The Power of a Casual Comment
Two years ago, Niner Engineer Scott Stewart Jr. had a casual conversation with his father. The son jokingly mentioned that his father should join him at UNC Charlotte once he concluded his career in the U.S. Air Force.
“I remember I was just finishing up my sophomore year at Charlotte,” the younger Stewart said of his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology. “That’s right around when my dad was getting ready to retire and I told him that he could come to school with me. It was said kind of as a joke or as an offhand comment.”
The comment hung in the air for a split second before the pair continued their discussion onto something else. But the suggestion stuck with father, Scott Stewart Sr.
The father knew the chance to reclaim lost time doesn’t come along every day. That lost time was due to his 38-year military career, with extended times traveling and away from his son, sometimes for years. The father realized he wanted to use his time after retirement to reconnect with his son and advance his civilian career.
The idea of enrolling at Charlotte was too good to pass up. “I viewed it as getting a year and a half back to spend with my son. I always tell everybody he’s my best friend, buddy, pal and son all rolled up into one.”
Later, the Niner Engineer learned that his offhand comment had made an impression on his father. “I guess he took it seriously. Almost six or seven months later, my Dad said, ‘Hey, I actually want to try it. I want to see if I can do it.’ That’s how it all started.”
When Stewart Jr. walked across the stage in Halton Arena on Friday afternoon to receive his engineering technology degree, his father was in the stands to enthusiastically cheer him on. Likewise, the son proudly stood witness as his dad graduated on Saturday with an MBA from the Belk College of Business.
The time spent together as Niners — and as roommates sharing an apartment — was capped by the turning of tassels at two commencement ceremonies this past weekend. The duo even timed their studies to graduate the same weekend to complete the adventure together.
Each leaves Charlotte with solid career plans. While in school, Stewart Jr. immersed himself in experiential learning through four internships, two with BMW Manufacturing. In his final semester, he was selected for a Toyota operations program, or TOPS, the first rotational group for Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina. The program results in a full-time role with Toyota for Scott Stewart Jr.
Stewart Sr.’s MBA has opened supervisory options in civilian life with the State of Florida. He begins a new job Dec. 23 as an investigator supervisor for the Department of Business and Professional Regulations.
During their Charlotte time together, the Stewarts reshaped what had been a more traditional adult-child relationship into one that acknowledged and supported each other’s strengths as adults. They also grew as each other’s mentors, with the father offering real-world coaching on things such as knocking on doors for opportunities, and the son encouraging the new MBA student with technology and study tips, and advice to enjoy life.
“I’ve just grown so much professionally, personally, and I appreciate things so much more,” said Scott Stewart Jr. “I appreciate his time. That’s the best gift you can give anyone is your time. At first, when he was just sitting there doing homework, I would leave him alone. But after a while I would sit there and hang out with him and talk for hours. It just made me appreciate this time together.”
Pursuing an MBA has solidified the older Stewart’s understanding of the value he and others at an advanced level can bring to the table.
“What senior people know is extremely valuable,” he said. “With job experiences, there is a value to that. It’s everything from being prepared, from getting to class on time, asking questions, staying behind and talking to the professor, right? And then the education I was receiving with the MBA is allowing me to build a bridge from what I knew for almost four decades in the military into the civilian sector.”
The engineering student drew lessons from interactions with his father. He noted how his own ability to work well with people from varied generations improved from his first to his second internship with BMW, noted by supervisors. “I started to understand how to listen. I saw everyone’s strengths,” he said. “I saw everyone’s expertise. It didn’t matter how young or old they were. They were valuable. I think he showed me that.”
Stewart Jr. enjoyed engineering, even well before college. “In high school, we had an electrical engineering program, so we got to mess with circuit boards, create tiny robots and write programs. And I also loved cars.” This aptitude was encouraged by his father as the pair spent time in those earlier years visiting military bases, driving on race tracks, attending car shows and other activities. “Once it came time to select my major,” said Stewart Jr., “I saw mechanical engineering technology, which was perfect.”
The younger Stewart got to see a different side of his father that most children don’t. “It was really awesome to see him grow,” the son said. “Once he started getting his classes down and started understanding, he ended up getting three or four A’s that first semester when he thought he wasn’t even going to get a B in any of his classes.”
That support was essential to building his father’s confidence during the transition to civilian life and a master’s degree program. “I was struggling,” Stewart Sr. said. “I’m the oldest guy in the class. I was sitting all the way up front trying to take notes. I really felt out of place, and I thought I couldn’t do it. I felt really intimidated. And Scottie took on the adult role. He said, ‘Dad, you can do this. Look what you’ve gone through. Look what you have been.’ He was that motivator.”
Early in the master’s degree studies, when the transition was particularly hard, the senior Stewart thought about quitting. “And then I thought, ‘But what kind of example am I setting for Scottie? What example am I setting for myself? When is the last time I quit at something?’ I had to build up the self-confidence in myself. And I thought, ‘O.K., I’m going to do this. I’m going to walk that stage.’ ”
Now, with each other’s encouragement, that’s just what the Stewarts have done.
