Beyond the Scholarship

Mercy Jeffries is living what she calls “a lot of different lives” at Oakland University. She balances a double major in dance and finance, while serving as a peer mentor for the Center for Multicultural Initiatives, a resident assistant, a first-year orientation assistant and an orientation group leader.

A sophomore, Jeffries is the recipient of the Keeper of the Dream Scholarship, an honor that recognizes her leadership, academic commitment and dedication to community involvement.

“Mercy is deserving of recognition because she is one of the most driven individuals that I know,” Center for Multicultural Initiatives Senior Retention Coordinator Denise Thompkins-Jones said.

Jeffries said her motivation stems from a desire to support others, while staying grounded in her own passions. As a first-year orientation assistant and group leader, she has guided incoming freshmen into Oakland University.

“I’m living a lot of different lives, and figuring out what that all means to me, and my bigger purpose in it,” she said. 

What drives her to take on multiple leadership roles, Jeffries emphasized, is people over position. 

“Being able to see people, help people and support people with all of the different avenues I do in my life definitely motivates me,” she said. “I love being able to help students — it’s just how I grew up and it's something that I love to do.”

Jeffries said holding several roles has allowed her to stay energized.

“While being in all these different positions, I can also do things that I love and that keeps me driven,” Jeffries said.

Her leadership journey began even before her first semester. The summer before attending Oakland, Jeffries was a scholar with the Center for Multicultural Initiatives. An opportunity that let her become acquainted with resources supporting academic success, personal growth, student engagement and then meet with mentors to build meaningful connections. Giving her a sense of belonging at Oakland before classes began. 

“I came back in the fall to see those familiar faces again, and it just makes you feel more at home that you know these people,” Jeffries said.

That sense of community continued to grow through her work as an orientation group leader, a role she described as meaningful.

“It was just very rewarding and meant a lot for me to see students come back and really have a lot of gratitude for what we did for them,” she said.

Jeffries credits encouragement from others for helping her step into leadership roles. Thompkins-Jones said it is Jeffries who encourages others.

“She leads by example and goes above and beyond to assist others — often utilizing her knowledge of campus resources and services to help guide others,” Thompkins-Jones said.

“My CMI family, all of the staff – they’re great people and I just love those communities,” Jeffries said. “If I didn't have someone tell me or push me to just apply, I would not be where I am today. I would also say to find your community and really reach out and see what would be the best for you.”

Community through interaction has been the foundation of her Oakland experience. The Center of Multicultural Initiatives has provided Jeffries a strong home away from home. 

“I would be nowhere at Oakland if I didn’t have my community because they are the ones that encouraged me to keep going and pushing through,” Jeffries said.

An outspoken supporter of campus involvement, Jeffries added, “I’m a big OU fan, so I think it’s hard to really see that if you’re not involved.”

Reflecting on her journey at Oakland, she said, “Everything that impacted my OU journey thus far has all just been my community.”

Despite her many roles and being the recipient of the Keeper of the Dream Scholarship, Jeffries remains humble.

“We’re all here at OU, we’re all super important, we’re all different walks of life, majors, everything going,” Jeffries said.