Page 12 - BusinessWest April 15, 2024

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Will Dávila Keeps His Focus on Making an Impact
Will Dávila says he’s learned from expe- rience — and some not-so-pleasant experiences, to be more precise — that, when a job isn’t working for you, you don’t stay in it.
And in his case, ‘not working’ translates directly to “you don’t feel fulfilled, you don’t feel like you’re having an impact or making a differ- ence, and it just doesn’t look like that’s going to be happening.”
Such was the case with his short tenure serving as campus executive director of the UMass Center at Springfield a decade or so ago. He envisioned the role as one where he could “bring education to this community and really promote higher education as an opportunity for kids like me, who grew up in Springfield, in the projects, and had limited opportunities.”
The reality was different as the facility strug- gled to ramp up enrollment.
“Instead, I spent almost all my time giving tours,” he told BusinessWest, noting that the facility, created on the mezzanine level at Tower Square, had just opened, and many business and civic leaders, as well as the press, wanted to see it. “I said, ‘I’m a social worker. I’ve been in human services my whole career. This is not a good use of my time.’”
Coincidentally, one of those who eventually
“It’s an amazing department and an amazing service.”
Will Dávila (pictured with his family as a 40 Under Forty honoree in 2013, and today) says he’s always sought out career opportunities where he can make an impact.
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