As Homecoming is approaching and students, faculty and alumni join to celebrate the history and impact Winthrop has made on them, two alumni reflected on their time at Winthrop, the impact it had on them and how they are now a part of the STEM field.
Amanda Cavin, director of the Eagle STEM program, started Winthrop in the fall semester of 2011 and graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in science and early childhood education.
Immediately after obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she pursued two masters degrees in education, graduating from the program in 2017. As a graduate, she was able to work as the assistant for the McNair Scholars program.
Upon graduating with two masters degrees, she worked in two elementary schools. However, while being a teacher she found herself always coming back to Winthrop which led her to her current position as director of the Eagle STEM program.
“Once, I started teaching in 2017 to 2018 school year . . . I was able to come back and work for the McNair office,” Cavin said. “My degree is not specific to the career I am doing but with all my experience that I had with the McNair program made me uniquely qualified for this position because [the Eagle STEM program and McNair Scholars] have some similarities.”
Cavin is now mentoring students in her program that are pursuing STEM related degrees and advises others to look into the STEM degree programs at Winthrop.
“I adore working with the students in the program. My favorite part of this job is building relationships with students and being able to support them as they need it,” she said. “As to what I tell students about STEM degrees, a lot of them think of Clemson and Carolina when its comes to science and research. Winthrop is a strong option for a science candidate. We are doing research of all types and our students are able to get in those labs quicker.”
Despite being a nontraditional student when pursuing her degrees, Cavin is proud of the opportunity and environment Winthrop gave her.
“Winthrop is a phenomenal institution. I had the best experience here even at 40-years-old. I just felt brought in and cared for,” Cavin said. “I tell my students all the time that the professors cared about me. Nobody could’ve been happier when [the professors found out] I got to come back and be an alumni that works for the school now. I was very successful because of faculty and staff here that helped guide me through my process. “
Photo: Tate Walden/ The Johnsonian
Jordan Lewis is a Winthrop alumni who graduated in the spring of 2017. His time at Winthrop began in the fall of 2013 as he pursued a double major in biology and environmental science.
“I chose Winthrop because of the close knit campus community, the beauty of the campus, and the care staff showed during my visits to the university,” Lewis said.“I always felt welcomed and and that was a feeling I did not get at lots of other schools I visited.”
Since finishing school at Winthrop, Lewis is in his third year at Emory University pursuing a doctoral degree concentrating in the population of biology, ecology and evolution.
Lewis eventually hopes to become a professor at a college and move up to becoming a university president or provost. He gives credit to Winthrop for the position he is in currently in pursuing his career interests.
“I was able to make connections with professors who encouraged me to go to graduate school and served as mentors . . . my professors always did a great job of cultivating good discussion and asking me to think deeper about things even if they were outside the scope of the class,” Lewis said. “[I also was] able to get good research experience by getting into a lab after my freshman year. That was invaluable in pursuing my Ph.D.”
As he is currently obtaining his doctoral degree, Lewis is proud to be an alumni from Winthrop.
“The school did a great job of helping me grow as a person and as a scholar,” Lewis said. “Winthrop is really connected to who I am as a person and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had while [I was] enrolled.”
Photo courtesy of Jordan Lewis
