Angela Otiker sees journey as untraditional, but rewarding

South School principal Angela Otiker poses near the school's entryway. Otiker recognizes her journey as a leader in education has not been traditional but nevertheless has been rewarding.
South School principal Angela Otiker poses near the school's entryway. Otiker recognizes her journey as a leader in education has not been traditional but nevertheless has been rewarding.

Nine years ago, Angela Otiker worked in the corporate world as a compensation analyst for pharmaceutical companies, telecommunications companies and head hunters in Kansas City. She is now a principal at South Elementary, making a difference in the lives of children she believes need her support.

"Never in my life have I ever wanted to do anything with education, but after working with Junior Achievement I knew this is 100 percent what I'm supposed to be doing with my life," Otiker said.

Otiker's calling to be an educator didn't come until the age of 30, after she got involved with Junior Achievement through a philanthropic partnership with Sprint, her then-employer. Junior Achievement is a nonprofit that exposes youth to basic principles of finance and market-based economics.

Her only requirement was that the JA office send her to the schools in Kansas City that nobody wanted to go to.

"I was a kid that struggled in school, so it helped me to really connect with the kids and teach them a different avenue from a completely different perspective," Otiker said. "The kids were desperate for somebody to care about them and give them everything they needed to be successful."

This key moment inspired Otiker to go back to school for a degree in education.

In Otiker's first teaching position, she found herself in a fourth-grade classroom in Raytown for two years and was awarded teacher of the year. Later, she taught second grade for a year and moved into a role of instructional coaching.

"Even after only three years of teaching, I felt like I was going to burst out of the seams of this room," Otiker said. "If I am an instructional coach, I could have a greater impact throughout the entire building through the teachers."

While teaching, she felt she could impact only 25 children at one time for one year, and she wanted to be a help to as many children as possible.

"Those kids need me too, and that's why I started," she said.

Before moving to Jefferson City, she worked as an assistant principal for two years in the Raytown school district.

"I took this job because I wanted a mixture of kids - low socioeconomic, ethnicities and backgrounds," Otiker said. "What people don't realize is that South Elementary has kids from Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit who didn't grow up in Jefferson City - they're from bigger cities. So for me, I can relate to parents who come from those bigger cities."

Otiker recognizes her journey as a leader in education has not been traditional but nevertheless has been rewarding.

"When you find something you're supposed to do, you're always good at it," Otiker said. "My advice for any person in education is to find a mentor that will be real with you, and surround yourself with positive people who are excited about what they do. Also, when you have good things that happen, be sure to note them for the times when you need it."