Saying Pacific alumna Gwendolyn Dailey ’13, ’17 was surprised to receive the key to the city of Stockton would be an understatement.

“I thought getting the key to the city was for movie stars,” Dailey said. “It wasn’t even on my radar.”

Dedication and service to Stockton

Dailey received the honor from Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln at the State of the City event on May 18. She was nominated for the award by Councilmember Brando Villapudua for her work in the community as president and founder of Dome of Hope, a non-profit organization that serves at-risk youth and families in Southeast Stockton through education programs.

“Mama Gwendolyn is a bright light and a beacon of hope to all who know her,” said Mayor Lincoln as he presented the award. “Thank you, Gwendolyn Dailey, for your dedication and service to our community.”

“This is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Dailey in her acceptance speech. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the people of this city, its leaders and all those who have supported me. This honor is not just a recognition of my achievements, but a reflection of a collective effort of all those who have worked to make this city better.”

Transformative education

Dailey says she feels uniquely equipped to serve students’ educational needs through her non-profit work because she has experienced similar struggles in her own life.  

“I couldn’t read and write well and didn’t have books in elementary school because it wasn’t funded,” said Dailey. “I dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. It took 35 years for me to go back.” 

When Dailey made the choice to go back to school, she didn’t let anything stand in her way.  

In 2013, Dailey graduated from University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in ethnic studies. She later earned her Master of Arts in Education with a dual concentration in student affairs and educational organization, leadership and administration.  

Dailey is now back at Pacific as a doctoral candidate for education, with a concentration in transformative action in education. She is committed to bringing her educational experiences back to Dome of Hope, helping students and families navigate the school system and find their own path to success.  

“I have committed my life to this,” said Dailey. “Anyone can take a recipe, make a cake, and be okay. But to have someone who has had the same experiences and put their heart into helping people out of it, you can tell difference.” 

Dome of Hope  

Dailey was inspired to start the Dome of Hope by her mother, Etta, who moved her family to Stockton so her children could receive an education. Dailey says her mother was deeply engaged in the community, feeding and housing community members who were struggling in south Stockton.   

“My mother pushed me to be better and stay connected to the community,” said Dailey. “She was my motivation and the foundation of the mission of our organization.”  

Dailey opened Dome of Hope in 1997, and the organization became a recognized public charitable organization (501c3) the next year. The organization’s mission soon took the form of an acronym inspired by Dailey’s mother’s name: E.T.T.A. (education, technology, trade, arts).  

The organization offers programs in each of these subject areas to support students from age three to adulthood achieve success in their educational journeys—and ultimately, their personal and professional lives. 

Serving the community through education  

Dome of Hope’s outreach also includes children coming from illiterate families, who Dailey notes are often unable to communicate their needs. To help, Dome of Hope preps parents to attend literacy and computer skills programs, which empowers them to advocate for their children’s education needs and improve their financial situation.   

“We don’t leave people behind,” said Dailey. “For example, the Trinity Parkway Walmart is mostly self-checkout, and many seniors can’t read or access it. So people increase the cost of their expenses going to other places due to reading and transportation deficiency by using delivery services. If we teach them basic English reading, writing and math, we can take them further.”  

After over 25 years of serving the Stockton community, Dailey says she has no plans to slow down.  

“I want my legacy to be a life of helping and being a servant, and God has blessed me through it,” said Dailey. “I love the city [of Stockton]. Money is not my motivator; it’s the mission. People need my help.” 

What can you do with a humanities degree? Ask Brooke Tran ’23, who is “reimagining the liberal arts” at Pacific. An English major with a passion for education equity, Brooke added minors in data science, film studies and sociology to expand her skillset and personalize her academic experience. 

With her humanities background, support from faculty mentors, and valuable experiential learning opportunities, Brooke is graduating from Pacific with a strong foundation for her future career as a researcher and policy maker.

Personalizing her Pacific experience

Brooke grew up in what she describes as an “ethnic enclave of Vietnamese American immigrants and refugees” in Westminster, California. When she arrived at Pacific, she discovered the opportunity discrepancies in her community. Her interest in educational policy bloomed, and Pacific enabled her to acquire skills and connect with mentors to feed this growing passion.

