Influencers

If "Showing up is 80% of life," OU's business students are doing that and more for Pontiac youth, through a dynamic Baldwin Center partnership focused on community engagement and experiential learning.

For more than 40 years, the Baldwin Center has been a vital support system within the underserved community of Pontiac. Dedicated to creating a thriving community rooted in the values of honesty, respect, integrity and compassion, the center addresses the area’s needs with more than 30,000 healthy meals annually and an array of 25 critical services and programs.

Since 2020, OU's School of Business has been aligned with the Baldwin Center in one of those community-empowering programs. As part of the center's after-school enrichment program, OU's student business leaders invest their time, knowledge, and attention into the center's youth, through a mentorship of engaging educational presentations and fun, interactive activities.

Meaghan Cole, Ed.D

"We can all have excuses as to why it's not convenient or easy to volunteer, but I feel it’s important that OU business students give back to their communities," says School of Business Administration’s former Experiential Programs Manager Meaghan Cole, Ed.D, who was the driving force behind the Baldwin Center partnership. "This after-school program is a good way for our students to move outside their comfort zones and show community care."

When Cole moved into her dual position as OU’s Business Honors Program (BHP) manager/academic advisor in 2019, she felt it was vital to develop a community service component to the curriculum.

"We asked the BHP students for their input, and they said they'd like to do their volunteer work with kids,” Cole says.

Cole quickly joined forces with Angela Tabb (former director of the Baldwin Center Education and Support Services), to brainstorm how to make it happen. Implementing a BHP community service curriculum requirement of a semester of 30 minutes per week, the participating students were to come from a rich pool of leaders within OU business programs: Business Honors, Business Scholars, and Business Ambassadors.

In the face of curveballs, the program’s start required flexibility.

"Due to COVID, we started out virtually, and our students initially did Zoom reading sessions with the Pontiac students," Cole explains. "Now that our students are able to show up in-person at the center, we've cycled through a number of educational themes."

With continual input from the Baldwin Center, they’ve now settled into a formula they feel is most beneficial for their young audience.

Show and tell
On a weekly basis during the fall and winter semesters, OU’s business students deliver "passion presentations" to the Baldwin Center's youth, which involve PowerPoint presentations within the areas of business, special interests, or life skills. Each presentation is followed by a fun, interactive activity related to the presentation topic.

Hannah Tucker, SBA ’24

One of the after-school student volunteers at the Baldwin Center, OU Business Scholar graduate Hannah Tucker is well-acquainted with giving back, having been heavily involved with youth and outreach ministries within her church. But volunteering at the center has given her a different take.

"It's been very impactful for me," Tucker says. "The Pontiac community is so close to us – just down the road from campus – yet, I hadn't been exposed to the socio-economic struggles there. This program has really expanded my perspective. Meaghan facilitated this as our BHP advisor, and I'm incredibly grateful that she did. It's an eye-opening and rewarding experience."

Tucker’s first Baldwin Center presentation was about basic money management skills, using the example of a common childhood money-making endeavor: lemonade stands.

Mindful that their audience has been in school all day, the business students aim to make the experience fun for them. In addition to business-related and leadership/character topics, the life skills/special interest topics have included: music; impacts of social media; basketball; poetry; exercise; cooking; superheroes; study skills; and mental health/stress relief.

“We work to get to know the kids, asking them about themselves – everything from their favorite things, to special hobbies, to if they're interested in going to college,” she says.

The program has brought Tucker even more appreciation for teachers.

"It's good to experience the hard work of teachers," says Tucker, whose mother and grandmother taught elementary school. "You need to prepare well, to keep the students' interest, and that also means coming up with ways to make them feel comfortable participating. It takes a lot of creativity and energy.”

Tucker is plenty busy these days: she recently completed classes to obtain her Operations Management degree; was involved in several student organizations; and was employed as a program management intern at Auburn Hill's BorgWarner Emissions, Thermal and Turbo Systems. But she's found that the more she gives back, the more well-rounded she becomes.

"I branched out to also volunteer for Baldwin Center’s ‘Clothes Closet’ [donation program],” she says. "Even if you can't volunteer every week, I’d advise others to do what they can, here or there. It matters, and it's not as difficult as you think, to give some of your time."

Reps who resonate

Heather Duenas, SEHS ’20

An OU alum (SEHS ’20), Baldwin Center’s Director of Community Engagement Heather Duenas never quits. Last year’s personal heartbreak over the loss of a brother to suicide, as well as her struggle with cancer, put a pause on her OU master’s degree, but she’s determined to return to classes, demonstrating an overcomer’s spirit – something she also wants for her community of Pontiac.

“As a single-parent of three children, I understand the varied struggles and trials within the Pontiac community, which keeps my passion so strong for the Baldwin Center,” says Duenas. “I also understand the disparity within the Pontiac community, which motivates me to do all I can to help uplift.”

As a long-time volunteer within Pontiac, Duenas gets an up-close look at how her alma mater is also making a difference in the community.

“Oakland’s business students contribute a good learning experience for the Pontiac kids in multiple ways, within a different setting, and it expands their horizons,” she says. "The OU students are really good at getting the kids involved in a lot of interesting topics. One of the most popular topics was on snowboarding, and one of the middle schoolers [who snowboards] was excited to bring in photos of him snowboarding in Colorado."

She’s encouraged by how the middle schoolers respond to the student visits.

"They seem to look up to the OU students," Duenas says. "After a presentation, I'll hear comments from the Pontiac students, about how 'cool' that girl was – or how ‘interesting’ that guy's topic was.”

She also sees how the program has opened possibilities for Pontiac students.

"There's racial diversity within the group of OU business students who come to the center, which makes them relatable to the Pontiac students," she says. "This gets the Pontiac students thinking that maybe they too can go to college."

That’s exactly the kind of impact Cole was hoping for when she prioritized the partnership.

"This program of community service is an important one – both ways – and it’s my firm belief that it should be a lasting one,” she says.

How OU's business students feel about the outreach program is clear from their actions.

"The fact that we have repeat student volunteers each semester speaks volumes of their commitment," Cole proudly says.