Profile Q&A: Sonya F. James

 Sonya F. James is the long-time business advisor, counselor, instructor, among other titles, At LBCC, and was Interviewed by Marsh Hamel for The Commuter on Feb. 2, 2025, 10:00am in her office located in  Takena Hall 109.  James gives readers a perspective into what drives her to do as much as she does, how she likes to spend her free time, and what matters most to her.

Those looking to make an appointment or meet with Sonya James can email her at jamess@linnbenton.edu, or make an appointment with her through the advising center in Takena Hall.

Sonya James has been on staff at Linn-Benton for over a decade, and she’s worn a lot of different hats during that time, often all at once. From fulfilling the role of academic advisor and guiding students toward success, to licensed social work at a youth correctional facility, James’ hard work and dedication stands as a testament to how often the worlds of social work and academia intersect with one another.

During a recent 45-minute discussion, James detailed how she began her time and career at Linn-Benton, the crossover between social work and sociology and how that relates to cultural ideals, and her passion for working with concrete. 

When did you get your start at LB?

This is the weird part. See, I came to college in 2010 as a student, became a work study in 2011, and then Katie Winder hired me in 2012, in May. I was still going to school, older, non-traditional student, and Katie Winder hired me as a student ambassador. And then I worked with Leslie Hammond, who's now my current dean, in the New Student Center. It was kind of a strategic initiative. And then I became full-time classified when I went to OSU. So I was at OSU, going to school to finish up my bachelor's, became full-time classified, started my master’s degree of social work at OSU, and finished at Portland State in 2021. Now I’m a licensed clinical social worker.

What kind of classes have you instructed?

 Sociology and a couple of human development and family services.

What areas do you advise students in?

I'm the business advisor, which is just fascinating. I touch a little bit of everything. Interestingly, it's created many different conversations with business students, because again, I'm not the stereotypical business advisor, but I think that's good, right? Because we need to be exposed to different things. Just staying in our silos doesn't help us in any way, shape, or form.

So what exactly got you onto that path of pursuing sociology?

Life. I had a colorful life. Sometimes my choices, sometimes others' choices. And in that, I recognize that we are very individualistic in our assigning of “your problems are yours because of you.”

We are, as in our culture?

Our culture. Our world. This world. This United States society is very individualistic. And what I realized is the systems, the institutions, the structures that we are part of and live in are influencing us and pushing us to certain places.  And so social work and sociology was a really great place for those to connect because, yes, I want to work with people and help them understand where they're at and what they're experiencing and how they can cope better, what tools they can use. Where are they accountable? Where are we responsible? And where is the system? And how? If I go to you and I say, you're the problem. The reason you're having all these things is because you're the problem. That's not empowering. It's not trauma-informed. Because when society looks at us and sees XYZ, they respond to XYZ versus how they respond to the rest of the world. And so helping people understand there is a system, and unfortunately, we have to navigate it, is very empowering, in my opinion.

Did you set out to be a licensed clinical social worker first and foremost? 

No, no, I didn't know that. It evolved as I was exposed to more things and recognized, you know, where my upbringing had … sheltered me in so many ways, and in other ways did not in any way shape or form. But in a lot of ways when I think about  people, and I think about our judgment of others, my upbringing was not good. And as I was exposed to more questions and critical thinking, I went, oh, but this, this I don't want to work with. 

And I don't mean this negative, I don't want to work with people who are ‘worried well’. In other words, How do I say this? Some people have access to support and systems that others don't. And so yes, they are experiencing mental health crises and they are experiencing these things, but they have the resources that others don't. And so in that, again, because I grew up without those resources, I recognized I wanted to work with people who would not normally have access to me if I followed this other path, and so that brought me to social work. 

Was there a time when you became absolutely certain you wanted to do social work?

So, in 2017, I started volunteering over at Oak Creek Young Women's, girls, Oak Creek Women's Correctional Facility, and I became well-known on the campus over there. And then they figured out I worked at LB. And there were classes that were being taught in there from the high school partnerships, so I had brought it up to Katie Winder, and I was like, this is what I was doing over the summer, working on these big, huge projects over there, laying brick and stuff with a bunch of students over there.  

