By Marlon McNeill (Whetstone contributor)
Marlon McNeill: Where are you from, and where did you grow up?
Wanda Anderson: I grew up in North Philadelphia, and I’ve traveled up and down the East Coast, from Massachusetts, to working in Virginia, so I’ve had a lot of college experiences – 32 years working at colleges. I would say that my experiences have really shaped what I want to do and who I want to be as a Dean.
MM: Where did you attend college?
WA: I attended, [at the time] it was called, Trenton State College in New Jersey; It is now called the College of New Jersey. That’s my bachelor’s degree, and my Master’s degree is from Rockhill, S.C., at Winthrop University. And I am working on my doctoral degree, my last year of my doctoral program at Wilmington University.
MM: What major did you earn you bachelor’s degree in?
WA: Urban Administration. That was because I grew up in North Philly and we had a community center, and it was all about bringing people together. That’s what I wanted to do.
MM: Did you take the same route for your master’s?
WA: No, it was Counseling Education because by then I knew I was going to be supervising. I started as a resident assistant – then a resident director, and I realized counseling was real important to understand students and staff.
MM: How have you been adjusting to Wesley?
WA: What a wonderful place. I love the students. I don’t think the students here realize, but after 30 years I can tell the difference. They’re courteous, they’re polite, they’re eager to learn, and amazingly creative. [They’re] really self-sufficient students, and that fuels my fire; that makes me even more comfortable. The people that I work with are also very nice. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, if you don’t really like the people that you work with you can do your best work. I feel like I’m in an environment to do my best work. Is it perfect? No place is, but what I can do here based on the foundation is good work because there are good people and good students.
MM: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
WA: My biggest challenge has been the very few – less than 10 – students that deal with conflict in a way that is not healthy, or is destructive (fighting, harassing, etc.). Those are my biggest challenges because that can derail their careers. I really would not want that for any of them, because if you have a knee-jerk reaction and you deal with something in a way that you shouldn’t, it only takes one to two minutes to make the wrong decision. I want the best for them, so that has been the most difficult part; dealing with students who have been suspended who I know may not return to college. That’s difficult.
MM: Name some highlights of your life
WA: The adoption of my sons, Christopher and Jalil. They are the love of my life; they are my little soul mates – well big soul mates now, they’re 13 and 14. That would have to be an absolute highlight. I would say my other highlight would be having friendships that have spanned over time, and seeing myself accomplish things that I never thought I would. I was not a stellar student in high school, and I was told I probably should go to college. I come from a family that did not attend college. I’m a first generation college student, so a highlight is that, at some point I will be Dr. Wanda Anderson, and the first one in my family. Working on my doctoral degree is a highlight.
MM: What do you do when you’re not behind the desk?
WA: I like to lift weights and work out in the gym. I love music so I always have music on. I’m a very spiritual person so I start my day with prayer every morning. I read to my sons at night, something spiritual, before we go to bed. We have deep conversations about how their lives fit and my life fits into God’s plans. And I love to cook.
MM: What is one childhood goal that you are still striving for?
WA: That’s a good question. I think it’s to have a complete family. My mother was a single parent, I’m a single parent, and my sons have not had a father, so to have a family for them at some point. I never really quite had that, and maybe that’s why I’m passionate about black male success. I’ve never really had that actually triad of a family.
MM: What is something interesting about yourself that most people don’t know?
WA: In 1976 I was Miss Black Teenage Philadelphia. That’s as interesting as I can get.
