Two members of the Mesa College Humanities Department will be retiring at the end of the fall semester. Dean Larry Weiss and Senior Secretary Vikki Cayabyab are both ending their respective tenures at the San Diego Community College District.
Dean Weiss was hired at Mesa in 2001 to bring back and develop the Speech and Debate team. With his help, they brought home several awards. He worked at Mesa as a professor of communication studies for six years, and has been Dean of Humanities for two years.
“My favorite aspect about working for this district, and for Mesa, is the relationships I have developed,” Weiss said. “It’s bittersweet because I enjoy working with these people so much. So many people work for Mesa who are truly committed to the growth and success of their students, maybe more than I’ve ever seen. Kudos go to the Mesa faculty, who are a rare breed, they’re very motivated to help.”
Though he has found his job at Mesa to be very rewarding, Weiss has decided to take some reflective time to ponder his next move. He is interested in pursuing a possible career involving fitness geared toward retired people.
“I made a promise to myself at age 25 to be fit for the rest of my life,” said Weiss. “I recently lost my father and it makes me think more about the quality of life. We all have to have our own criteria to make changes in our lives and do what we love.”
Weiss finds his ultimate satisfaction in helping others, and helping Mesa students to succeed has been a highlight of his career.
“We never know how much we can change someone’s life,” said Weiss. “At the end of every day, I ask, ‘Were you able to help one person today,’ and the answer is always yes. At the graduation ceremony at the end of the year, they say, ‘If you are the first in your family to graduate from college, please stand up,’ and there are so many people standing. It’s so powerful it makes you tear up. There is a real energy and a real thirst for learning on this campus, and I’ll miss that.”
Weiss says he is truly forming his “Bucket List” again. He looks forward to returning to his favorite hiking spot in Montana and seeing as much of the world as he can.
“I want to say thank you for the opportunity to teach and to lead,” said Weiss. “I’m honored. And I couldn’t have done it without such a remarkable Senior Secretary. Vikki and I have a great working relationship.”
Cayabyab is originally from the Philippines. She moved to San Diego in 1987 and has worked for the San Diego Community College District since 1991. She worked at City College for five years, and then began working at Mesa College in 1996.
“I’m very sad to leave,” Cayabyab said. “I love my job and I’m very comfortable here. Working for the district was really a very good learning experience.”
After many years working for the district, Cayabyab is retiring early, as she qualifies for the early retirement incentive. She plans to return to Long Beach to be closer to her family.
“I was lucky enough to have the same boss for almost 20 years,” said Cayabyab. “I worked for Kit Foster at City, and then at Mesa till she retired. We were like a team.”
The School of Humanities and Languages at Mesa used to encompass arts, languages, music, drama and English, with only Dean Foster and Cayabyab managing everything. It split into two branches with respective deans in January. Mesa now has the School of Humanities with Dean Weiss and the School of Arts and Languages with Dean Jonathan Fohrman.
“It’s so much less stress now and I’ve really been able to enjoy my job more,” Cayabyab said. “I wish we’d split when Dean Foster was here so she could have enjoyed it too, but I was lucky to have Dean Weiss as a replacement. He brought out the best in me.”
Cayabyab is grateful to numerous individuals within the district for assisting her during her tenure.
“I want to thank my friends at City College for teaching me to have a more positive outlook,” said Cayabyab. “And my friends and coworkers at Mesa who were always there when I needed them. They helped me to be as efficient as possible and I will miss everyone.”