In the early 2000s, Meredith Walker's journey in education began when she took on the role of a Teacher's Aide for Vivian Renfrow's kindergarten class at Santa Rita Elementary School, while she was a student at Midland High School (MHS) in Texas. “That’s when I knew I wanted to work in education and help students,” Walker said. After graduating from MHS in 2003, she embarked on her academic path by enrolling in classes at Midland College (MC).
“It took me five years to get an associate degree,” Walker said. “I was working for a company that processed leased return vehicles for GM and had my first child Jacob in 2006. However, I never lost sight of my goal.”
As a single mother, Walker faced various challenges but remained determined to pursue her passion for teaching. In 2008, she made a significant move to Lubbock and joined Texas Tech University (TTU) to further her education. Her major was Multidisciplinary Studies with a focus on 4th-8th grade Science and Social Studies. During her time at TTU, Walker also worked at a local daycare, where she honed her skills in designing lesson plans and crafting curriculum.
Additionally, she embraced opportunities to gain teaching experience as a substitute teacher at Talkington Middle School in Lubbock. The school, an all-girls institution, primarily served low-income students at the time. Despite the challenges, Walker's ability to command the attention and engagement of a predominantly African-American male classroom was recognized by district officials.
In December 2010, Meredith Walker proudly graduated from TTU, holding a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate.
Walker said, “I did some of my student teaching at Dunbar Middle School in Lubbock. During those days, Lubbock ISD split students who were associated with gangs between Dunbar and Alderson Middle School.”
At the young age of 25, she had already begun to make her mark in the field of education. Her teaching prowess became evident as she skillfully managed her classroom, creating an environment conducive to learning.
District officials took note of her success and reached out to Walker with an enticing opportunity. They invited her to interview for a teaching position at Alderson Middle School, one of the two Lubbock ISD "gang" schools, where she would be working with 7th and 8th-grade students.
“When I walked into the interview room, there were ten men sitting at the table,” Walker recalled. “It was a little intimidating, but I knew what type of job it was, and I figured that if I couldn’t handle an interview with ten grown, educated men, I didn’t have any business teaching gang students! I must have done well in the interview because they immediately hired me for the job, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding jobs I ever had.
“It wasn’t easy. It was the middle of the school year, and the teacher whose position I assumed had been arrested for distributing marijuana to the students. It was in an extremely dangerous part of town—the parking lot was gated in order to keep the cars safe. Right after I first started, a fight broke out in class, and science tables were thrown across the room. I just took it all in stride. I wanted the students to know that they weren’t alone.
“Because many of the boys were older than traditional 7th and 8th graders, they were also bigger and taller than average middle school students. They were over 6 feet tall. I’m just a little over 5 feet tall. I didn’t care. They needed help, and I understood their need.”
By the end of the 2010-2011 school year, Walker had raised STAAR Testing scores to 80 percent and passing, up from 20 percent.
“I was proud of what I had accomplished,” she said. “In fact, I might have stayed there, but in 2012, I was pregnant with my second son Braylon, and so I moved back to Midland and was a stay-at-home mom for a few years.”
In 2014, Meredith Walker welcomed her third child, a little girl named Ella. From 2015 to 2017, the family resided in Crowley, Texas, where Walker took on the role of a Special Education teaching aide. Later, they moved to Mansfield, Texas, where she worked with 5th and 6th-grade students.
Following Walker’s divorce in 2017, she and her three children returned to their roots in Midland, Texas. During this period, she found employment as a legal secretary, working in various fields such as insurance litigation, estates and probate, and oil and gas.
“Working for a law firm paid the bills, but I really missed interacting with students,” she said. “So, when I saw that Midland College had a job opening for a financial aid specialist, I jumped at the chance to once again get back into education.
“Working at MC is in my genes. My father Geoff Walker was an adjunct English professor at MC for over 20 years, and my mother Laura McCabe started the Students in Philanthropy program at MC and served as the Students in Philanthropy Advisor for over 15 years.”
In 2018, Walker began working in Midland College's Student Services division. Over the next three years, she progressed through different positions within the division. This role allowed her not only to provide guidance to current students but also to recruit future students for the college.
In October 2021, Walker decided to transition to the Institutional Advancement Division. Currently, she serves in the Scholarships and Alumni Office, where she helps students secure donor-directed scholarships. She was promoted to Associate Director of Scholarships in June.
“I love helping students,” she said. “I have worked with and advised students living in tents, wealthy students, those in high school and nontraditional students. It doesn’t matter what their backgrounds are and where they are in life. If they have a goal and are working to achieve that goal, it’s my job to help them get there. School never goes anywhere, and it’s never too late to make the right choices. I’ve certainly proven that in my life. I tell students, ‘Don’t give up--just go at your own pace to get that degree. It will happen!’”
In December 2023, Walker is on track to complete her master's degree in Public Administration.