AQ alumna Monique Stanton graduated from Aquinas in 2004 with a double major in history and communication with an emphasis in theatre, and a minor in psychology. She earned her master’s degree in social justice from Marygrove College in Detroit in 2011.

After graduating from AQ, Stanton did a year of volunteer service. In 2005, she got a job at CARE (Community Assessment Referral and Education) of Southeastern Michigan where she did community-organizing work in the foster care system, and was an advocate on child welfare related issues. CARE’s mission is to “educate, link and support individuals, families, businesses and communities affected by family concerns, workplace challenges, mental health conditions and the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.”

She left CARE to help open a family literacy center in northwest Detroit, before returning to CARE in 2008 as the agency’s deputy director. In this position she oversaw the agency’s internal operations, budget and finances, program development, and human resources. When the former president and CEO retired, Stanton was promoted to her current position of president and CEO of CARE of Southeastern Michigan. In this role she does public relations work, program development, marketing, and more. “[I get to] really help the agency grow and look towards the future for new opportunities to expand program services,” she said.

In October 2014, Stanton was honored with the Dave Bing Future Leader Award 2014 for her work with CARE of Southeastern Michigan. Nominated by the CARE Board of Directors, the award is given annually to “a young adult who is involved with enhancing regional understanding, progress, and cooperation within our metropolitan community.”

Stanton was a one of four “regional heroes” honored at The Shining Light Regional Cooperation Awards. The event is named for former Detroit Free Press publisher Neal Shine and honors people who've made extraordinary contributions to the southeast region of Michigan. Others honorees at the 2014 awards included U.S. Senator Carl Levin, U.S. Representative John Dingell, and President and CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization Sheilah Clay.

When asked about her passion for CARE, Stanton said, “My family has been impacted by addiction and my mother has recently celebrated 10 years of recovery. Addiction is a disease and a community issue and there are many ways we can prevent drug and alcohol abuse. It is critical for our community support the individual and the whole family impacted by addiction. I believe it's really important to treat people with a high level of dignity, a high level of respect and some of that goes back to my roots at Aquinas and my experiences with my mom when she was using. It's really important to treat people justly, compassionately so they are able to make a fresh start and get on the road to recovery.”

Stanton’s experience at Aquinas was “fantastic,” said she, for many reasons. She made lifelong friendships and, “was given the opportunity to grow as a leader, to grow intellectually, learned how to better communicate, to better write, to better advocate.”

“At AQ I was able to develop intensive and deep relationships with professors, with people at campus ministry, with leaders in the community, with my friends and it really gave me all kinds of different experiences that I don’t know that I would have necessarily had at another institution,” she said. “It was really easy to find at place at Aquinas and not get lost in the shuffle.”

Stanton involved herself in many extracurricular activities while attending AQ. She studied abroad in Ireland for a semester, where she taught theatre in the elementary schools. Her involvement with Campus Ministry lead her to go on many retreats, including CYBIAC. Afterwards she became a leader for the popular retreat, and noted that, to this day, she still has the materials from her CYBIAC retreats.

She was also involved with the AQ theatre group, both directing and acting in the plays. She directed the first student show that Aquinas theatre put on at the Performing Arts Center. Stanton also spent time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, working for Student Support Services, and putting on skits during New Student Orientation.

"Because of AQ I can be a leader for issues impacting my community and advocate for social justice,” Stanton said.

Her advice to current Aquinas students is to get involved in activities on campus, get involved with things that they believe in and are passionate about, go to events, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and try as many new things as possible.

When asked about future plans, Stanton said, “I want to continue my work at CARE of Southeastern Michigan through the expansion of services to support individuals and families impacted by addiction, mental illness, and crisis.”