Delight Yokley ‘98 - History major currently employed Director of College Diversity and residence counselor at Kings College

Serious contemplation of vocation did not occur for Delight Yokley until her senior year of high school, when she decided to slacken her course load a little and take an easier level social studies class. The teacher realized that Delight was not being challenged and promoted her to an advanced placement course; Delight believes this “was a life-changing event.” Because of that teacher’s insight, Delight realized her passion for history, and by the time she entered Messiah as an incoming student, she adds, “I couldn’t think of being anything else but a history teacher.”

Although she appreciates her time in Grantham, Delight calls the year she spent off campus “the best year in her college experience.” During her senior year she took advantage of two off-campus study opportunities: a study abroad program with Daystar University in Nairobi and a semester at Temple University through MCPC (Messiah’s Philadelphia campus). “Daystar,” she explains, “really opened the world up for me. I was doing mostly work for my minor [urban studies] in community development there, and it really geared me for service. Daystar was a blessing.” Her time in Kenya inspired her to continue her engagement with the world outside Grantham with MCPC.

Delight believes that out of everything she has taken from her college experience, Messiah’s emphasis on serving our world and our community has made the most prominent imprint on her life. She elaborates, “Everything that I did [at Messiah] helped me to understand that serving people is so important, from the way professors taught to the service projects through the residence halls – telling me that this is what I should be doing. Find a way to get paid to serve. All of the positions I have held since graduation have been in service.”

Another important concept Delight learned at Messiah is that one’s major does not necessarily determine one’s vocation: “Messiah gives you such a well-rounded education,” she explains, “You don’t need a particular field to do what you want to do in life.” As Delight’s career path has shown, the education provided by a liberal arts institution like Messiah provides a set of skills that will be transferable to any vocation, regardless of major.

Since graduation, Delight has worked exclusively through various faith-based initiatives. Teaching social studies for New Horizons not only reaffirmed her passion for teaching but also showed her that she appreciates “an atypical classroom structure – it helps mold students, make them more well-rounded.” Through New Horizons, Delight worked with students with behavioral problems, most of whom were incredibly poor. She saw her vocation as an act of service, and, moreover, she was inspired by the children she taught.

After New Horizons and a subsequent teaching position, she explains, “I knew I wanted to be in education. But did I want to stand in front of a classroom and teach? No. I realized that education doesn’t always happen in a classroom.” As the director of college diversity at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Delight organizes initiatives to promote diversity and cultural awareness. She fulfills her passion for education by teaching a course, and also serves as part of a support system for minority students on campus. She feels that her current position “is a great way to be involved in education, but also involved in service and being supportive to minority students.”