Amy Davies
Senior Assistant Director
University of Oregon WASFAA

Meet Amy Davies, 2023-24 Diversity Leadership Program Class

For Amy diversity has in many ways defined her life. Born in Seoul, South Korea — her birth name was So Young Lee — Amy has continually been learning and growing through the influence of unfamiliar places.

It began when Amy was five years old, when she moved to the United States with her family, living in cities with a wide range of cultures and atmospheres including Seattle, Los Angeles, and Springfield, Missouri. At the beginning of her career, Amy completed an intense and highly competitive hiring process to become a flight stewardess for Emirates Airline, based in Dubai, UAE. Her experiences working alongside over 10,000 fellow flight attendants from over 150 different countries made Amy realize just how enlivening and vital diversity within an institution could be.

Amy eventually made the transition to the world of financial aid after discovering that she enjoyed becoming an expert in deciphering complex rules and regulations.

Amy is an active member of the WASFAA Inclusion, Diversity, Ethnicity, Equity, and Action (IDEEA) and also a member of the Asian, Desi, & Pacific Islander Strategies Group at the University of Oregon. As a member of the DLP program Amy said she hopes to make workspaces more hospitable to other marginalized co-workers.

“As an under-represented employee in the field of education, I strongly believe that leadership training programs are especially vital for marginalized groups,” Amy said. “Leadership is not just something a person can learn from a text or a class; it also develops through one’s work experience, volunteering for events, becoming comfortable interacting socially with others and through opportunities for personal and professional development.”

Learn more about Amy in the brief Q&A below.

How have you seen diversity in higher education change since you began your career?

It’s getting better. Diversity is a much more visible issue in the university, making it harder to wave away, and I think a lot of people are genuinely trying to understand and emphasize its importance. I do my best to promote diversity through participating in groups at the state, regional, and national levels and making diversity and inclusion issues more visible.

At my current institution, I’m fortunate to work in a very diverse office despite my university being predominantly white, which tells me that those doing the hiring are more inclusive than university administrators might have been historically. I do believe we still have more work to do.

How did you get your start in financial aid?

Before I was in financial aid, I was working for a local bank in the Bank Secrecy Act office, which is responsible for ensuring that the bank complies with all federal regulations (like the Patriot Act) surrounding suspicious transactions. That job helped me to see that I really enjoyed being an expert in complex rules and regulations, but I also knew that I wanted to end up in a career where I would be able to spend more of my time directly helping people.

When a position at the Financial Aid office opened at Ozarks Technical Community College, I saw it as an opportunity to return to a place that I always knew I loved: higher education. I began my career there as a financial aid representative in 2018. My family and I relocated to the Pacific Northwest during the pandemic so that my partner could pursue a graduate degree, and I was fortunate enough to find a position in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at University of Oregon shortly after we settled into our new home. I’m now a Senior Assistant Director in that same office.

How does your perspective impact how you do your job and approach financial aid?

As someone who has traveled all over the world and lived in multiple other countries, I feel especially strongly about helping international students, although in many cases we are limited in what we are able to offer them in terms of financial aid.

I feel strongly about first generation and less financially stable students for a similar reason; I have a lot of respect for people who are expending a lot of effort to try to better their situation (and often their family’s, as well). I also think that as I’ve become more and more comfortable with financial aid regulations, I’ve been able to focus more on the ways that I can help students get the most out of this system’s many complexities and end up with the least debt possible.

What’s a challenge within financial aid that you personally have overcome that you're proud of?

I think we all know that the pandemic has been a struggle for everyone. During the pandemic, I had to rethink the way that I interact with students so that I was able to support them in the ways that they needed. I learned some valuable lessons in the process, and I definitely felt like I came to understand the role of “financial aid counselor” could be more literal than I ever would have realized prior to the pandemic.

Any hidden talents?

My first bachelor’s degree in fashion design. Although I didn’t ultimately pursue that as my career, I do think it’s expressed in many other ways in my life, even though many people have no idea about that part of my life. I have altered my own outfits since I was in middle school, and I sometimes even make my own clothes.

There are a lot of fun little ways that I’m able to still express that side of myself without a lot of folks ever realizing that I have a background in fashion. Also, I was a hula hoop champion in high school, and I had the longest running record for quite a while!

What's a change in financial aid that you would like to see happen?

I would really like to see more students eligible for debt-free aid, or at least reduced interest loans. I know that in some ways it might sound like I’m arguing myself out of a job, but I’d also like to see the complexity of the financial aid process reduced. I do feel that the FAFSA Simplification Act is making strides in this regard; it is quite a bit more streamlined, which is great, and we’re hoping that it will lead to more students receiving Pell Grants.

What do you do when you're not working?

When I am not working, I love thrifting and searching for hidden jewels, watching thrilling TV shows (K dramas are the best!), and spending time with my family. Also, my family loves to travel both near and far, and, as certified foodies, we’re always looking for new fun places to eat so that we can share our recommendations to families, friends, and colleagues.