Darlene Willis Earns Unsung Hero and Diversity Awards

By Paul K. Mueller I February 7, 2005

Darlene V. Willis, the executive administrative officer for new initiatives and community relations in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UCSD.

Just in time for Black History Month, Darlene V. Willis, the executive administrative officer for new initiatives and community relations in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, has added her own significant chapter to that history.

Willis has been named the 2005 KSWB Black History Month Unsung Hero for her dedication and commitment to the students and parents of College Bound San Diego, a program she and her husband, Phillip, founded. Willis also has earned the UCSD Diversity Award for on-campus service and contributions to diversity.

KSWB is San Diego's Warner Brothers television station. In announcing their choice of Willis for the award, Sofia Salgado, the station's community affairs manager, noted the UCSD staffers' dedication to the children of the Poway School District and her creation of the College Bound San Diego program.

Willis, who says she's "blessed and honored" to receive the award, worked with her husband to start, in 2001, the nonprofit Concerned Parents Alliance, designed to help African-American parents and students in the Poway Unified School District. "Once statistics started coming in, we decided to create an educational component entitled College Bound San Diego," she says. "The program is a direct response to the educational achievement gap and the challenges affiliated with this nationwide problem. The goal is to empower students and parents, and have them take charge of the educational journey."

The program, now in its second year, presently consists of predominantly African-American students in grades 4-12 but is open to all residents of San Diego County. "We have 90 students and more than 250 parents, family members and volunteers," says Willis, "and last year we conducted customized tours to almost 30 colleges and universities in California and the East Coast. This year, our tours will include institutions in New York, London and Paris."

Willis was nominated by one of the volunteer lead teachers, a professor at San Diego State University. "She said she wanted me to have my flowers now," says Willis, who spends as much time at College Bound San Diego as she does at her full-time UCSD job - while raising teenagers in the 9th and 12th grades. "I've survived a life-threatening disease called lupus," she says, "and I believe God has placed me on Earth to help others, especially children."

The inspirational, hard-working "unsung hero" has also been awarded UCSD's Diversity Award in recognition of her contributions to diversity on campus. Willis has served as volunteer co-chair for Black History Month for the last three years and also serves as president of the UJIMA Network, an alliance of faculty, staff, and students at UCSD endeavoring to foster opportunities for African-American faculty, staff, and students.

"It's a great feeling to be acknowledged by your employer," says Willis. "I love UCSD and working with my colleagues. Both awards confirm for me that I am still fulfilling my purpose in life, giving back to the community and, thank God, making a difference."

That ethos of accomplishment and service was instilled by her parents, James and Sheryle Griffin, she says, who taught their six daughters (Willis is the fourth) that each could be somebody. "I took hold of this concept and never let myself forget it," Willis says, even though counselors told her she wasn't college material. "I was determined to prove them wrong," she says, "and with that motivation, my family support, my strong faith in God and my grandmother's advice that 'a closed mouth will never get fed,' I eventually earned my Ph.D."

"I am proud to receive these awards, but I am most proud when a student calls me and says, 'Dr. Willis, I've just been accepted to the university. Thank you for supporting me.' The students are the true 'unsung heroes.' I'm just the vessel that is being used to ensure their educational success."