More Than a Degree

Late nights turned into early mornings. Pages of research stacked up, only to be rewritten. Again. Questions lingered longer than answers came. And more than once, the finish line felt less like a destination and more like a mirage.

For Coach Okubo, the journey to earning his doctorate was not simply academic, it was deeply personal and undeniably spiritual. “I began to sense that surface level answers were not enough,” he said. “There is a real need for students to be discipled, to truly understand what it means to be educated from a Christian worldview.” That realization didn’t just spark a pursuit of higher education, it revealed a calling, to go deeper, to wrestle with truth, and ultimately, to better serve the students placed in his care.

A degree isn’t a trophy, it’s a tool for service.

Dr. Ryan Okubo

But the process of getting there would refine far more than his knowledge. “The Lord used this journey to strip away my sense of ‘knowing it all,’” Okubo shared. “What I gained instead was intellectual humility, the understanding that all truth is ultimately His truth.”

There were moments when the weight of the process felt overwhelming, when hours of writing and research seemed to lead nowhere. “Many times I questioned whether my work even mattered,” he admitted. Yet it was in those moments that his faith became his anchor. “My walk with Christ supplied my strength when my own strength failed,” he said. “The Lord reminded me that my worth was not tied to my productivity.”

What began as a pursuit of a degree became something far more significant, a transformation of heart and perspective. “The focus shifted from ‘How will this help my career?’ to ‘How will this help the students I am called to serve?’” he said. By the end of the journey, the outcome was clear. “The greatest transformation wasn’t the new letters behind my name,” Okubo said. “It was realizing that rigorous study itself can be an act of worship.”

That perspective now defines the way he teaches at Unity. In his classroom, education is not reduced to notes, tests, and grades. Instead, it becomes something deeper, challenging students to think, question, and grow in both knowledge and faith. “I don’t want my students to feel like they are just participating in academic transactions for a grade,” he explained. “I want them to develop a holy curiosity, to understand that their identity and worth is rooted in being a child of God, not their GPA.” Students are challenged to see that there is no divide between the sacred and the secular, that every subject and every discovery is an opportunity to better understand God’s creation. “I want them to view their future as a way to steward God’s creation and advance His Kingdom,” Okubo said. “To leave not just as critical thinkers, but as servants who love deeply.” That intentional approach is something students experience every day.

Senior Joe Falcitelli says what sets Coach Okubo apart is the depth of his relationships with students. “He values connection as a core part of developing a Christian worldview,” Joe said. “His class feels open, everyone is encouraged to share and engage.” Before taking Coach Okubo’s class, Joe says he viewed the Bible primarily as a source of information. “He showed me that it’s more than just a book, it’s a guide for how to live a life pleasing to God,” he said. That shift, from knowledge to application, is something that defines Okubo’s teaching. “He’s someone we can go to with questions,” Joe added. “He wants to be consistent in what he teaches and believes, and that builds trust.”

He showed me that the Bible is more than just a book, it’s a guide for how to live a life pleasing to God.

Joe Falcitelli

For Senior Sydney Thompson, the impact has been both personal and lasting. “He’s someone I look up to because of everything he’s overcome and his unrelenting faith,” she shared. “He taught me that you can have a fun personality and still live out your faith fully.”

At the heart of it all, Coach Okubo’s mission is clear. “My prayer is that students leave as disciples of Christ,” he said. “That they pursue excellence not for validation, but as an act of worship.” Because for him, education was never the end goal. It was always the tool. A tool to disciple. A tool to serve. A tool to point students toward something greater than themselves. And at Unity, that mission is being lived out every single day.