Tuoanyene Sims, APEX Scholars

Mrs. Akelah Reese (whom I affectionately refer to as KeWee Sunshine because she maintains a smile on her face) is not one of APEX’s newest advisors, however, she is also no veteran. Mrs. Reese made her WSU debut in June 2018. Hired as an APEX Advisor, in just over a year she moved up to become the coordinator for the program’s Residential and Instructional Support components.

Akelah’s professional journey did not begin in higher education. Mrs. Reese graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Social Work in 2013. As a young professional, she initially began her career path at Michigan Works where she served students. This work uncovered a passion for working with students, and led her back to Eastern to began work on a master of arts in higher education. Upon completion of this degree in 2018, Akelah applied for and was hired in at Wayne State as an academic advisor for the APEX Scholars program.

Immediately loved by her students and colleagues within the department and across campus, Akelah began her professional ascent. In less than 18 months of service as an advisor, Akelah was hired as an APEX Scholars program component coordinator. Akelah now oversees the supervision and scheduling of tutors and other academic support services. She also coordinates and supervises the peer advisors/community specialist during the summer residential component.

When asked about the challenges and rewards in her new role, Mrs. Reese said the most challenging aspect was learning the expectations of her new role and in navigating the academic needs of the APEX students. She said the most rewarding piece is seeing students who were once resistant to receiving assistance, reach out for help and demonstrate academic improvement as a result.

Transitioning to leadership has always been a goal of Akelah. She said she always envisioned herself moving into a Coordinator position and seeks to eventually become a Program Director. Within the next 5-10 years she hopes to obtain her doctoral degree. Her dream and long-term goal is to one day open a school that teaches life skills and offers study abroad opportunities to high school and college students.

I inquired about any advice she could share with other advisers who aspire to leadership and her response was quite modest. With her usual cheerful voice that projected from the smile I knew she had on her face, she humbly said, “get out there, make yourself known, network, and make meaningful connections.” This is something she said is particularly difficult for her as she views herself as an introvert.

As an outside observer who has had the privilege of working closely with Akelah, I can honestly say the speed of her professional trajectory can be attributed to her attitude. The saying, “attitude determines altitude” rings so true for her. Akelah operates in quiet positivity. Though introverted, she is always friendly. She is also a hard-working professional whose humble daily demonstration of “I can show you what I do better than tell you,” has her soaring on the path to leadership and greatness.