Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Lauren Lek of The Academy of Our Lady of Peace Is Helping To Change Our World
Don’t be afraid to ask for the donation sooner. My first profession is educator so fundraising has been a learning curve for me. It took me a while to feel comfortable asking for support from donors. It was in partnership with strong philanthropic advocates who imparted the confidence for me to first consider myself as a philanthropic partner, which my husband and I are. That confidence, and my sincere belief in our cause, have helped me launch our school’s first ever capital campaign raising upwards of $12 million to directly impact the student academic experience.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lauren Lek.
Dr. Lauren Lek is the Head of School at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. She received her bachelors from UCSD, her Masters from Saint Mary’s, and her doctorate from Pepperdine. Dr. Lek holds a reputation as a passionate educator for women’s leadership, STEAM learning, and giving back in her community. She serves on the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) Board of Directors since 2019, the San Diego Downtown Rotary Club 33 since 2014, and has in the past been an advisory board member for Mount Saint Mary’s University CSJ Institute, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet governance advisory board.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Love of education, simply put. I started out thinking I would follow my father into medicine, but my heart was calling me into a different pathway — education.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I’m in my tenth year as Head of School, thus I have many stories swirling around in my head that I could share. Stories of empowering young women to find their way to “yes.” Stories of many relationships that are formed with our cross-border students and families, all of which have enriched my life and appreciation for this diverse region that we live in and serve. Also, stories of working alongside some of the top philanthropic names in our nation such as Darlene Shiley and Ann Navarra, who impact my own understanding of investing in the next generation of women leaders. Another impactful story comes from Martha McRoskey, a dear woman who started our Parents in Prayer group here at OLP, and then became a trusted board member. Sadly, we lost her too young to cancer. I still feel Martha’s faith-filled guidance daily and look to the example she set as a servant leader when facing tough decisions. I have several divine-like experiences that I call “Martha McRoskey Miracles” because they were touches to circumstances outside of my control, and came in such a manner that I believe she is as invested in the success of OLP while in her heavenly home as she was while here with us in person.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s okay to make mistakes, even to fail sometimes, it is how we rebuild that matters. I truly mean this statement, it is not just a cliché, and understanding it early on will save much unneeded stress. For example, in our capital campaign strategy we expected to build a new building out of the gates. We quickly realized our 100 year old buildings needed tending to before we could build anew. That pivot allowed us to transform our existing 40,000 square foot building into an updated and accessible space while minimizing the length of displacing students and teachers. Overall this pivot to our planned course became our asset. I try to take this philosophy forward to our girls and here at OLP we create an environment where the pursuit of excellence includes the opportunity to fail forward. You are invited to come tour these amazing learning spaces, the Shiley Center for Science and Innovation as well as the Esther Sanfilippo Navarra Hall.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
Women in Stem, empowering women, robotics team, surf team, accessibility.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Sister Anne Lorraine, whose birth name was Veronica, was a student who graduated in 1948. OLP found a way for Veronica to stay here by ticking off her tuition through a work exchange opportunity. Veronica as a young girl changed the bed sheets of borders and changed the diapers of babies, to afford tuition. She went on to invest her life’s work to ensure women had proper childcare facilities in their work environments and that those babies and children were loved and cared for. We want her legacy to carry on for generations to come. We recently lost her at the ripe age of 92 this past winter and her fortitude, commitment to children, and love of OLP has inspired us to spearhead a specialized endowed scholarship to impact the lives of young women who have the greatest need, just as she had when she was a young girl.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Mental health for teen girls, the pandemic saw the crux of the mental health crisis hitting women on average above men. Additionally the toll upon teenagers has reached heights not seen before. We are an epicenter for teaching and empowering young women, we are immersed in the studies affecting us. We need more focused studies specifically for women and girls, that factor in all of that which we are and undertake. Many top level decisions in our society are still being made from studies that omitted the female perspective and that needs to change.
- More accessibility for women in male dominated industries (STEM)
- Women in sports, we are still underrepresented in athletics. This underrepresentation still sees an equity gap across the organizational structures that are in place and access to facilities for play.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is pulling out the best qualities in others and inspiring people to achieve greatness rather than telling them how to do it. It is a throughway of a leadership style, in partnership with Servant Leadership, that I absolutely believe in. In fact this past year our administrative team engaged in focused learning and team building workshops with resource materials such as, Stephen Covey’s Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others. To this end, I am most proud of the fact that I have helped cultivate leadership skills in my colleagues so much so that they were able to leave our school and take on their own higher leadership positions within other schools, districts and organizations. Many principals and presidents of schools sitting in their roles today worked alongside me here at OLP, that is something I feel very proud of — the fact they were able to hone their leadership skill sets and soar to new heights. I respect these folks tremendously and they have become personal sources of inspiration and counsel still to this day.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Don’t be afraid to ask for the donation sooner. My first profession is educator so fundraising has been a learning curve for me. It took me a while to feel comfortable asking for support from donors. It was in partnership with strong philanthropic advocates who imparted the confidence for me to first consider myself as a philanthropic partner, which my husband and I are. That confidence, and my sincere belief in our cause, have helped me launch our school’s first ever capital campaign raising upwards of $12 million to directly impact the student academic experience.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The Power of Stay! Different from inspiring others in their leadership potential, it is the idea of sticking out hard situations. Believing in the power of perseverance as the strength, or grit, that emerges [from this power of stay] will always serve you in the future. It is a character building block, specifically for our high school students and how this affects them later on, in all aspects of their academic and career pathways ahead.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have to quote my grandmother here, she was a very strong female influence in my life. She would say, “I want to be like a roll of toilet paper, thoroughly useful to the end.” Though this might surprise some people to read, coming from the Head of School voice, it is truly a concept that has guided and inspired me to be of benefit to others and the organizations I serve. To consider the work in the moment and the work ahead, to plan and invest accordingly. My grandmother not only said the words but lived the statement and I feel her legacy deeply within the work ethic I carry today.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
I feel blessed to have enjoyed a lunch or two with many remarkable people. To answer this question fully, I would likely have to raise someone from the dead. We have had so many “first” women that pioneered pathways for us — it would be tremendous to learn from their perspective. However, with our annual Women’s Symposium, I feel blessed and so very grateful to welcome tremendous women leaders to campus and spend time learning through their experiences. With that being said, my hope is to have a sit down at our 2024 symposium event with OpenAI CTO and ChatGPT co-creator, Mira Murati, what a phenomenal story she has!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
The best way is to follow us on social media, especially LinkedIn , Instagram or Twitter. We always welcome visitors to our campus for a tour, or to any of our upcoming community events.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Lauren Lek of The Academy of Our Lady of Peace Is Helping To Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.