No one has ever suffered from having too many positive comments.
Every Friday in our inbox we receive an email from Henry Yniguez with a selection of positive, inspiring, and thought-provoking quotes. In the summer they come out on Thursdays, and some weeks we also get Wednesday Wisdom.
This is a discipline, a service, and a labor of love that Henry has been providing to his colleagues and friends since the early 1990s. After completing his bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1988, Henry began teaching physical education for the Mesa Public Schools. He spent 32 years teaching for MPS, mostly at Title I schools. He also earned a master’s degree in secondary education and educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.
Sometime early on, he doesn’t remember exactly when, he began compiling and sharing a selection of positive quotes with his colleagues and friends. In those days, he would write them on a typewriter and then use a mimeograph machine, and later a xerox machine, to make copies. He would slip the copies into his colleagues’ boxes anonymously early on Friday mornings, sometimes with a little smiley face added to one of the corners. He has always kept two distribution lists, one for his colleagues and one for friends and family, and eventually both lists migrated to email.
His focus on positivity was fostered during his college years, especially by Dr. Robert Pangrazi, one of his physical education professors at ASU. Dr. Pangrazi advocated for the power of positive reinforcement in teaching children. Henry embraced this completely and took it on as his philosophy of education. Along the way he supplemented his understanding of the relevance of positivity with a “ton of psychology and counseling classes.”
When Henry retired from Mesa Public Schools, he wasn’t ready to stop working but he didn’t want to ever sit behind a desk, at a computer, or in endless meetings. “I wanted to do what my dad did — work hard physically each day and see it finished,” said Henry. He sought the physicality of blue-collar work, but instead in an educational environment so he could be a part of changing people’s lives.
He was hired at SMCC during the pandemic as the Property Materials Technician. At first, employees were only allowed to come to work once a week. The buildings were empty, so he just saw names on doors and had no faces to go with them. As he met people, he began building his distribution list. Eventually, he decided he knew enough of us to just go ahead and use the college DL.
But most important to Henry was when the students started coming back. “Have you heard of the Undercover Boss? I’m the Undercover Coach, the stealth advisor! Students are not threatened by me, and I talk to as many of them as I can. I love it. It feeds my soul because I have a purpose,” said Henry.
Henry keeps a little book in his back pocket where he records the names of the students he meets, and what he talks about with them. That way, the next time he sees them he can follow up — How was that biology test? Did you find a place to live? Will you be graduating this semester like you hoped? He knows that they may not have the family and community support like he did, and he is dedicated to providing that.
“I want them to know that it’s about chipping away at your goals and that they shouldn’t be discouraged or give up,” said Henry. He grew up in Superior, Arizona and his father worked in the copper mines there. His family lived across the street from our former president, Richard Daniel, whose father was also employed in the mines. A year apart in age, they attended ASU together and have been lifelong friends. Henry’s parents wanted all of their children to attend college. His older brother also has a master’s degree, and his sister is a nurse.
When we announced the Good Stories from SMCC project, many people told me that we had to profile Henry, and now I understand why. Back in November of 2022, Henry sent out his weekly email and it started with this quote:
“We relish news of our heroes, forgetting that WE can be extraordinary to somebody too.” – Helen Hayes
That is what Henry wants students to remember, and in reminding them of that and in encouraging all of us to embrace positivity, he has become one of my personal heroes.
– written by Liz Warren, SMCC Storytelling Institute Director