She's Here! Amanda Williams
Enjoy a Q & A with Our New Youth Director
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I grew up in Tulsa and attended St. Pius through 7th
grade. I transferred to Edison Middle School for 8th grade and
graduated high school from Edison in 1998.
Q. What parish did you attend growing up?
A. I was raised Catholic – baptized by Msgr. Finn on
Valentine’s Day in 1982 at Church of the Madalene where my son was baptized by
Fr. Stuart Crevcoure in 2002.
Q. I saw that you worked for the Diocese as
an assistant for the youth director at one point? Is that when you realized you
had an interest in religious youth directing?
A. Working for Charles “Mick” Michie is when I
realized how FUN youth directing could be (faith formation via camping trips –
how cool is that?). It wasn’t until I worked on a grant delivering a program to
youth during my master’s program at OSU that I realized how much I loved
working with and organizing programs for youth.
Q. You have this amazing academic record,
what leads you to us at Saint Mary?
A. I’m really impressed with St. Mary’s dedication
to youth – particularly middle school, which is a developmental period often
overlooked, but such an extremely important time. There is such potential for growth, and I will
really have an opportunity to put my education and community experiences into
practice. Plus, you have Father Jack –
one of the most amazing people I know.
Q. What are you looking forward to about
being the youth director for our parish?
A. I’m really excited to meet the kids and learn
what makes them passionate about their faith. They are the experts on their own faith journeys!
Q. How were you familiar with Saint Mary
before now?
A. My Aunt Missy (Bretz) works in the school, and I
had several friends who attended St. Mary when I was young. I also frequent the 6 p.m. Sunday Mass.
Q. Are you familiar with the Edge program?
What do you think about it?
A. I’ve read about the Edge program and visited St.
Mary to see it in action. From what I’ve
heard and seen it’s really taken off thanks to a great group of youth and a
dedicated team of volunteers.
It’s an awesome program because it’s a
standardized curriculum, yet has enough flexibility to really adapt to the
needs/wants of St. Mary youth.
Q. What do you like to do in your spare
time? Hobbies?
A. Most of my free time is spent watching my son
play baseball with his B.A. Cubs team or football with the BK Jr. Comets. I
also love to read, especially historical fiction and fantasy.
Q. Could you talk just a moment about your
interest in working with kids and the importance of investing in them?
A. There are so many sayings about how youth are “our
future” – and they’re right. Children become
the legacy of the world they grew up in, so it is imperative that we give them
all the support necessary to thrive as Catholics in a complex world. At the same time, they are in their own
“present.” They are excited and challenged,
courageous and scared, totally awesome and totally geeking out – my passion is
helping them find the strength inside their own hearts to embrace the life God
gave them and live it in His image, with their own unique flair. I think my
challenge is to help youth figure out how they can be “in the world” and not
“of the world” (a great quote frequently shared by Fr. Bryan Brooks).
Q. Tell
me just a little about your family? I heard you have a little boy, is that
right?
A. Yes, he’s in 3rd grade at Sts. Peter
and Paul. April 1st was my 12th
wedding anniversary to my husband, Matt. (yes…April Fool’s Day!)
Amanda has an Masters in Developmental and Family Science from Oklahoma State University and is working on her Doctorate in Human Sciences from the same school. She has an outstanding list of honors, service and research projects. We are so proud to add her to our staff. Please tell her hello when you see her around!
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt's really exciting to have you at St. Mary. I read your q&a and it makes me very excited for my 6th grader who is in school at St. Mary and is in the Edge program. My wife Jennifer and I love our parish and want to welcome you with open arms.
Sincerely,
Steve Allen
Thank you so much - I'm super excited as well! Perhaps I'll meet your family at Mass or Edge Sunday night.
ReplyDelete~ Amanda