Get to Know HFC: Royetta Ealba has taught math at HFC since 1985

HFC math instructor Royetta Ealba recently celebrated her 40th anniversary at the College, and has no plans to retire any time soon.

“I just love what I’m doing! My students keep me young,” said Ealba, of Royal Oak. “HFC is the perfect place for my interests and talents.”

Accepted as an equal being the only female in math and science classes

An only child, Ealba was born in Kansas City, MO and graduated from Richmond High School. A two-alumna of the University of Central Missouri, Ealba earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in biology and her master’s degree in applied mathematics. She earned her bachelor’s degree on a full-ride scholarship. She later earned an MBA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

“I had always been the only female in my math and science classes. I was comfortable with my male counterparts. I fit in and was accepted as an equal,” she said.

Ealba is the proud mother of two daughters and proud grandmother of two grandchildren. Her eldest daughter, Dr. Erin Bumann, is an associate professor in the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. Her youngest daughter, Lauren Harris, is a math teacher at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods.

“When my children were younger, along with all kinds of sporting activities, we always shared math puzzles and investigated the sciences. I just fed their natural interests, and they decided their career paths,” said Ealba. “Both of my daughters attended U-M, which further opened the door to all kinds of STEM interests, including many UROP research experiences. My older daughter became a dentist as a direct result of her UROP research activities, and my younger daughter was always a natural mathematician and teacher.”

So many roads to travel in STEM

Before coming to HFC in 1985, Ealba was a senior project engineer on the Environmental Activities Staff for General Motors at the GM Technical Center in Warren for 10 years. Engineering was primarily a male-dominated field.

“I was hired as a senior project engineer and was immediately working on the development of air bags and other safety features for vehicles,” she said. “I loved mathematics and wanted to apply it to the real world. My knowledge of math supplemented the engineering applications.”

She offered her advice to students who aspire to work in the STEM fields.

“I would encourage any student with the love and the talent in math and science to investigate careers in STEM,” said Ealba. “There are so many roads to travel in the STEM fields. Enjoy what you do! Contribute. Ask 'why' and 'why not.' Have fun!"

“I love seeing the light come on”

After 10 years in the automotive industry, Ealba decided to change careers and came to HFC (then Henry Ford Community College), and she has taught math here ever since.

“I left GM to attend U-M and to raise a family,” she explained. “When my youngest daughter was 1, I responded to an advertisement in the Detroit Free Press for the teaching position I now have at HFC. With two young children, I could fit my teaching schedule around their needs. My last position at GM, however, was flying to Washington D.C. four days a week and monitoring government rulemaking in automotive safety regulations. That was not a good lifestyle fit with young children!”

Her favorite class to teach is Precalculus. For Ealba, seeing her students come from various educational backgrounds with different levels of ability to do mathematics can be challenging, but it’s also rewarding when they understand a difficult concept.

“Like many teachers, I love seeing the light come on,” said Ealba. “The College has excellent faculty across all disciplines. The members of the Mathematics Department here at HFC are truly dedicated not only to teaching, but to so many aspects of the HFC community.”

“Royetta Ealba has been a dedicated instructor for many years, always providing clear expectations to students while stepping in to help in even the stickiest situations. Her commitment to education makes Royetta an invaluable faculty member at the College,” said Dean Janice Gilliland of the HFC School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

HFC math instructor Scott Barnett agreed with Gilliland.

“Royetta is a great and respected colleague,” he said. “Her abilities go beyond effectively teaching mathematics: She gives direct and helpful input on department matters, she has perhaps the neatest handwriting I've ever seen, and she is a great retirement party-planner.” He added, tongue-in-cheek: “Royetta may not realize that having skills in all these areas means that she herself is not permitted to ever retire.”