Eva Ozier Receives 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award

Eva Ozier, a 1971 Kalamazoo Valley Community College graduate, has been named the school’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. She was a single mother with six young children when she decided to enroll in college. “It was scary,” the 87-year-old former Kalamazoo County Commissioner recalled. “I’d been out of school for 18 years.” She had a strong support system of friends and teachers who helped with transportation and child care so she could focus on her studies.

She remembers coming to class at Kalamazoo Valley “when it was just a little brown building” and said there were only four or five people total in her graduating class. When she reflects on all of her accomplishments, including the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Tennessee native heaps praise on Kalamazoo Valley. “You were part of saving me,” she says of the college. “My grades kind of shot up. I had a lot of encouragement. It was not an easy life, but I was obedient and steadfast.”

Her advice for young people facing adversity today is simple. “Pull your pants up, hold your head up and move forward. You need to decide on something that’s going to benefit you today and tomorrow. Make up your mind to be something. Put your mind to it and be the best you can be,” she said.

Ozier didn’t have a car when she started attending classes at Kalamazoo Valley. She was an aide in the Head Start program and a friend who was a teacher would let her borrow her Volkswagon on the days that she had class. “It was a struggle, but I made it,” she said.

After earning an associate degree from Kalamazoo Valley, she went on receive a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1973 and a master’s degree in 1980. Ozier taught for Kalamazoo Public Schools for 17 years and served on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners for 22 years. She is former president of the board of directors for the Ecumenical Senior Center and has been active in the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, The Links, the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Chapter of the NAACP, the Community Action Board, the Homeless Advisory Council, the Area Agency on Aging, Community Mental Health Board, Older Adult Advisory Council and the Head Start Policy Center.

As a teacher, Ozier made lifelong connections with her former students and their parents. “When I was teaching, I worked very closely with my students’ parents,” she said. “To this day I still have people who look to me as the teacher at Woodward School.” She fondly recalls a kindergartner who went home and told his parents that he intended to marry his teacher, Mrs. Ozier. That student is an assistant principal today and is just one of the many students who Ozier is proud to have influenced.

She also knew that it was just as important to influence parents as it was to influence students. “I insisted on parents going to parent teacher conferences,” she said. “Children need to know that they’re loved and cared for – that somebody cares for them. Everybody needs love.”

She enjoyed sorority involvement because the group was so focused on serving others. “Part of our goal as a sorority was to help others,” she said. The group would volunteer at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, Ministry with Community and the YWCA. “Your purpose on Earth is to serve others,” Ozier firmly believes. “If you have a degree and some knowledge, share it. In some way, you need to serve others.”

Ozier still drives the car she affectionately calls Baby and she continues to sing in her church choir. She also makes a point of meeting new people and reaching out to strangers. “We learn from each other,” she said. “We learn to be human from each other.” Each day, she reflects on her purpose and tries to accomplish something positive. She encourages others to do the same and to ask themselves, “Why am I here? Is this something I really want to do? If it is, put your whole heart and soul into it. If it’s not for you, then move on to something else. Try it, don’t give up.”

Ozier received her Distinguished Alumni Award during the KVCC Foundation's May 7 Opportunities for Education scholarship fundraising dinner. The award is given each year by the college’s Alumni+ program. Recipients are chosen for their contributions to the community and for distinction in his or her chosen field.

“We take great pride in being able to name Mrs. Ozier the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient,” said President of Kalamazoo Valley Community College Dr. L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D. “She is a fine example of a community leader who uses her education and her energy to tirelessly enhance the lives of those around her – even in her retirement years. She sets the bar high for all of us.”