A Mineral among Minorities A Profile Magazine about Amy Joh
By Christopher Ogaz
She was beaming with a smile, staring attentively, wearing outdoors like attire, warm tea in hand, her focus strictly fixed on me and what I had to say. We were sitting outside of a popular coffee shop, known for it’s open mic events; unfortunately it was too full inside, and the ringing of clangorous voices made it too hard for us to concentrate. So we found a table outside of the coffee shop; we talked about many miscellaneous things, but her focus never seemed quiver, and Amy Joh and I were able to schedule a date to meet together again. The next time Joh and I met, it was in East palo alto, at a Christian organization called Bayshore Christian ministries.This Ministry’s’ mission is “ To equip Eastof-Bayshore youth to grow spiritually, gain life skills and develop as leaders so they have hope and a future.” Perhaps this is why
Bayshore (BCM) has been considered by the community as a sanctuary of hope, or a place helping the needy, often caring for the less fortunate and aiding people searching for help. When I met with Joh, she explained that life in East Palo Alto is inarguably arduous, as it is constantly faced with adversity and hurdles, and that day in and day out, she was fighting the constant oppression, racism, and unequal treatment of these minority races. At BCM Joh was the director of partner develop-
ment, overseeing the training and support of BCM’s staff, interns, fellows, volunteers, parents and short term mission groups. This was Wvital to the organization and the greater community Joh says because “people that live in a low income area, go to an underperforming school…….. east palo alto in particular students are on average two grade levels behind by the time they graduate eighth grade.”Because of this huge problem, Joh believes that it is her duty to help aid these people in their time of need. Joh grew up in a small town in Oregon named McMinnville, that she described as “rural”, and 2 lived on proper-
ty with a large variety of animals. Joh graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and to my surprise got a degree in geology in hopes of one day becoming a park ranger. Joh explained that the decision to move to california, much less the bay area was not even a consideration for her. Instead she hoped she would live where her family had been living for generations, in the glorious Northwest. “All of my family is still in the northwest, Oregon and Washington, um so my parents still live there and all of my extended family, grandparents and everyone else” (Joh, Amy, Personal Interview. 9 september 2014). However, Joh explains that when she learned about BCM through her college, it spoke to her in so many ways that she ultimately made the painful, but necessary decision to move. It intriguing to know that Joh wanted to be a geologist simply because there is a smooth, shiny, little rock created by thousands of years a time that instills a similar dynamic meaning to Johs’ characteristics. This little rock (which is actually quartz) is rath-
er simplistic in it’s “My faith plays a large role color and shades, in the fact that I believe that ranging from or- there is something beyond what we see, because what I see is ange to brown. This gem is of- often times not very encourten referred to as aging or you know it makes you healing quartz and not really want to go on…” -Amy Joh “is said to support vitality and health while encouraging Highway Community Church. and guiding hope, energy and To get the two churches warmth within the wearer.”( more affiliated with each ) The meaning of this min- other, there was an camp eral, Citrine, reminds me of held in the Santa Cruz Joh, who has a similar vitali- mountains in which members ty, loving to ameliorate people from both previous churches with the gifts that she has could attend so to get the been given. Furthermore, two communities and churchJoh often cultivates energy, es integrated with each while still guiding hope to other. Of course my parents those who are less fortujumped on an opportunity nate. like this, and my family and I attended the camp. During When I was younger, Joh the duration of the camp, I and I attended the same must have met at least 20 church community, but they different families, but one of were different campusthe individuals that I cleares. Her church was named ly remember seeing there Highway, and it was tucked was Amy Joh. Of course in between Palo Alto and the this camp was held over city of Stanford. My church 9 years ago, so if the two was named Community Bible of us had any interaction, I church and sat directly on don’t recall it, but I do retop of the border between member seeing her there. Los Altos and Mountain From my memory Joh was View. Eventually the two often playing soccer, mainly churches collaborated into a because she was very good two campus church and both at it, seemed to be 3 churches inherited the name extremely compet-
itive, but likewise she was very humble. I never did talk to her at that camp, my official meeting would come later down the line, but I did observe her. Actions speak a lot louder than words in many ways, and I recall seeing her interact with children, adults and teens, and she seemed to me, very good at it. Of course at that time I thought that all people were good at interacting with other people, but it is still a memory that I bestow. I can’t help but think that I remember it because she didn’t just interact with people as if she was hearing them. She was listening to people at that camp, she loved all people and her nurturing behavior is one of the things I can clearly recall. As briana one of Joh’s co-worker’s at BCM says “I think that Amy is a great listener, um someone who can not only hear,
not only hear, I think a lot of people can hear somebody talking and can respond, but someone who listens is is someone who is taking care of someone and being able to um give them advice after once they heard what the said, what the person has said.” While this may have been years ago, Joh’s approach to people however has continually gone on un faltered.
the community in a special way. At first I was not sure who I was going to pick, until my mother suggested I use someone from BCM. I thought about it, I called them up and the kind receptionist there recommended Joh. It took me a little while to remember who she was but I decided to send her an email. I wanted to meet again and see if she was okay with me involving her into my profile project. That It had been years since I is how she and I met up at had seen Joh, we had gone that coffee shop that cold our separate ways along time august night. This might not ago, and it wasn’t until reseem relevant, relevant at all, cently that she and I got in but what I found interesting touch. The confounding rea- is that when I look back on son that Joh and I got back my interactions with Joh, the in touch started in the month memories that ring through of may. My teacher’s at my the plethora of thoughts school (Freestyle Academy) that I have, always seems to told me about a huge new be Johs’ amazing sense of project in which I had to nurturing. You have to find a person that I knew In realize, as Joh said 4 the community who affected about her self, Her
biggest weakness is “ I am overly willing to accept or do whatever it is um, probably because it is related to the people pleasing I don’t know it that is 100% percent of it, but that is definitely a piece of it, in terms of it effecting things at work like I can take on too many things, If a coworker says oh, can you help out with this, um or what ever else I can tend to over commit myself.” What I see in Joh now is a person who will stop at nothing to not only please people, that is too basic…..She did this project because she wanted me to succeed. One could say that this selfless... She wants people, all people to succeed, no matter what it cost her. And yet through all of this she is always smiling and vibrant. I tend to think of the activities that Joh involves herself with to describe her….She loves to play soccer, and she loves to be outdoors in the wilderness. She loves to climb and work hard, yet she still fosters growth. This is much like a gardener, another activity that she likes to do…. She loves to cultivate people, even if the goings get tough. Much like the mineral citrine, she was involving herself
in this project because she wanted to grow me...and this opportunity certainly has. Since Joh loves to help people so much, during my follow up interview I decide to probe a little question... Could she ever see herself leaving BCM. To my surprise, she said that if life takes that way then sure, but hear what she has to say “volunteer work with BCM being on the board, I guess I don’t foresee myself ending my involvement in the community, but it could be that it changes what it looks like it may not be as an employee at BCM, but I guess for the immediate future I don’t see myself going anywhere.” And hopefully she doesn’t leave BCM for a long time, after all they really need help desperately. As many studies have shown, services such as BCM are imperative to the success of a community. Joh, has a hope unlike anyone I have seen, she is always positive, and she is obsessed in helping people grow. The person who summarizes this the best would be Joh’s husband steve “Amy is a, very servant oriented person um, who, who is very genuine, genuine in how in how she
cares for people, genuine in how she works um, and genuine in how she lives her life right, so it is all integrated. Um and she has a particular passion and calling toward serving um, the under resourced, in this case folks and families in east palo alto, um again in a very genuine and authentic way.”
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