Tamzin Sugiyama
EDITOR’S NOTE: A church community is created when people gather together for the love of God. At the same time, Saint Philip’s is comprised of many people who represent different ages, life experiences, and world views.
The “In conversation…” series is one attempt to create possibilities for connection between the different people in our community. As varied as we all are, there are also similarities and mutual interests waiting to be discovered. And there is one thing we all share: a desire to know God and be in relationship with him.
This week’s conversation is with Saint Philip’s parishioner and volunteer, Tamzin Sugiyama.
How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
Since the late 1990s.
Which service do you typically attend?
The 9:00am and the monthly Choral Evensongs.
Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I’m a cradle Episcopalian. My grandfather was an Episcopal priest; he married my parents and baptized me.
How would you describe Saint Philip’s to someone unfamiliar with the parish?
Booming! There is always something happening, and an activity or effort for people to get involved with.
I’ve been thinking about transitions lately. My oldest daughter, Claire, is preparing to apply to colleges, and my younger daughter, Phoebe, will follow her eventually—and then I won’t be a choir mom anymore. And yet, I don’t feel as if there won’t be anything for me at Saint Philip’s after that. Instead, I find myself wondering, “What’s next for me here?”
How are you involved in the parish?
Both our girls sing in the choir so I’m a choir mom, and I’ve served on the Vestry twice.
What about Saint Philip’s appeals to you?
My experience is that Saint Philip’s meets each person where they are in their journey.
And the community is very important to our entire family. For example, when Claire was learning to drive she was cheered on in her effort. When she would leave the parking lot different adults would give her a thumbs up. That kind of encouragement means a lot.
What do you do professionally?
I’m a first grade humanities teacher and reading specialist.
What about your work do you especially love?
My favorite thing is working with the kids who need extra help; at BASIS we call it “intervention.” It’s exciting to work with a child who can’t read and then, after working together, seeing it all come together and “click” for them.
I like figuring out what makes each child tick. Each one is a mystery I have to solve. What do they like? What will help them learn? What will make them excited to learn?
What’s something you’re proud of?
I’m proud that I’ve discovered what I love to do. It wasn’t easy and required perseverance.
Can you say more about that?
In college, I studied psychology and minored in Italian. After graduation, I worked in a psychology lab for a while—and learned that was definitely not what I wanted to do.
I then taught pre-school for awhile. That was a good experience because I discovered I like to work with children. But I also learned that I prefer an older age group.
The next nine years, I taught 3rd grade for the Tucson Unified School District. After Claire was born, I taught at Imago Dei for six years. And then—finally—a 1st grade position at BASIS opened up.
What do you do to unwind?
I like to read—mostly contemporary fiction but I’ll include historical fiction, too. And I always like a good mystery!
Scrapbooking is another hobby. I‘ve moved from paper to creating the books online. When they’re finished I have them printed.
And Phoebe and I do Wordle and Connections every day.
What’s one of your guiding principles?
I say this to myself repeatedly throughout the week: “You can give up or keep trying.”
What’s something you’re grateful for?
I feel very fortunate. I’m grateful for my family, that we live in Tucson, that I’m healthy, that I love my job. At the end of every day I recite all the things I’m grateful for; that’s the prayer I say every night.
What’s one of your super powers?
I’m a wizard at scheduling and organizing.
And how does that super power support a fundamental value?
Being able to schedule and organize a household of four people (as well as helping my soon-to-be nonagenarian dad) allows me to create time for community. Making connections and spending time with people I care about is very important to me.
What’s something you’d like to do that you haven’t yet?
Travel—all over. I have a long list of places I’d like to visit. I’d explore more of Great Britain, and go to Australia and New Zealand. My husband, Alex, has family in Brazil and Japan and it would be wonderful to see them again, too.
During my junior year in college, I lived in Florence, Italy for a year. That awakened the travel bug in me.
What’s something you’ve learned recently?
I’m learning that I can’t do everything—at least not all at once. And part of that is also learning to give myself some grace.
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
That in school I was better at math than humanities. But I think that’s why I enjoy helping kids who struggle with reading. I remember what that was like.
What’s a guilty pleasure?
I love following the goings-on with the royal family in England. Closer to home, I indulge in pistachio lattes from Starbucks.
What’s a fun fact about you?
Pulling weeds makes me happy. It’s very satisfying to see a huge pile of weeds!
Missed an interview? All previous interviews can be found on Saint Philip’s website under the “About Us” tab. Click here to visit that page.