Joel Stancer
Joel Stancer is a longtime advocate of education access, with a special interest in underserved communities.
He is currently the Student Services Coordinator for the Pathways to Success (PAWS) programs for the School of Medicine at the University of Missouri. The PAWS Program provides informational workshops, advising, mentoring, research and volunteer opportunities, and MCAT prep for underrepresented minority and economically disadvantaged undergraduate students on their path to a career in medicine. He is a proud alumnus of The University of Alabama--where he earned his B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education Language Arts--and the University of West Alabama--where he earned his M.S. in Continuing Education with a concentration in College Student Development.
Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Joel found himself in front of several hundreds of middle and high school students across the West Alabama area. He has taught English, Advanced English, Honors English, Pre-AP English, Public Speaking, Leadership Development, ACT Prep, and Graduation Exam Prep to students in grades 7-12 over a 10 year period. For an additional 2 years, Joel served as the Career Coach for a cluster of three school districts in the West Alabama area. In this role, he was responsible for assisting students with preparing a plan for their futures. Additionally, he was tasked with planning and executing several events and trips to assist students with completing the FAFSA and obtaining admissions and scholarship from various colleges and employment from various companies. Joel, then, took on the role of the Retention Coordinator for the College of Education at the University of Missouri where he coordinated new initiatives within the college including the Student Success Workshop Series and Mizzou Ed Family Tree Mentoring Program, and co-coordinated the Dorsey Leadership Academy and Black Male Teacher Initiative.
Joel, a native of Aliceville, Alabama, finds solace on the stage acting in plays and musicals having been cast in over 13 shows in Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri. He is involved in and has served his communities and universities in various ways through working with organizations such as the Alabama Education Association, NAACP, Afro-American Gospel Choir, Common Ground Spoken Word Group, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. His motto is “Faith first, family second, and career third.”
