{"id":3968,"date":"2024-11-13T16:07:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T16:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/?p=3968"},"modified":"2025-06-04T15:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T19:54:59","slug":"meet-roshawndra-opara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2024\/11\/13\/meet-roshawndra-opara\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet RoShawndra Opara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Morris Hood Jr. Educator Development Program Associate<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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When most people retire after working for over 30 years in the public school system, they plan to relax, have an adventure or two, and catch up on old hobbies or that ever-expanding pile of to-be-read books collecting dust in the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RoShawndra Opara, however, decided it was the perfect time to return to school and get her Doctorate in Education. \u201cMy mother always encouraged me to pursue my education because she felt that, as a Black woman, it\u2019s something that could never be taken away from me,\u201d she shares. \u201cI took that to heart, and it\u2019s something I have shared with my students many times over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Saginaw, RoShawndra began working for the public schools while still in high school, beginning with a stint on the janitorial team. After graduating, she started working in community outreach for the Saginaw Public School Summer Program, meeting with members of the migrant community to share with them the educational opportunities available for their children. She then moved over to working as a substitute secretary in the district, and when a teaching assistant role became available, she switched to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking as a teaching assistant in pre-K\u2014that\u2019s when I realized that I loved to teach,\u201d RoShawndra explains. \u201cSo I went back to school and got my bachelor\u2019s degree in education, focusing on English and math, with an early childhood education endorsement to work with pre-K children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After achieving her degree at Saginaw Valley State University in 2004, RoShawndra taught pre-K students for nearly 20 years. During this time, she gained her master\u2019s degree in educational leadership, her principal\u2019s certificate, and her education specialist degree. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, RoShawndra began working at the early childhood center for the Genesee Intermediate School District but ultimately returned to Saginaw to work in its high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had done literacy and coaching before with younger students, but this was the first time I had worked with high school students\u2014and it was so exciting to see some of the same students I had taught in pre-K,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to expect, but the kids started to talk to me about their issues and concerns. Some of it was pretty heavy stuff! So, I was honored that they felt they could trust me with their struggles. I provided guidance and encouragement and, hopefully, instilled good values and a love for learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following year, the school drafted her to work in the Title I program, which provides focused attention to students struggling with core skills such as math and reading. \u201cI loved having that one-on-one attention with kids, and I worked in that role until I retired last year,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I had always been interested in working with kids at the college level\u2014after all, I had been encouraging children from pre-K through high school to go to college\u2014and that\u2019s what led me to UM-Flint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after beginning her Doctorate in Education program at UM-Flint<\/a>, RoShawndra applied as a graduate research student assistant and started to work with John Girdwood, a sociology instructor and program manager for King Chavez Parks College Programs<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeeting John really changed the game for me because he taught me the power of networking, making connections, and community building,\u201d she explains. \u201cHe encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and truly become a part of the UM-Flint community. I think that\u2014especially when you\u2019re doing a program primarily online like I am\u2014it\u2019s easy to feel disconnected from campus and the resources there. John encouraged me to engage more, ultimately leading to my position with Morris Hood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she\u2019s not working on her faculty-led research projects or doing her studies and research for her doctorate, RoShawndra works under the guidance of Bianca Torbert and can be found mentoring future teachers as part of the Morris Hood Jr. Educator Development Program<\/a>. \u201cI love meeting with the students and helping them create schedules, strategies, and tools for success,\u201d she notes. \u201cComing to college is a big transition for many of them, and it can be challenging to learn how to balance school, work, and life responsibilities\u2014but I know a lot about that! So it\u2019s a real joy to sit with them and talk through their class schedules, help them set aside time for studying, working, running errands\u2014whatever they need. I love mentoring these students and am excited to be part of their success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as what\u2019s in her future, RoShawndra looks forward to continuing to work in education, with the eventual goal of being a professor.  \u201cI think of UM-Flint as a hidden gem, really, that it has so much to offer the community and that my work is part of how we can reestablish those connections and support Flint as it is revitalizing,\u201d she shares. \u201cThe work that I\u2019m doing as a graduate student researcher involves talking to different groups within the community to help Flint become a more welcoming and inclusive place. Flint already feels like my second family, and I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to help the city thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flint in Three Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My Second Home<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be true to yourself, but also be open to differences! <\/strong>

It\u2019s okay to be you, and it\u2019s good to feel strength from your convictions<\/strong> but don\u2019t let that blind you to other ways of doing things.<\/strong>

You can learn from other people\u2019s perspectives<\/strong>, and being open-minded <\/strong>will bring you more peace<\/strong> and harmony<\/strong> in the long run.<\/p>RoShawndra’s Insights<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
RoShawndra with her husband, Ellington. “He is from Nigeria and has taught me so much about being open-minded, especially regarding cultural differences. We got married two years ago, and he was finally able to join me in Saginaw this month!”<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Two<\/a>
RoShawndra with her daughter, DaiShawnae. “I am so proud of her! She graduated from MSU with a science degree and recently got an IT job. She inspires me!”<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
RoShawndra’s “grandcat” Zuko. “I don’t have pets of my own, but I get to spoil and play with Zuko every time I visit my daughter.”<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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RoShawndra Loves …<\/h3>\n\n\n\n