The latest addition to our series of Alumni Council Q&As features Council member Andrea (Tomer '11) Lewis.
Q: When did you graduate from Waynesburg University, and what was your major?
I graduated in 2011 with a major in Social Science, Sociology concentration, and minors in Communication and History.
Q: Where has life taken you since graduating from Waynesburg?
To Kentucky, and then back to Ohio! I obtained my master’s degree in social work from Asbury University in 2013 and planted roots in the Bluegrass State for ten years. During that time, I received my independent clinical licensure as a social worker and spent several years working as a domestic violence victim's advocate, providing counseling, legal support, etc., for survivors of domestic violence. I also met my spouse (Jacob) there, and in 2021, we decided to relocate back to Ohio to be geographically closer to my family. Since then, I’ve remained in the mental health field. When I first moved back I did community based prevention work, and now I’m a full-time therapist in both the community and school setting.
Q: What is your current job/title, and what is your current location?
I’m a mental health therapist for Southeast Healthcare and a contract therapist with Tri-County Help Center, both out of Cadiz, OH.
Q: Can you describe your typical day?
One of the things I love about my day is that it is fairly structured, but at the same time, different from day to day! On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I spend my day at Southeast Healthcare. During those days I prioritize mornings for catching up on emails, treatment plans, therapy notes, and administrative work, and then see clients the rest of the day. On Monday and Wednesday nights I provide contract counseling services at Tri-County Help Center, and I also provide clinical licensure supervision to a TCHC colleague on Monday evenings. On Tuesdays, I’m contracted through Southeast Healthcare to Harrison Career Center in Cadiz and see students throughout the school day.
Q: Can you describe your time as a student at Waynesburg and how it shaped you, personally and professionally?
My time at Waynesburg University is what ultimately primed and shaped my desire to devote my vocation to public service. I started off as a communication major with a desire to use my voice to write and speak on behalf of others, which eventually evolved into pursing a different path in the sociology field after I completed a newspaper internship in Washington, D.C. I am still able to write, but get to use my voice and talents in a different and much more fulfilling way. The Bonner Program also shaped my desire to serve others, and I feel that I was spiritually called into the helping profession. Waynesburg University helped me discover who I was in every domain possible.
Q: Who was your favorite faculty or staff member at Waynesburg, and why?
Dr. Ezekiel Olagoke is the most thoughtful, supportive and considerate professor I’ve ever had. He makes time for his students and cares about you not only professionally, but spiritually and personally as well. Ezekiel is such an encourager and inspired me to shoot higher than I would have ever imagined professionally and beyond. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have ever dreamed of attending graduate school, much less pursuing my doctorate in social work in the near future!
Q: What is your favorite memory as a Waynesburg student?
There are so many to name, but I think among my favorites that stand out are walks to Sheetz; thrifting at the Cherry Door; evening coffee houses; fall football games; volunteering at the Open Door and Laughlin Chapel for the Bonner Program; studying outside by Lake Juanita (Waneta) and on the top floor of Eberly; and my service trip to the Navajo Nation right before I graduated in 2011. My roommate and I also shared multiple laughs and memories in Pollock Hall! I loved falling asleep to the sound of the trains at night too -- they reminded me of my late grandfather who was a brakeman on the railroad. I also enjoyed seeing all of the squirrels on campus, which reminded me of my late grandmother. She loved squirrels so much!
Q: Why is staying connected with the University important to you?
It is because of the University that I have become the person that I am today, and the education I received there that made my life post-graduation possible. I am deeply and eternally grateful for my time at Waynesburg University and the opportunities it provided me. I want to ensure that future generations of WU students also have access to a quality education and those opportunities.
Q: What does your role as an Alumni Council member entail, and what motivates you to give back to the University in this way?
The University is such a huge part of the person I am, and I feel that serving as a member of the Alumni Council offers me the opportunity to continue giving to the University through collaboration with fellow alumni, students and staff. I’m motivated by the vision of Waynesburg University and its service-driven orientation, and I want to be part of the legacy of making a quality, holistic education possible for current and future students, as well as keeping WU alumni connected to this institution.
Q: What advice do you have for current students? For recent graduates?
For current students, savor and enjoy each and every moment of your time there. Take advantage of whatever opportunities there are to pursue your passion and dreams. Be open to growth and evolving into the person you are meant to become. It all goes by so fast!
For recent graduates, don’t be too hard on yourself. Waynesburg University has abundantly prepared you for what lies ahead, and you have what it takes to pursue your chosen vocation and dreams. Know that “Home Sweet WU” is always here and waiting for your homecoming, no matter where the world takes you. The Waynesburg University alumni community is vast, wide and well!