Ever since high school, Rieko Scheib dreamed of becoming a doctor, but after a tumultuous first year of college, she decided to pick a new career path.
She is now set to graduate Saturday, Dec. 17, with a bachelor of science degree in bioengineering and a minor in marketing.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2022 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at fall commencement.
“I know I’m very much a giver at heart,” Scheib said. “I was driven into the medical field because I have the capacity to empathize but not let it consume me; however, I have realized that I can still help people and challenge myself, just in a different way.”
A resident of Hillside, Illinois, Scheib found the long distance from UToledo to her home difficult during her freshman year.
“I was definitely not college ready,” Scheib said. “It was a lot of homesickness and self-destruction. I finished with under a 2.0 GPA my freshman year.”
She said it was her professors and advisors who helped her to get back on track.
“The faculty here saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself,” she said.
Aleiah Jones, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Student Success, said Sheib has since grown into one of the top leaders on campus.
“Rieko has never been afraid to ask for help and has taken every opportunity available here,” Jones said. “The community that she has built and her own grit and resilience have benefitted her in so many ways.”
The summer after her freshman year, Scheib signed up to be an orientation leader to be more involved in the campus community.
“That summer was life-changing for me,” she said. “Not only did I get to know UToledo like the back of my hand, but just to see students who were in the same position I had been in and being able to relate to them and give them the advice I wish I got, it was the best thing.”
Scheib then dove head-first into various student organizations and initiatives. She directed most of her attention toward NSBE, the National Society of Black Engineers.
Rieko Scheib and her son at Niagra Falls earlier this year. Her being Hispanic and an engineer, she said, is something she wants to inspire her son.
“It is one of the only multicultural orgs on our engineering campus,” Scheib said. “I originally thought, ‘I have no business being here,’ but they really started pushing me towards the end of that year, so I stuck with them.”
She has since served in many leadership positions in the group, first as secretary, then vice president and this year as a student advisor.
“Her role has impacted dozens of students on campus as she helps advocate for students of color — not only in the College of Engineering but campus-wide,” Jones said.
Scheib has been a diversity ambassador for the OMSS, and she volunteers with Toledo Pet Bull Project in finding new homes for their dogs and SELF-ESTEAM, a non-profit that helps inspire young minority girls to pursue a STEAM major.
Between coursework, student organizations and volunteering, Scheib has at times struggled with finding the proper balance for everything happening in her life.
“I am very career driven, so I am very go go go,” Scheib said. “It has been difficult but I have a great support network. That is one thing I really appreciate about UToledo: They gave me the system where I can do all of these things and be a part of everything without feeling too overwhelmed.”
Her busy life and multiple commitments become more difficult to juggle following the birth of her son in the middle of COVID.
“I’ve had to step back from some things, and I feel like it is hard to say this without sounding insincere because it was a rough time,” Scheib said. “The thing I appreciate about that timing is I got to spend time with my son and still focus on my career. I combined the two without necessarily worrying about it.
“To be with him and watch him grow and still be able to take my classes, it solidified that this is what I want to do with my life,” she added. “I’m really enjoying what I’m doing and having the two side by side is really nice.”
Her return to campus also was difficult, but Scheib’s strong support network with her family and friends has helped her get through it. And now she will have an important precedent for her son.
“Even though I will have the title of KJ’s mom, KJ’s mom will also be an engineer, and a Hispanic one at that, in a field that’s dominated by white men,” she said. “I hope that he looks up to that and is like, ‘My mom can do that, I can do whatever I want, too.’ ”
Following graduation, Scheib said she plans to take some time for herself.
“I never give myself a second to stop and breathe,” she said. “I just plan on enjoying life with my son and enjoying the holidays. I want to enjoy the moment before real life picks up again.”
