Becoming Part of the Possibilities: Young Un is This Year’s Recipient of the Trustees Award
April 28, 2026
There are many ways colleagues describe Young Un P’12, Wheeler’s head of strategic innovation. He is a “mentor” who “gets to the heart of extremely complex, nuanced issues.” He is “wise, funny, and compassionate,” as well as “thoughtful, caring, innovative, inspirational, and incredibly human.” One colleague calls him “a true servant leader, always looking to support and empower his colleagues and his students,” while another says, “he is my go-to person when I need help solving complicated, far-ranging issues.”
Mr. Un is all of those things – and to far more people than those quoted here. But as readily as he steps up to support others, he is someone who prefers to step away from the spotlight. Thankfully, he gave us the green light to share that he is this year’s recipient of the Trustees Award.
“It was gratifying in many ways,” Mr. Un says of receiving the award at the Board of Trustees’ spring meeting. But in true fashion, he adds, “The nice things people said about me – and I’m not being humble – were really a celebration of a long career of collaboration.”
That career has spanned 36 years at Wheeler, where he has worked closely with colleagues, students, and families in several highly impactful roles. In addition to serving as the inaugural head of strategic innovation, he was Wheeler’s first director focused on diversity and inclusion and previously served as head of middle school.
In truth, his work in any one of these roles could have met the criteria for the Trustees Award, which is bestowed annually on someone who has given an extraordinary amount of themselves to Wheeler. Yet when he first arrived as a 27-year-old teacher from Milton Academy, Mr. Un recalls feeling unsure of himself. “I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he says, “but I was inspired by the possibilities here.” Programs like Aerie Enrichment and The Hamilton School showed him what was possible. “They inspired me to do everything I could to be part of the possibilities.”
One of the first possibilities he pursued was helping to establish a new diversity leadership role at Wheeler. “I’m grateful that my first head of school, Bill Prescott, trusted me, as a 28- or 29-year-old, to take that on and be part of something I believed in,” he says.
Throughout his time at Wheeler, and across all of his roles, Mr. Un has believed deeply in the power of community. That belief was reinforced during a particularly difficult period in his 40s.
“I had quite a few personal setbacks,” he says. A woodworking accident left him blind in one eye for six months and required surgery and therapy; soon after, he suffered a stroke. Around the same time, his mother was killed in a car crash. “With all of this, I needed to be away from work for a while,” he says. “Had I been working for a less human-centered organization, I’m pretty sure I would have lost my job. But the school – and the whole community – just stuck by me. I still have all the cards people sent. It meant so much to me and my family.”
Some of those family members – including his wife, Julie P’12; his children, Emma ’12 and Thomas; and his in-laws – were there when he received the Trustees Award. “I’m glad they were able to attend and hear what my colleagues had to say,” he says, “especially my daughter, who is just beginning her own career in teaching.”
As her teaching journey begins, Mr. Un’s is coming to a close. He will retire at the end of this school year, concluding a career built on relationships, collaboration, and care.
Before he steps away, though, Wheeler’s head of strategic innovation offers some advice that isn’t innovative at all. Rather, it’s a reminder of what has been at the heart of Wheeler: “We need to always keep the orientation toward the kids. We need to understand what’s best for them and what that means when making decisions about our programs and our financial commitments. The kids are our North Star.”
We are grateful to Mr. Un for keeping our entire community on that course throughout his career.
Want to hear more from Mr. Un? Last fall, he talked with us about his career on “The This Week at Wheeler Podcast.”
