A New Light in El Paso
Steve Willis (BS ’95) isn’t mistaking early retirement for a slower pace of life. Instead, he’s answering BYU’s call to “go forth to serve.”
Last year, he and his wife, Margaret, accepted a call to open a new mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in El Paso, Texas. “My wife and I are leading about 100 missionaries,” says President Willis. “There were three contributing missions, and one of our jobs has been to take those three distinct groups of missionaries and make them into a new distinct group with a shared culture and feeling of purpose.”
To help build a strong group of missionaries, Willis is using the skills and learning he gained from his education and over the course of his career. “I’m excited to work with those missionaries to help them become their best selves and connect with the people around them so that they can be an asset to that community more quickly and more consistently,” says Willis. Connection is what drew him to sociology to begin with. When Willis took his first social psychology class, he loved everything about it and knew he had found his path. “When I found social psychology, it helped me understand interpersonal relationships—why people do what they do,” he says. “It requires those who study it to interact with people and to develop a connection with those they’re working with.”
Though it’s been many years since Willis studied sociology, that training helped him make his way in the business world. Willis launched his career at the Stephen R. Covey Leadership Center before joining VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning). In each of these roles, his background in the social sciences bolstered his work in organizational behavior.
More recently, he worked with The Other Side Academy and later The Other Side Village in Salt Lake City, where he helped people who had formerly experienced homelessness develop applicable life and career skills. “I got to help prepare them to live in a democratic therapeutic community where they have small businesses to support one another, get back on their feet, and learn how to be functional again in society,” says Willis.
He taught 10- to 15-minute lessons to help clients learn skills such as managing self-talk, forming healthy habits, and navigating conflict. “A big part of helping those who came to us involved helping them gain self-confidence and self-mastery and just seeing themselves in a different light,” says Willis. “And a big part of social sciences is being able to see people in different lights, which allows us to give ourselves and others the grace to become more than we are right now.”
In his role as a mission leader, Willis has continued to find joy in getting to know people from all walks of life. He says, “The people of El Paso are some of the friendliest people we’ve encountered. And yet they usually don’t know the people who live more than one house away.” He and Sister Willis have been inspired to implement community building by introducing themselves to neighbors, inviting them over, and introducing the neighbors to each other. “That’s been a blessing for us and for them, I think,” he says.
Through the light of the restored gospel and a social sciences mindset, the couple is fostering a mission culture grounded in genuine connection—one conversation, one relationship at a time.
Alumni:
Our best Ambassadors
As alumni of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, you are the best ambassadors we have. You direct students to our college, mentor them through their university experience, help them successfully transition to careers and lives of service, and share the light of the Y with the world. It’s no small job.
Recently, Associate Dean Niwako Yamawaki noticed that many of our young alumni were reporting below-standard salaries after graduation. They were applying to too few jobs and took positions that did not require a bachelor’s degree or remained in jobs they had during school. This past winter semester, Yamawaki launched a new one-credit course called Career and Leadership Academy, specifically designed for students who are not planning to attend graduate school. The course helps students recognize the value of skills they develop during their undergraduate years and gain confidence in pursuing higher-paying career opportunities.
The first students to complete the course especially appreciated having National Advisory Council members attend on two different occasions to help them prepare for interviews and learn networking techniques. At the beginning of the course, less than 30 percent of students reported having clear career plans, and only half said they felt confident in their ability to achieve their goals. At the end of the semester, 93 percent had clear goals and career plans, and 100 percent felt confident in their ability to achieve their goals and career plans.
WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME!
Last fall, we traveled to three BYU tailgate parties —at Southern Methodist University, the University of Wyoming, and Arizona State University. In Tempe, Arizona, we also joined more than 20 alumni for dinner on the eve of the ASU game. This fall, we’re looking forward to more opportunities to see alumni when we tailgate at East Carolina University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Cincinnati. If you’ll be in the area, be sure to watch your email for activities we’re planning. You can also stop by our booth for some branded items at the BYU tailgate party!
