John Dillon – Senior Adjunct Professor

“Visualize victory!” As a rally car co-driver, I remind my driver with these words when we start a racing event.  Ours is the ultimate team motorsport: two of us in a fully-caged race car, one driving, the other (me) reading from a set of notes that describe each curve and hazard ahead.  We’re rocketing at over 100 MPH on dirt roads through forests or along the edges of cliffs, day or night, in mud, snow, fog, dust, or heat. I trust my driver to keep control of the car at maximum speed, and she or he trusts me to read the correct notes with enough time to react. In short, we literally trust each other with our lives. In every sense, our victories are shared, and not just between us, but with the crew who keep the car running, the officials who provide a safe, fair, and fun playing ground, and the spectators who cheer us on.

“Visualize victory!” applies to our students too.

Teaching or studying at Cal Lutheran is much the same way – but without the wild crashes that can happen when you make a mistake – with faculty and students teamed together, working towards a common victory.  Instead of a service crew, we enjoy the support of CLU’s amazing staff; instead of race officials, we have top-drawer administrators; and instead of spectators, we have our family and friends.

As a CLU graduate myself (I earned my degree later in life) I appreciate the value this university provides to its students and their families. It’s an honor to be part of this fine institution, and it’s a pleasure to work with my colleagues for the benefit of all. Indeed, it’s because of the quality of my professors during my graduate work here that inspired me to join the faculty, to be part of CLU’s educational team.

Every semester I explain to my students that it’s my job to help them succeed.  They have to work – and work hard, by many accounts – but my students know that if they’re willing to put in the effort, I’ll be there with them, shoulder to shoulder, helping them grasp the material and become proficient in the skills I’m teaching.

Sometimes budget constraints interrupt our successes. For lack of money, we have to park the car before reaching the final checkpoint of a rally. For want of funding, a national championship might be lost. Some powerful drivers and co-drivers have their hopes dashed when they lack the resources needed to help them cross the finish line. The same is true for some of our students who, fully capable, fully committed,  nonetheless struggle to complete their degree, or even fall short because of finances.

Most of the classes I teach are in the Professionals program. I enjoy teaching students who’ve faced the hardships that prevented them from getting a degree earlier – as I did – who have a solid foundation in life and a well-based and hard-earned appreciation of the importance of higher education. These are students who recognize the value of what CLU offers, even if (or because) they’re no longer in the 18 to 22 age bracket.  These students are sometimes forgotten in the money hunt, with few opportunities for financial aid. That’s why the Unstoppable Scholarship resonates with me, and I hope it will with you too.

A hard-fought victory, whether in education or motorsport, is a well-deserved reward for dedication and commitment. To watch my students “make the walk” – in cap and gown instead of helmet and fire suit – across the “finish line” is a joyful event, a celebration of their continued effort, and a recognition of their achievement for all to witness.

I look forward to many more years of teaching. More importantly, I look forward to witnessing the continued success of our students.

With your help, that august body of graduates will grow.

(Written for CLU Cares Day 2022)

No comments