Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Cayer.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a child, I grew up in a household where sports was an integral part of our life. My father and mother loved sports and together they coached youth sports in the Los Angeles area since the early 1960s. When I turned nine years old, my friends invited me to play basketball and hence began my personal love of sports. I really was not very gifted, but my parents supported me and my older sister was my role model. My goal soon became the possibility of playing in college. I attended John Marshall High School in Los Feliz and played high school basketball and participated in track and field. I made first team all-league two consecutive years and in my senior year, made the Los Angeles Times’ All Glendale-Burbank Area Basketball Team, finishing as one of the top 15 scorers in the Los Angeles City section.
With the support of my youth coaches and the Head Assignor for referees for the Los Angeles Unit, I was granted an open try-out with Cal State Los Angeles’ Women’s Basketball team. I walked onto the team and eventually was provided a partial basketball scholarship. This also led to a stint with the Varsity Volleyball program as well. After concluding my college basketball and volleyball playing career at Cal State Los Angeles, I began coaching high school basketball and substitute teaching in the Alhambra School District. Five years later, I landed my first job as a high school physical education teacher and coach at Ganesha High School in the Pomona Unified School District. I taught physical education for twelve years at Ganesha while also coaching. During my time at Ganesha, I also became the first women president of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks Professional Hockey Booster Club and stayed their president for two and a half years.
After coaching varsity basketball, varsity volleyball, varsity track and junior varsity tennis at the high school level along with teaching, I became the Athletic Director at Pomona High School. One year later, I was hired as an Assistant Principal at Pomona High School and ended up as both the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director after the school struggled to find a consistent AD. In addition, I was named to the California Department of Education’s Physical Education Framework Committee, writing curriculum for the State of California. During my tenure at Pomona High School, I met and married my husband who was the head varsity football and baseball coach. I also served as the Foothill-Citrus Athletic Director (FCADA) President and became a member of the CIF Southern Section Council and CIF Playoff Grouping Committees. In addition, I served as an Ambassador for the California State Athletic Director’s Association (CSADA) My next journey took me to Diamond Ranch High School where I served as both the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director for six years. During my time at Diamond Ranch, I was named to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association’s (NIAAA)Strategic Plan Committee, CIF Southern Section Officials Fees and Relations Committee member and began speaking on Athletic Administration as a guest speaker at Mt. San Antonio College, Los Angeles Unified School District, CIF Southern Section Athletic Director Summit, National University and the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Director Association’s Conference.
In 2009, I was awarded the CIF Southern Section Athletic Director of the Year and in 2015 became the recipient of the CIF Champions for Character Award and the Foothill Citrus Athletic Director’s President Award. In 2014, I moved the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District and became the Assistant Principal for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. My athletic journey continued, being a name to the NIAAA Endowment Committee which I currently serve as Vice-Chair. In 2016, I was awarded the Co-Administrator of the Year Award for the Association for California School Administrators (ACSA) Region XV representing the Hacienda La Puente Chapter. I continue to speak at univerisities as well as Athletic symposiums and conferences. I currently teach Leadership Training Institute courses in Athletic Administration at the California State Athletic Director’s Conference annually and attend the National Insterscholastic Athletic Adminsitrators conference as well.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My path at times was shaky. Early in my adolescence, I struggled with peer pressure and was often ridiculed for being an athlete. My peers would call me names and made inappropriate gender biased comments. Another challenge was my height. Standing at 5’4″, this was not a traditional height for a basketball player and I had to hone my skills and speed to overcome my height disadvantages. Professionally, when I became an Athletic Director, I placed a high expectation on myself that I needed to be outstanding at my job to be accepted, especially when it came to supporting high school football. I took it upon myself to learn everything possible about the sport so that I could support my coaches as well as all of my athletic programs. My advice to other women is to stay the course. Believe in what you are capable of doing and do not let others dictate your path. I have a saying that you can do anything you want to do as long as you set your mind to it. Surround yourself with positive support and don’t let people tell you that you can’t achieve. Educate yourself and ensure you are prepared.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into La Puente High School – Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District story. Tell us more about the business.
I currently am employed as a high school assistant principal overseeing curriculum, instruction and assessment. I also provide professional development opportunities in the field of athletic administration. What I love most about my work is positively affecting young adults and having them achieve academically and in their extracurricular pursuits whether that be athletics, visual and performing arts, cheer or in graphics. I feel I am known for my athletic administration role and I specialize in curriculum design. I feel what sets me apart from others is my willingness to work hard, my dedication to the students, loyalty to my superiors and my drive and passion for doing what is best for students. I work in a lower socioeconomic community and the thing I am most proud of is to see students achieve their dreams of going to college and gaining entrance into Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley. It validates the systems we have put into place and provides us joy in knowing we are continuing to change lives for the better.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
As a child, I watched my older sister attain goals with ease. She is extremely intelligent, athletically gifted and she was my role model. What seemed to come easy to her, was not the same for me. What made this experience special was that along with my parents, she was one of my biggest supporters. My parents taught me dedication and perseverance. They often reminded me that I needed to work hard and not give up. I was reminded that lessons can be learned even in bad situations and there is always a lesson to be learned. I had a very special uncle and aunt as well and it seems as though at some point I realized that everyone’s attention and support needed something in return. This is what has driven me my whole life. My focus became an extension of my family’s work. I needed to become successful to pay their work forward to instill the skills and motivation they helped me achieve to others. This soon became my foundation and focus in life.
Contact Info:
- Address: La Puente High School
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District
15615 E. Nelson Avenue
La Puente, CA 91744 - Website: lphs.hlpschools.org
- Phone: (626) 934-6702
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cande.cayer
- Twitter: cande@cande4u
Image Credit:
Candace Cayer
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