Rene Stempert is a familiar face for many on campus; most know her from her maintenance work in Gillette, but perhaps more know her as a friendly and caring role model and friend.
Part of Stempert’s dedication and discipline when it comes to running the maintenance in Gillette stems from the time she spent in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Describing her choice to head to the military as “running away from everything [she] knew,” Stempert spent about five years on active duty stationed in Louisiana. In the midst of her life in the military, Stempert married and became pregnant with her first child. While on active duty and during her pregnancy, Stempert remembers one moment that stood out from all the rest, the moment she was saved. Stempert’s husband at the time was a particularly negative force in her life, and it was her supervisor who introduced her to Christianity and eventually played a part in her conversion. Following the birth of her son, Stempert separated from her husband, and requested to be stationed closer to her home to start a new chapter of her life.
While juggling to care for her son and working at the base in Niagara Falls for the Air National Guard in 1994, Stempert met the man who would not only bring her to Houghton, but soon become her second husband. The two met and married in a matter of months, eight to be exact, and Stempert excitedly started her job at Houghton the following month.
As a new Christian, Stempert felt at home here at Houghton surrounded by people who made countless positive impacts on her life. However, after working a few years, Stempert began to realize that she too could have an impact on those around her on campus, she found herself being both having a mentor and being mentored. Stempert started with the little things, remembering her residents’ names , and she was surprised at “how much of a difference it made, especially for freshmen.”
Kayla Miller, a freshman biology major, first met Stempert when she recruited her help to deal with their unbearably squeaky beds. Though she was expecting Stempert to keep the conversation to the squeaky beds, she was surprised at just how friendly she was. “She didn’t just want to help us about the bed but was asking us questions and sharing with us about her life.” Miller and her roommate enjoyed talking with Stempert as they took care of her furniture.
Making it her mission to learn the name of every girl in the dorm, Stempert continued to invest in her residents by making herself available to listen, pray, and offer support. Additionally, Stempert has gone above and beyond and has taken the initiative to invite Gillette’s RAs over to her home for dinner, where her chili was a hit.
Not only was Stempert a positive influence on her residents, she was also a strong role model. Following her divorce from her second husband, Stempert acknowledged that she “could’ve picked a number of paths,” some very negative, but instead she described herself as “giving it to God,” and let Him “carry her through it.” An experience she noted made her faith stronger than ever.
Although working in maintenance may seem like it could be a dull job most of the time, Stempert has her share of horror stories, the most memorable involving bats. Always a “scary and funny thing,” Gillette’s bat problem used to be quite significant with bats swooping through the halls in the basement New of Gillette, barely missing getting tangled up in the residents’ hair. Stempert and the rest of the maintenance staff soon discovered that with the use of a broom and a bucket, the bats could be safely and humanely removed and released back into the wild. Even though there have been measures put in place to keep the bats out, a couple occasionally wriggle their way in, making for a lively evening for Stempert and her colleagues.
Outside of the work she does at Houghton, Stempert has been a part of Campus Life Youth for Christ in Belfast for about four years. Stempert enjoys being able to work with youth outside of the college, particularly having the opportunity to “show the love of Christ through spending time with them.” Plans to start a Bible study with this group are also in the works for Stempert. When she’s not investing her time in others, Stempert enjoys gardening immensely, as well as taking her dog Brody for walks.