Riley Romer

Riley Romer Flourishes with Donor Support

Riley Romer has just wrapped up her junior year here at SVSU where she is majoring in International Studies and Spanish. Originally from Macomb, MI, a city of around 900,000 residents nestled in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Riley is a bright and driven student who will be graduating debt free thanks to donor supported scholarships. While at SVSU, she has participated in public speaking competitions, studied abroad in South Korea, and has been a Roberts-Gilbertson Fellow. She is the recipient of the Founders and Valley Housing Scholarships as well as the donor funded scholarships the Robert & Ellen Thompson Ramet Endowed Scholarship for the Study of Foreign Language, the Ricardo Pastor Spanish Scholarship, and the Student Association Scholarship.

Generous donors planted the seeds that helped Riley flourish at SVSU, making way for a brighter future for students like Riley and for the world.   

Below is a speech that Riley gave at the 2025 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. Read it to learn more about her.

Nice to meet you all today. It’s my pleasure to share a little about myself. My name is Riley Romer and I’m from Macomb, Michigan where I live in a small apartment with my mom and siblings. Overtime, I got used to sleeping in the living room and waking up to greet my mother in the morning before she went to work at 6. She has always been the epitome of a strong, hard-working woman. My mother works tirelessly to provide for me. If there’s one thing she’s taught me, it’s adaptability. No matter my situation, I can adjust to keep moving forward. Not to brag but in high school I was pretty smart and dedicated to my studies but at the same time I felt incredibly hopeless. I couldn’t see how I could possibly make the leap to college. All of that potential energy inside me would have remained stagnant. But SVSU and the donors here today gave me the opportunity to cross that gap.

I could never fully explain why I chose SVSU. The second I stepped on campus I felt welcomed and at home. I graduated from high school with 800 other students, but at SVSU I felt seen and heard. The reason I majored in International Studies and Spanish is because I want to make a global difference and even if it’s not on a large scale, I want to start the ripple. I truly believe when we open our hearts to new perspectives and cultures, the world gets a little smaller. Through my time here I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with international students, the study abroad office, and the Office of Diversity programs to challenge my understanding and grow in awareness. Currently, I am aiming to attend graduate school abroad or domestically in order to make an impact in US foreign service. SVSU has allowed me to begin this journey.

I want to thank all the donors here today but specifically the ones I have received personally, the Robert and Ellen Thompson Working Families Scholarship, the Sebastian and Ida Rame Scholarship for the Study of the Arts and Humanities, the Ricardo Pastor Spanish Scholarship, the Student Association Student Concerns Scholarship, and the SVSU Founders Scholarship.

Without all of you I would have never dared to dream, I would have never come to SVSU, I would have never found my best friends, I would have never become a Gilbertson and Thompson scholar, I would have never become an orientation leader, I would have never studied abroad, I would have never become the vice-president of the International students club and connect with people around the globe, I would have never joined the Great Lakes Bay Institute and mentored high schoolers, I would have never joined the speech team and won state and national awards for SVSU,

And finally, I would have never believed I could graduate from university debt free. It was only made possible due to my hard work, but most importantly your compassion. I discovered myself here at SVSU. I found my passion and reason to keep going. One day I’ll be able to pay back my mother for her sacrifice. And I hope and pray that these scholarships continue to touch those who need them most.

When the world and society constantly tell you there are limits, that’s exactly when we need to reach past them. In uncertain and stressful times, I always remember my mother’s words. When the world is darkest, remember to turn on the lights. If all of us here at SVSU become bright, shining lights, then the world will one day no longer be so dark.

Help Cardinals grow by giving today at svsu.edu/grow