Cherie Schrader

Student

“At some colleges, people keep to themselves. But in the short time I’ve been at SMC, I’ve noticed that my classmates all seem ready to work with me.”

One thing about waitresses: They can usually do the math. And in the life of Cherie Schrader, there was one equation that just wasn’t working out. “I was so tired of being a waitress, just working for tips,” she explains. “It’s fairly good money, but it’s just felt old for about the last five years. But now I feel energized coming to SMC and working toward something more than just the next tip.”

From a family of seven girls in Chicago, Cherie reports that “financial stress has always been there for me. So I completely appreciate the opportunity of studying at SMC for only $11 a unit.” A marathon runner with six races behind her, Cherie feels she’s now in the race of her life in SMC’s Photography program. “My teacher, Craig Moore, is really demanding, but he’s great. He never settles for anything less than a perfect exposure, which is difficult to get. But he’s really supportive and totally available when we have questions about our projects. He’s a great professor.”

Cherie recommends “taking full advantage of orientation and your counselors, because that’s what’s really been helping me with direction.” And one surprising “direction” that Cherie has headed off to is the world of dance. “My Jazz Dance teacher was Loretta McRae and she was just incredible and amazing. We all interacted so much that we became like a team. We started showing up an hour before class to dance with each other. It was crazy, but it was great.” So next time you’re ordering your burger, remember there’s a complex human being behind that apron. And tip well.

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