Watching Someone You Love Discover What They Were Born to Do

Watching someone you love receive an award is meaningful. Watching that recognition reflect years of purpose-driven work is something even more powerful.

I was incredibly proud to see my wife, Rachael C. Capua, Ed.D., receive the Great Women of Texas award from the Fort Worth Business Press. The honor recognized work that has always been deeply personal to her: supporting first-generation students, transfer students, veterans, and international students as they pursue an education and imagine a larger future for themselves.

Rachael often says that these students motivate her to rise early and work late. That commitment becomes visible when we encounter students and alumni from Texas Christian University, Tarrant County College, and Tarleton State University who tell her that her support and guidance made a difference in their educational journey.

Those encounters are reminders that meaningful leadership is not always measured by the size of a program or the prominence of a title. Sometimes it is measured one person at a time: a student who felt seen, a family that learned how to navigate an unfamiliar system, or someone who stayed on course because another person believed they belonged.

There is a special kind of joy in seeing a person discover the work they were meant to do. Purpose does not make the work easy. It gives the effort meaning and helps us continue when results take time.

Rachael’s example reinforces something I believe strongly: one experience, one teacher, or one encouraging voice can change the direction of a life. The people who create those moments may never fully know their impact. Their investment continues through every student who moves forward and then opens a door for someone else.

Congratulations, Rachael. It is a privilege to watch you do the work you were born to do.