By Genine Hopkins
It’s hard for those who have a major impact in their jobs to consider retirement, but as the Winter semester ends at Mid, Tammy Alvaro, the Phi Theta Kappa, Students of Promise, Laker Life, and Veteran’s Services Coordinator at the college, Alvaro’s retirement now looms closer and closer as she passes the baton to someone else to fill the void. Alvaro, who started working at the college in September of 2008, will be leaving at the end of this semester.
To say her contribution to the college was large would be a massive understatement. Alvaro took the helm with PTK, Students of Promise, and Student Life (the athletics hadn’t quite yet become part of Mid), and lead all of them with gusto and determination. Under her leadership, PTK, the Honor Society at Mid, has grown into a substantial presence that holds multiple awards for both the college chapter AND individual student leadership within the program, providing scholarships and recognition over the years. The Students of Promise, which is funded by the Mid Foundation, is offered to area 7th through 12th grade students, who show academic excellence but may have obstacles to overcome on their academic journey with the goal of being successful at the college level.
Ms. Alvaro was has also been involved in Student Life, now Laker Life, and even developed the college’s mascot, Harry the Heron, for the college. Laker Life provides support for students by offering the opportunity for students to develop clubs, holds activities and events supporting students and supported by the students. Who knows where Mid would be without Harry the Heron at all the games over the years?
When Matt Miller first hired Alvaro in 2008, she remembers he told her she could ease into her position and learn the ropes, but as she told Miller, “You picked the wrong person to ease into anything,” she said with a laugh.
Alvaro recalls crying at her interview, sure she flubbed it, but was told afterward it was what endeared the hiring committee to her personally.
“I had been a non-traditional student,” Alvaro recalls, “I began college at the age of 28, attending Montcalm Community College, but I also had a family. I had been an officer at PTK there, which helped me obtain their scholarship of $5,000 toward finishing my degree at Central Michigan University. It just meant so much to me to return to PTK after years of working as an Executive Director at the Chamber of Commerce, to return to my roots.”
Growing up in Greenville, Michigan, and attending Greenville High School, Alvaro was active in sports, any sports she could, be it softball, basketball, volleyball, or track. She drove to and from her home in Greenville while attending first Mid and then Central, balancing home life, work, and college studies. This is not an easy task but seemed to prepare her for the many hats she would wear at Mid.
When asked what stands out to her looking back over the years at Mid, Alvaro says that seeing students recognized for their achievements, and often surprising them with awards at National Conventions for PTK. But it is the personal stories of students that really makes her proud.
“We’ve had five couples meet and eventually get married from our PTK family,” she said, “Then there’s those stories of students who just need a little support. I recall one student who had been struggling a lot, who just would come into my office and hang out. We’d talk and I’d provide encouragement and we stayed in touch over the time they were here. When they told me that I was the reason they are still in college, it filled my heart with joy.”
The addition of her role as the Director of Veteran’s Services in 2020 was one she filled proudly. Alvaro’s oldest daughter is a veteran, and she knew the challenges veterans face when returning to civilian life. Alvaro offers them a place to meet with other student veterans and support each other while navigating access to the G.I. Bill benefits that have existed since the end of WWII in this country. Honoring their service and providing them support has been key to its success at Mid.
Taking students from our small rural area to big cities to learn to navigate so many things that simply don’t exist here but are ubiquitous in large, urban areas has also been a source of pride. Alvaro began trips to New York City and/or Chicago in 2009 for students so they can learn how to hail a cab, navigate the intricacies of Uber and other ride sharing apps.
“If they decide to leave our area and either attend college in a large city or work there, they need skills that aren’t taught in a classroom, but are important nonetheless,” Alvaro explained, “The trips really help them experience the hustle and bustle of the big cities.”
Alvaro also helped PTK students realize their dream of having an annual, haunted trail on Mid’s Harrison campus grounds. In 2011, PTK members came up with the idea of making Deadwood Grove, a unique and now acclaimed haunted trail, and Alvaro helped students build the sets used, adding more almost every year. The Deadwood Grove runs every October.
While her role at MMC has been key to the college’s success among its student body, Alvaro has had her share of tragedy as well. One of her two daughters was murdered in a domestic violence event, a painful memory that also provided her the strength to commit to students who may experience similar violence in the home.
“I’ll never forget the police coming to the house and informing me of the horror of the tragedy. She was such an intelligent and kind woman and to have her taken like that was horrible.
She has some impressive alumni now through her years at the helm of PTK. Bryan Cody is one example. Having held office at the Mid chapter of PTK, he has become a real estate mogul and has a personal worth of $10 million (!!!!). Other former PTK members work at colleges throughout the state, taking with them the skills they learned at Mid and PTK. Alvaro also goes with her PTK students to two regional conferences and the National PTK conference. Mid was ranked #3 in the State of Michigan this past year, and in 2020, Mid’s chapter was ranked #30 in the entire nation, out of 1,300 chapters.
“What I will remember and cherish the most is the student engagement, the peer to peer engagement, “Alvaro said, “Sometimes we don’t see things in ourselves that others do, and they can bring those good qualities out of one another, they encourage each other to excel.”
Mid’s 2025 school year PTK induction will take place this April. It will, unfortunately, be her last as its Director.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. They will advise you the closest shelter in your area and can also provide you with a counselor contact.
