The Region is known for hosting folks for what they think will be a season of their life, but they wind up staying a lifetime. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Valparaiso University, the steel mill industry, and large public education systems draw a variety of people to the area for many different reasons. Phyllis Schroeder did not intend to return to the Region after she received a degree from Valparaiso University (VU), yet here she is.
Schroeder proudly grew up in Detroit, Michigan and planned to attend Michigan State University on a full ride scholarship. During her junior year of high school, she toured and fell in love with VU all in one weekend, and knew immediately that it was the school she wanted to attend.
After graduation, Schroeder took a job in the residential life division at Oklahoma State University, eventually ending up in the financial department. Her husband Dave, also a VU graduate, joined her at Oklahoma State University to earn his PhD in Management Information Systems and assist with campus ministry.
“We had always agreed that with career moves, we would trade off. We moved to Oklahoma because of my job, and it was his turn for a career change,” Schroeder said. “Valpo asked him to come back and teach in the business school, and I was happy to follow him back to Valpo.”
Schroeder didn’t come back to Valpo with a job in mind. She was supposed to be taking a break. Within a few months of her return, she was working full time in VU’s Office of Financial Aid.
“I just loved it. I was there for 23 years. I retired as the Director of Financial Aid in 2012,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder may have retired from that role, but her involvement in the community was only just beginning.
“When I retired, I kept a promise to myself that I would wait a year before I made any commitments. I started cleaning out my kitchen, something I normally never had time for, and I had a bunch of kitchen towels to donate. A friend of mine told me that Dayspring Shelter would take them, and I signed up as a volunteer the same day I dropped the towels off,” Schroeder said.
While her promise of a year only lasted three months, volunteerism within the community became her new passion. From volunteering for Meals on Wheels to Dayspring to Valparaiso Organization for Learning and Teaching Seniors to Christ Lutheran Church, Schroeder keeps quite busy.
Schroeder notes that VU taught her the importance of service as a vocation, a moral that can fit into any career or occupation. When she moved back to the area, she realized there was so much going on outside of the campus community to learn about. This opportunity for education opened her eyes to local politics, the sexuality and racial diversities of the community, and the needs and interests of Region residents.
“Volunteering with Meals on Wheels has been one of the greatest joys of my retirement. The opportunity to bring people something that brings a smile to their face leaves me with a smile on mine,” Schroeder said.
Volunteerism has been the driving force behind Schroeder’s retirement, but sprinkled in between her countless hours with many organizations, she reserves some time for personal fun. Whether reading a nonfiction book on the country’s political climate or the most recent romantic comedy, she is an avid reader. She spends time with her friends. She often vacations on international cruises, touring different parts of the world.
“It’s hard to choose just one favorite aspect of our community, but I have to say that it is my church community because of the variety of ways that people of the congregation are working together to make a difference,” Schroeder said.