. “Sometimes you often hear that you have to leave campus in order to get that position that you want,” shared Andi, “and I think the reason people don’t necessarily want to leave campus is because it feels as if you have to start over. Who wants to start over?” Andi further explained that the real challenge is knowing one’s professional goals. “It’s all about knowing what you want to do,” said Andi, “and that really depends on knowing yourself and knowing what your goals are. Sometimes you may be able to find a position on campus in a new department; other times, you may have to leave your position or institution to take that next step.” Andi continued to emphasize the importance of being familiar with one’s goals as it will help one think of more creative approaches on how to achieve them.
Speaking of goals, what are Andi’s? “My ultimate goal is to remain in student affairs and become an Associate Vice President or Vice President.” Andi shared it is rare to find “exponential job opportunities”; careers that elevate one’s skillset in which new skills are learned and demonstrated. Andi mentioned that being creative in one’s current role or even elsewhere may assist with one’s progression.
Like many of her colleagues, Andi is working remotely and realized the importance of stress management during this current reality. “As a department of one, working from home was hard in the beginning. There really wasn’t any separation between home and work; I had lots of anxiety in the beginning and had to learn how to stop carrying the stress.”
To relieve the stress, Andi shared that she began sewing masks. “I had four (4) boxes of fabric and started sewing. A few of my friends who worked in the medical field had asked me to sew a few masks, and so I did. That was when word got out, and I started receiving requests from all over the community.” Overtime, Andi has sewn over 650 masks! In addition to sewing, Andi frequently works out and has the goal of becoming a certified Yogi. “The biggest step to dealing with this new reality is to find something that you enjoy.”
In reflecting on her career journey thus far, Andi shared the following thoughts:
- Exercise patience in decision-making
- Enjoy the process
- Don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes
- Reach out and make connections with the people who can teach you
- Learn how to promote yourself
Despite the campus-wide initiatives and capital projects she witnessed and experienced, Andi’s favorite aspect of working at CSUSB are the students. She reflected on a comment a colleague made that resonated with her.
Andi shared, “Someone once told me that their mission each day is to leave people [better off] than when you found them, and that is my goal with each student that I have the privilege of helping.”
About Andi:
Andrea (“Andi”) Okoh earned her BA in Psychology in 2009 from CSUSB and her MS in Counseling Psychology from CBU in 2016. She lives with Susan, Molly, and Abby, three (3) dogs she and her mom rescued and brought home the day they found them. Andi loves to sew, exercise, and has a goal of becoming a master Yogi.