When Library Media Technician (LMT) Luz Oikawa graduated from college with degrees in engineering, biochemistry and processed food, the last job she expected to take was as a librarian.
At first, Oikawa immediately got offers to work as a calculus, chemistry, and physics teacher. She took the job but eventually had to quit because her husband, an engineer, was relocated to a different state.
But, after two of her children started going to school, they became invested in reading books, especially her second born. She would take her kids to the library almost every day and they would happily check out books.
“My second [child] was really into reading,” Oikawa said. “At that time, I began to bring him to the library and he read a lot. Almost every single day, we’d have to go to [the] Deer Canyon library and he used to check out 10 books each time.”
Having spent so much time in the library, Oikawa formed connections with the staff.
“Since we visited [the library] so much, the librarian asked me to help her, and I liked it,” Oikawa said. “Later on I began to volunteer in my kids’ classrooms and the same librarian encouraged me to apply for the position and I did. Since then I just love it.”
Even though she only began volunteering as a favor, it soon became a full-fledged job and passion.
Oikawa has now been working at Mesa Verde for a grand total of 20 years and Westview for 15. She starts off the day working at the Mesa Verde library and begins her shift at Westview in the afternoon at 4 p.m. Oikawa commutes straight from Mesa Verde to Westview.
She occasionally gets called in by many different schools to help out their library staff. With experience at Del Norte, Mt. Carmel, Design 39, Mesa Verde, Bernardo Heights, Black Mountain, Oak Valley, and Westview, she can transfer the tips and tricks she’s learned from different libraries to better help students with their problems.
“If I only stay or stick with one school, I can’t see the difference between what they are doing that is new, why they are innovating or what they are doing wrong. All those things, I could apply here.”
Oikawa works as an LMT in a position that entails a wide range of assistance — from Chromebook malfunctions to checking out textbooks. Despite having been at this job for so long, Oikawa said she still enjoys it. She said her passion is fueled by her student interactions at each school.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see many students for almost 20 years and it is rewarding to see when alumni visit campus; how happy they are when I call them by name,” Oikawa said.
Oikawa sees students day in and day out. When she detects a sag in a usually chipper student’s shoulders, she takes it upon herself to say hi and give a little encouragement. While she is not a school counselor, she does the little things she can to brighten up students’ days.
“I’m very observant, but also very intuitive,” Oikawa said. “If I see you another time and I see you’re different, I will say, ‘Oh, yeah’, something is going on with her.”
Oikawa’s years spent at both Mesa Verde and Westview are one of the many bridges between the two schools. Working at both libraries allows her to guide students from sixth grade through 12th grade. Oikawa is able to observe students as they grow and change. While she is in a position to see these students every day, many old teachers from Mesa Verde are not.
“When The Nexus [is published], I bring copies with me [to Mesa Verde] because some of the teachers want to know how you are doing,” Oikawa said.
Being one of the few staff members involved at both Mesa Verde and Westview, spreading news is something special Oikawa does for the community. Many students from Mesa Verde attend Westview after eighth grade and very few visit their old teachers. Reading The Nexus that Oikawa brings to the middle school is just another way she connects schools.
“So it’s very important for me to tell middle schoolers that even if they don’t see a light in their day, these kids in high school found a way and they could find a way too,” Oikawa said.
