Woman of Impact: Student Support Services' Ophelia Augustine

Woman of Impact: Student Support Services' Ophelia Augustine

Ophelia Augustine

Ophelia Augustine’s office within Student Support Services is a unique workspace. The four walls are lined with photos and thank-you cards and her desk is covered in paperwork. Everything about it is a reminder of the lives she has touched.

“I just hang their awards up,” says Augustine, nodding towards her children’s awards. “I don’t put up [mine].” For Augustine, getting to this point hasn’t been easy. “Statistically, people like me don’t make it to college,” she says.

That’s why her recent Woman of Impact recognition, awarded to her by the USD Women’s Center, is so inspiring and is a testament to how far she has come.

“University-Wide Support”

Growing up in extreme poverty, and at times homeless, Augustine eventually ended up in the foster care system. Graduating from high school, Augustine became a young mother early on, having to support herself and her two children. She credits her faith and her support community for getting her to where she is today.

Coming to the University of San Diego as a nontraditional undergraduate student, Augustine found the support and encouragement that enabled her to do well. This “university-wide support” created a community of care for her and provided Augustine with the resources necessary to succeed.

As she approached graduation in 2013, Augustine wondered where she would end up. “I didn’t have a place to live. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have any means to support myself or my children. I didn’t know what I was going to do and I didn’t want to graduate,” she says. “I had these two mouths to feed and they’re looking at me like ‘Mom, what are we going to do?’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’”

The relationships Augustine fostered while a USD undergraduate student provided her with an opportunity: Academic Coordinator with Student Support Services.

An Investment

“I’m so happy here. So happy. I love my job. I love where I’m at,” she says.

Augustine has come full circle, providing current students support similar to what she received as an undergraduate. A “mother figure” to many, Augustine’s firsthand experiences at USD have helped her meet her current students’ needs. However, what Augustine credits for her success is her investment in each student who walks through her door.

“I think once a student feels you are really invested in them and that you really care, they start to hold themselves accountable,” she says. “I tell my students that you can’t focus on what you’re not or where you’re not or where you should be. Be happy and in the moment with where you are and what you have accomplished. This is critical to who you become.”

A Dedicated Recipient

It is because of her investment in the lives of others that Augustine was awarded the 2015 Administrator Woman of Impact Award. Recognized by her colleagues and students at the Women of Impact luncheon in December, Augustine admits she was surprised she was chosen. “I was shocked and excited. I felt valued and appreciated and I felt loved.”

The award has given her a sense of empowerment and a recognition of the value in her work. Augustine’s love for her job is evident, whether it is in the lives she’s touched or the relationships she’s fostered along the way. The award has helped her realize that.

The Next Chapter

With plans on pursuing a graduate degree, Augustine is currently deciding on whether her route will focus on higher education or clinical work. However, for the time being, she is choosing to take everything one step at a time and “give 110 percent” of herself to the work she is doing with a renewed spirit.

Modestly downplaying her role in student successes, this woman of impact insists that her work is not out of the ordinary, even though her colleagues and students would quickly and emphatically dispute it.

“It’s just me listening and me helping them in various ways, ways that I was helped and ways that we all help them,” Augustine says. “Just having someone believe in them and say, ‘I know what you’re going through and if I can make it out, so can you. If I can pick myself up, so can you. And when you can’t pick yourself up, I’m going to help you. I’ll carry you. We’ll carry you and we’ll be there for you.”

A true woman of impact — passionately committed to others.

— Allyson Meyer '16