One critical source of support for Brooke was the Pacific Humanities Scholars Program, which mentors students and provides them with the opportunity to experience the humanities both in and outside of the classroom. 

“As a first-generation college student, I really valued the mentorship and peer-support I gained from this program,” Brooke said.

Professor Jeffrey Hole, former Humanities Scholars Program director, encouraged Brooke and her classmates to push themselves past the point of comfort and immerse themselves in a variety of different subjects and worlds. 

“We urge our students to build their skill set and explore a multitude of different fields,” Hole explained. “Brooke took the advice and ran with it.”

By expanding her academic focus to encompass a unique blend of English, data science, sociology and film studies, Brooke now has the skills to tell stories with data and new perspectives on how to analyze situations.

Researching and finding success

Brooke’s professors quickly saw her potential and encouraged her to pursue her interests in education equity and policy. Instead of summer internships, she sought research opportunities, starting with a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2020 through Pacific’s Office of Undergrad Research for her project, “The Humanization of Asian Americans: Dispelling the Model Minority Myth in Relation to Higher Education.”

The next summer, Brooke worked at the University of Iowa with Professor Nicholas A. Bowman who created an index based on meal swipes that could predict graduation rates: “Predicting International College Students’ Success Through Meal Plan Swipes.” 

“From there, I helped write our research article, ‘International Students’ Social Networks with International and Domestic Students as Predictors of College Success,’ and we submitted it to The Journal of Higher Education,” she said. “If accepted, I will be a published author, which is an important achievement in the world of academia.”

After gaining experience in the classroom and through summer research fellowships, Brooke was prepared to research what inspired her to start in the first place: her community. 

“With the support of my research adviser, Professor Marcia Hernandez of the sociology department, I created an Institutional Review Board-approved study to work with members of my community,” she explained. “My research addresses the wrongful stereotypes and assumptions of the Model Minority Myth and unravels claims that inherent racial and ethnic qualities determine educational outcomes. My mixed methods research is a means of understanding community needs through acknowledging lived experiences. I will present my findings at two conferences later this year.”

Continuing to make a difference in education

After graduating this spring, Brooke will pursue a Master of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at University of Michigan. She was selected as a Rackham Merit Fellow and will receive full coverage of tuition and fees and a yearly stipend. 

“I am excited to build upon my knowledge and research of education equity from my time at Pacific,” Brooke said. “At Ford, I plan to obtain a certificate in Southeast Asian Studies and conduct social policy research at the intersection of poverty, immigration and education.”

Brooke describes the benefits of Pacific’s Humanities Scholars program.

Megan Nishimura

Megan Nishimura is a fourth-year marketing major from Honolulu, Hawai’i. You can find her in Burns Tower as Enrollment Marketing’s student copywriter, in the stands as an athletics event staff worker or on the court as a member of Pacific’s Division 1 volleyball team.

Michelle Prince is a Stockton native and University of the Pacific has always been a part of her community. She was drawn to the campus as a child. During her time studying sociology at Pacific, she became a team leader working on building more inclusive and environmentally conscious communities. She now works for the California Department of Housing and Community Development, working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through housing and transportation developments. 

What is your favorite memory of Pacific? 

Tea at the WRC — weekly tea and biscuits get-togethers at the Women’s Resource Center on campus. 

What is your favorite place on campus? 

The Robb Garden by the psychology building. It’s beautiful and very tranquil. 

What is your favorite restaurant in Stockton? 

I am a Stockton native so it’s hard to choose one restaurant. I have three: Mama’s Phở & Sandwiches on Lower Sacramento Road, Cast Iron Trading Company in downtown and the Kebab & Gyro House in downtown. 

What was your favorite thing to do after class? 

Multi-cultural potlucks with the Interfaith Council at the Religious Studies Center. 

If there was one thing about Pacific that you would never want to change, what would it be? 

The architecture and how cozy the campus feels, like a home away from home. 

What is your favorite thing about Stockton? 

It is in the center of everything. It’s easy to get to many interesting places.