By Joslyn DelSignore / The Jambar
Youngstown State University executive director of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, Sherri Hrusovski recently earned the Legacy Educator Award, courtesy of the Ohio Cooperative Education Association.
Hrusovski, a YSU alumna, returned to the university as an educator in 2011. In her time at YSU, she has been a crucial member in building the STEM Professional Service program. On top of that, she also works in academic advising, careers, outreach and scholarships and internships and co-ops.
Although Hrusovski earned the Legacy Educator Award, she was not the one who accepted the award at the conference where it was presented. Hrusovski said she stayed behind and sent her associate director and coordinator to the conference in her place.
“I try to let them have the opportunity to have professional development. So this year, I decided to stay behind. I didn’t even know I was getting the award,” Hrusovski said.
She found out that she had won after her colleagues sent her a text message with a photo of them accepting the award on her behalf.
“It was a pleasant surprise, it really was,” Hrusovski said.
Growing up, Hrusovski said she always knew she cared about helping others. However, when she attended YSU herself, she was originally undecided. She later realized that she wanted to go into education.
She began her first professional position in workplace development, and also worked with youth ages 16-to-21-years-old from underserved communities.
“Working with those individuals helped me grow and understand that I really had a passion for teaching and helping others,” Hrusovski said.
Hrusovski said she constantly has future goals for herself, specifically in the STEM Professional Service program.
“My persistence has been a force to reckon with through the years,” Hrusovski said. “Some people are not subject to change. If you want to grow and make changes, you have to be able to do that.”
Going forward, Hrusovski said she intends to grow the program and increase its staff.
“Awards are great and there’s a lot of work that goes into them, but you want to keep growing, you don’t want to be stagnant,” Hrusovski said. “That’s what I want to do is continue to grow.”
For Hrusovski, her achievements are not centered around recognition, but around constant growth.
“A lot of people, when they hear the word legacy, want their name recognized,” Hrusovski said. “To me, it’s not about your name being recognized, it’s more about the legacy that you start, then it continues to grow.”