And it developed a partnership with Oak Creek, where I'm basically the liaison, so I advise all of the Oak Creek students that are incarcerated over there. This is where sociology met social work, is seeing young individuals who have their entire lives, but when you hear their stories, and the stuff that's happened to them, and how the system failed them, or pushed them into certain places, yes, granted, they made choices, but they had a bad choice or a worse choice in so many situations. 

What are some ways you’ve been able to assist students at LB as a counselor/ advisor?

So my main job is an advisor, so I'm helping students successfully complete college. Making sure they have an education plan, making sure they know that they're taking the right classes for their degree here, and for wherever they want to transfer to. Most of my students are transfer students, that's my main priority as an advisor, but there’s also a mental health component to it. Most of us advisors, not all, but most, are counselors and even the ones that aren't have such a really great grasp of mental health and what people need that we’re able to help people successfully navigate college. 

Do you have any pets?

My grandpuppies! I have an 11-year-old Connie Corso named Ziva, they're my son-in-law’s, my daughter's, but they're mine. So there's 11-year-old Ziva and then we've got a service dog and he is a year and a month old and his name is Spinner. He’s a thunderball. He’s a sweetie, and a total lap dog. He’s a velcro dog.

What are some of your hobbies outside the classroom?

I read, and I hang out with my grandpuppies, and I build things. I love to pour concrete. 

What are some of the projects you’ve worked on recently?

The most recent one I did was I just poured a pad for a cold plunge. We had a sunny weekend in December, and so I poured. It was about eight by eight, so it was a tiny little pour.

What are some important aspects of mental health that students should consider?

Anxiety, right? This idea that a bad grade is going to ruin your life. You know, a whole bunch of bad grades are gonna ruin your life. But we all are going to fall down, right? And we're here to help you get back up and it's OK to ask for help, right?  We get siloed and all we see is I messed up here, I can't. I can't go tell anybody, I'm gonna be judged! But that's what we're here for. Making that plan to get back up and being really intentional about that. 

How do you prioritize your own mental health while acting as a resource for struggling students?

I  have a really great team in the advising center and in the First Resort and so we share and commiserate and laugh a lot. I try to get out in the forest and go for green walks as much as I can, and recognize I'm only responsible for what I can be responsible for.

When you compare yourself as you are today, versus when you were just starting out in social work, what has been the greatest area of change?

I would say the biggest change is I am less afraid. My upbringing taught me to be afraid of people and to think that I was responsible for all and everything they did, Now, I see  that yes I do have an influence on and impact on people, but they are also seeing things from their perspective and they have their own stuff that they're going through, and as much as I want it to be all about me, it's not all about me.  

Does serving as both an advisor and a counselor pose any unique challenges, or benefits?

Sometimes there’s crossovers. As a clinical social worker, I have confidentiality to information which is different than some of the staff here, and it leaves me going "Okay, how do I navigate this?"

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The people. The people on all fronts we work with. The people I work with, you know. The people that come into my office, the people I meet, it's just, they're so fascinating and I am always learning something new from everybody, because yes, I might be an expert in this little space, but everybody else is an expert now.  

What do you enjoy the least?

Probably the temperature in my office. Yeah, it's 78 degrees right now, I’m dying over here! Then when it's cold, it'll be like 52. And you know what? I wouldn’t give up my window for anything. So I’ve got my little walker, I walk on it, I get warm, and I’ve got all my fans. 

Words of advice for students seeking to pursue a career in social work?

This is the advice I'd give any student:  If you're interested in something, go talk to a person who does it.  If you can shadow them, even better.  Because, and I'm gonna quote Charles Madriaga, one of the other advisor counselors here. He always tells this story, and this is so accurate, how he thought he wanted to do something with education with little kids. Maybe a friend of his did. Anyway, somebody wanted to do something with elementary education, and they went, you know, they were in their college degree and all this, and they shadowed at an elementary school, and realized they can't stand little kids. Learning about something in a book is completely different than doing it in real time.

Where is the best place for students to find you or reach out?

Call the advising center reception desk, or they can just email me. jamess@linnbenton.edu