Belk College MBA scholar advances career, reconnects with son

Father, son duo shape Charlotte studies to graduate together

The chance to reclaim lost time doesn’t come along every day. A father and son who graduated from UNC Charlotte during the December commencement season found just such an opportunity.

Two years ago, Scott Stewart Sr. ’24 MBA was winding up a 38-year military career, with his most recent stints serving in the U.S. Air Force as an antiterrorism and force protection expert. During his career, he and son Scott Stewart Jr. ’24 were apart during his assignments, at times for years.

Catching up on the phone one day with his son, who was already excelling in the William States Lee College of Engineering, Stewart Sr. confessed to his son that he felt at loose ends.

“I remember I was just finishing up my sophomore year at Charlotte,” the younger Stewart said. “That’s right around when my dad was getting ready to retire and I told him that he could come to school with me. It was said kind of as a joke or as an offhand comment. And I guess he took it seriously. Almost six or seven months later, he said, ‘Hey, I actually want to try it. I want to see if I can do it.’ That’s how it all started.”

For the father, the generous offer to join his son at Charlotte was too good to pass up. “I viewed it as I was getting a year and a half back to spend with my son. I always tell everybody he’s my best friend, buddy, pal and son all rolled up into one.”

Timing tassel turns

The time spent together as Niners — and as roommates sharing an apartment — was capped by the turning of tassels at two commencement ceremonies this past weekend. The duo even scheduled their studies to make sure they would graduate the same weekend and complete the adventure together.

When Stewart Jr. walked across the stage in Halton Arena on Friday afternoon to receive a bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering technology, his father was in the stands to enthusiastically cheer him on. Likewise, the son proudly stood witness as his dad graduated on Saturday with an MBA from the Belk College of Business.

Each leaves Charlotte with solid career plans. Stewart Jr. immersed himself in experiential learning through four internships, two with BMW Manufacturing. In his final semester, he was selected for TOPS — the first rotational group at Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina  — and which results in a full-time role with Toyota.

Stewart Sr.’s MBA has opened supervisory options in civilian life with the State of Florida. He begins a new job Dec. 23 as an investigator supervisor for the Department of Business and Professional Regulations. 

Reshaping a relationship

During their Charlotte time together, the Stewarts reshaped what had been a more traditional adult-child relationship into one that acknowledged and supported each other’s strengths as adults. They also grew as each other’s mentors, with the father offering real-world coaching on things such as knocking on doors for opportunities, and the son encouraging the new MBA student with technology and study tips, and advice to enjoy life.

“I’ve just grown so much professionally, personally, and I appreciate things so much more,” said Scott Stewart Jr. “I appreciate his time. That’s the best gift you can give anyone is your time. At first, when he was just sitting there doing homework, I would leave him alone. But after a while I would sit there and hang out with him and talk for hours. It just made me appreciate this time together.”

Pursuing an MBA has solidified the older Stewart’s understanding of the value he and others at an advanced level can bring to the table.

“What senior people know is extremely valuable,” he said. “With job experiences, there is a value to that. You can say there’s almost a Ph.D.-level knowledge to that experience that you can’t take away. It’s everything from being prepared, from getting to class on time, asking questions, staying behind and talking to the professor, right? And then the education I was receiving with the MBA is allowing me to build a bridge from what I knew for almost four decades in the military into the civilian sector.”

The engineering student drew lessons from interactions with his father. He noted how his ability to work well with people from varied generations improved from his first to his second internship with BMW, noted by supervisors. “I started to understand how to listen. I saw everyone’s strengths,” he said. “I saw everyone’s expertise. It didn’t matter how young or old they were. They were valuable. I think he showed me that.”

Stewart Sr. had earlier nudged his son along his academic path, after noticing his aptitude for engineering. “I started off in all Advanced Placement classes my high school freshman year,” the son said. “We had an electrical engineering program, so we got to mess with circuit boards, create tiny robots and write programs. And I also loved cars. Once it came time to select my major, I saw mechanical engineering technology, which was perfect.”

Gaining appreciation  

The younger Stewart first thought they would be on the main campus together, but the MBA classes were at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City. “I had visions of us hanging out on campus together,” he said. “That didn’t happen, sadly. But it was really awesome to see him grow. Once he started getting his classes down and started understanding, he ended up getting three or four A’s that first semester when he thought he wasn’t even going to get a B in any of his classes.”

His son’s support was essential to building his confidence as he transitioned to civilian life and a master’s degree program, Stewart Sr. said. “I was struggling,” he said. “I’m the oldest guy in the class. I was sitting all the way up front trying to take notes. I really felt out of place, and I thought I couldn’t do it. I felt really intimidated. And Scottie took on the adult role. He said, ‘Dad, you can do this. Look what you’ve gone through. Look what you have been.’ He was that motivator.”

Early in the master’s degree studies, when the transition was particularly hard, the senior Stewart thought about quitting. “And then I thought, ‘But what kind of example am I setting for Scottie? What example am I setting for myself? When is the last time I quit at something?’  I had to build up the self-confidence in myself. And I thought, ‘O.K., I’m going to do this. I’m going to walk that stage.’ ”

Now, with each other’s encouragement, that’s just what the Stewarts have done.