“Think education is expensive? Try ignorance.” Those were some of the words of advice shared with UA student Mackenzie Davis by her Roo Crew mentor, Syreeta Stewart.
Mentoring students is one of the many ways Roo Crew members make a difference and are involved at The University of Akron. Each fall, the Center for Academic Advising and Student Success Center matches their students to Roo Crew members to be a support for them and help them succeed.
(l-r) Stewart and Davis during a tour of NASA’s chemistry labs.
Stewart, a 1998 graduate who is a contract specialist at NASA Glenn Research Center, was paired with Davis, an incoming freshman and Choose Ohio First and STEM scholar, for the fall 2013 semester. Stewart became a Roo Crew mentor to help influence students. With no children of her own, she says she truly enjoys being around college students and wants to be a supportive adult figure for them.
Both Stewart and Davis agree their favorite experience was an outing to the Diamond Grille in Downtown Akron. They connected on a personal level by talking about “girl stuff” and sharing stories about their large families. Stewart talked about her educational and career path. After Davis said that she was still in search of a major and may be interested in chemistry, Stewart gave her the unique opportunity to tour NASA’s chemistry labs and shadow a female chemist.
“She’s spunky and I love her,” says Davis. “Syreeta is a very positive person and would always tell me to call her if I needed anything. She would even offer to take me to the grocery store because I don’t have a car on campus.”
They continue to stay connected and together attended the Etiquette Dinner hosted by the UA Career Center last spring. “Mackenzie is a very intelligent young lady and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants in life,” notes Stewart, who says she looks forward to staying involved with the Roo Crew.
“I always tell students that if they go down a road and the bridge is out, they may have to go another direction. Be their fan. They’ll find their way,” adds Stewart, who says the mentoring experience has allowed her to grow as well.
If you would like to join the Roo Crew and be a part of experiences such as this, complete the Roo Crew interest form or go to uakron.edu/roocrew to find out more information. There are many ways that you can stay connected to alumni and friends of UA by sharing your time and talents to help make a difference in the lives of our students.
Fall 2022 (PDF) | Previous issue
The University of Akron is proud of its more than 180,000 alumni around the word. We invite you to join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Send us a note through Post your Pride and we'll include it for the next edition!
