When Rich Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, visited Cornerstone in 2009, he couldn’t have imagined that participating in a math quiz would lead to a 15-year friendship. Sheridan was touring the school and stopped to observe a classroom math quiz competition. When nine year old Samara White selected him as her next competitor, he was quite confident that with his two degrees from University of Michigan, she would be no match for him. Sheridan was wrong, as this third grader correctly answered the question he missed. And thus, a beautiful friendship began.
AN IMPACTFUL RELATIONSHIP
A graduate of Hampton University with a degree in electrical engineering, White is now an engineer for the Boeing Company working on the 787 program and shaping history as one of only five African American women there to hold a highly specialized certification called the Material Review Board certification. She recently returned to Cornerstone and surprised Sheridan who was at Jefferson-Douglass Academy introducing a group of business and community leaders to the school. The joyful reunion led to a trip down memory lane and reflection on how their relationship was important in her journey to success.
“Thanks to Mr. Sheridan and all the wonderful things I was exposed to at Cornerstone, it helped lay the groundwork for me to achieve what I’ve been able to achieve,” she remarked. “Being able to maintain that relationship over the years has been really special.”
According to Sheridan, their friendship became an “ongoing, delightful connection born out of the first boldness to pick me as the competitor in that math competition.” From a field trip to Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor where she learned about coding in a video gaming bootcamp, to a Tigers game where they both got to meet baseball legends, the two created memories while White attended Cornerstone. Since then, they have stayed connected, catching up through email and zoom calls. “This is what we need to be doing to create the future leaders of Detroit,” Sheridan added.
THE STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER
The return to Cornerstone wasn’t just a reunion. As a successful professional, it was now White’s turn to share her knowledge with the next generation of students of JDA. She spoke to 7th and 8th grade girls about careers in STEM, sharing her journey, challenges and experiences, and imparting words of wisdom to them. With that competitive spark still in her, White led them through their own competition with the challenge of building a bridge to hold as many Hershey’s Kisses as possible, using only tape and two pieces of construction paper. “I wanted them to experience a little bit about what goes into the engineering process,” she explained. “It was fun letting them use creative problem solving to complete the task.”
THE STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER
The return to Cornerstone wasn’t just a reunion. As a successful professional, it was now White’s turn to share her knowledge with the next generation of students of JDA. She spoke to 7th and 8th grade girls about careers in STEM, sharing her journey, challenges and experiences, and imparting words of wisdom to them. With that competitive spark still in her, White led them through their own competition with the challenge of building a bridge to hold as many Hershey’s Kisses as possible, using only tape and two pieces of construction paper. “I wanted them to experience a little bit about what goes into the engineering process,” she explained. “It was fun letting them use creative problem solving to complete the task.”
A CORNERSTONE FOR SUCCESS
White is resolute regarding the impact of her time at Cornerstone. “The experience I got out of this school is priceless,” she said. “The education, personal development and lifelong relationships that I have from here is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. No matter what career path I was taking, I knew I was going to succeed.”