Cheyla Milo, doctoral student in Counseling Psychology, hates the snow. She comes from Texas by way of Dillard University in New Orleans, and every time it snows she wants to crawl into her cave and hibernate. Of course she is much too busy to hibernate every time it snows in Michigan. She is Graduate Assistant to Tony Dennis, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention. In this capacity she assists Mr. Dennis in planning initiatives and programming for current and prospective graduate students. She also works as Director of Special Projects for the company Future4Teens. In this job she coordinates programs through collaborations with other community organizations for youth in the Kalamazoo area.

Besides her doctoral studies and work duties, Cheyla is involved in a number of volunteer activities both on and off campus. She is President of the Graduate Students of Color (GSOC) and member of the National Black Graduate Student Association, the International Mentorship Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Association of Black Psychologists. She is also a Girl Scout troop leader and a Big Sister to Khadijah, a 15 year old student at Kalamazoo Central High School.

Cheyla has won several prestigious awards since coming to Western Michigan University in 2007. She is the recipient of the King/Chavez/Parks Future Faculty Fellowship, the Thurgood Marshall Fellowship, the Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year Award and the Student Employee of the Year Award. She has recently presented at the Students of Color of Rackham Conference held annually at the University of Michigan and at the Great Lakes Regional Psychology conference at Ball State University.

When asked why she chose Western Michigan University to pursue her Master’s and Doctoral degrees, she said, “I chose WMU because after meeting Tony Dennis at a Graduate Fair, he totally sold me! I fell in love with the university, the program and the effort being made to increase diversity among students at WMU. There were also many opportunities for fellowships, scholarships and additional funding. During a visit to WMU, I was able to really experience the ‘family environment’ and noticed that the people at WMU are rooting for students’ success.”

In ten years Cheyla sees herself with her doctorate working at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). She also plans to be working in a community agency with adolescent minority girls, focusing on their development into productive women. As a role model and mentor as well as an academic and a community advocate, Cheyla Milo is truly outstanding and will bring her abundant energy and excellence into her future.

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