She ran a family business before running a classroom

Manteca High teacher Stephanie Campiotti works with a student in her classroom. (Johnie Vaughn/The Tower)

Editor’s Note: This profile is part of a series of stories on Manteca High School teachers who discovered teaching only after starting their professional careers in another line of work.

By JOHNIE VAUGHN 
The Tower 

Before becoming a dedicated teacher at Manteca High School, Stephanie Campiotti spent a decade managing operations at her family’s forklift repair business, Campiotti Lift Truck Service.  

While it wasn’t the career she had initially envisioned, it provided the perfect opportunity to balance work and motherhood, while equipping her with invaluable skills that would later shape her classroom leadership and teaching approach. 

For Campiotti, stepping into the role of office manager at Campiotti Lift Truck Service was more about timing than career ambition. When her daughter was young, Campiotti seized the opportunity to help run the family business while staying involved in her child’s life. Little did she know the leadership, patience, and organizational skills she developed there would later become the backbone of her teaching career, where managing a classroom of energetic students requires a similar set of skills. 

“Running a small business taught me how to handle stress, stay calm in the storm, and make sure everyone felt secure, whether it was my employees or my students,” Campiotti said. “I never imagined it would be the foundation for my teaching career, but it really was.” 

Manteca High yearbook instructor Stephanie Campiotti and a student go through pictures on a camera. (Johnie Vaughn/The Tower)

Campiotti’s role as office manager came with its share of challenges.  

“Making sure our customers were happy was the hardest part,” she recalled. “Forklifts can be expensive, and I had to ensure that repairs were timely and cost-effective. I was always balancing customer satisfaction with the pressure of running a business with just a small team.”  

Managing a family business meant that work never stayed at work—calls would come through at all hours, even while she was on family outings.  

“It was hard to disconnect,” she said, “but the relationships I built with my dad and the team were worth it.” 

Despite the challenges, Campiotti found fulfillment in helping the business grow.  

“My proudest moment was helping the company reach a point where we were a multimillion-dollar business,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, but I learned so much about operations, leadership, and the importance of being there for the people around you. It was incredibly rewarding to see the hard work pay off.” 

When Campiotti transitioned into teaching, she quickly realized how much her experience in the family business had prepared her.  

"Managing a business taught me how to manage people. I was managing seven employees then, and now I manage a classroom of 30 students. The patience, organizational skills, and ability to stay calm during stressful moments all came from that time," she said.  

Campiotti credits her time in the family business with providing a strong foundation for her work in the classroom, where she keeps her students engaged and organized even in the busiest moments. 

Her daughter, Manteca High senior Ava Dos Reis, appreciates her mother’s work ethic and drive, but more importantly her dedication and desire to help those around her.  

“I always seen her as a hard-working person,” Dos Reis said, “and she’s helped me with a lot of things while managing her own.” 

Reflecting on her journey, Campiotti added: “While teaching has always been my passion, I wouldn’t change anything about the time I spent running the family business. It gave me the skills and experiences that helped me thrive in the classroom and the ability to balance the demands of work and family.”