Mariaton Tate

Assistant Dean, Student Success

Hometown

Chicago, IL

What clubs and/or organizations are you involved in and what do you do?

I recently joined the Arrupe Voices Committee and look forward to being part of the DEI-focused work for faculty and staff at Arrupe!

What attracted you to Arrupe College?

The mission of Arrupe is what attracted me. As I learned more about Arrupe, I realized that I had not heard of a program like it. Through my research, it was interesting to learn about the model, but it has been even more rewarding to see the model at work during my tenure thus far. The individualized attention and support that our students receive is truly unmatched and I am glad to be part of it.

How did you get involved in higher education?

As an undergraduate student, I learned about the field of Student Affairs and was immediately intrigued by the idea of working on a college campus. However, I was torn between wanting to do work that was social justice-focused and community-centered and wanting to work in Higher Ed. Ultimately, I chose to pursue a graduate degree in Social Work thinking that it would allow me the flexibility to do community work, or work in Higher Ed at some point. So far, that has worked well for me.

What is your favorite aspect about working at Arrupe? And the biggest challenge?

Our students are my favorite aspect of working at Arrupe. Each day, I get the opportunity to have meaningful conversations, make connections, and assist students in difficult moments of their lives, which is both rewarding and tiring. Our students are the heartbeat of the college and constant reminder of why we do what we do.

Education

Illinois State University (BA, MSW)