TRIO Mainstay Retires After More Than Two Decades At MDC

For 17 years, generations of students in the TRIO Program at Miami Dade College were guaranteed to find good advice and a tasty snack waiting for them when they visited Eon Alleyne-McMayo.

The 75-year-old academic adviser, who in recent years was known for her closely-cropped silver hair and wide-brimmed spectacles, created a homely space for students. 

“She was always that person who’s always like how’s your classes going? And then are you passing your classes?” said Marthe Metayer, a TRIO alumna, who now serves as the office manager for retention and transition services at North Campus. “She’s always willing to say here’s what you’re supposed to do in this situation. Here’s how you fight.”

After more than two decades of diligent service at MDC, Alleyne-McMayo retired from the College. Her last day at North Campus was Jan. 9. 

“It’s bittersweet,” Metayer said. “I’ll miss her a lot, but I’m happy for her because it’s well deserved. She dedicated a lot of time—a lot of years, a lot of blood, sweat, tears to the school and [to] TRIO.”

Alleyne-McMayo was born in Trinidad and Tobago. After completing high school at San Fernando Government Secondary School in 1970, she worked at a local bank for five years. Her time there would influence her future academic endeavors.

When she was 25, she immigrated to Oklahoma to attend the University of Tulsa where she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1981. 

By 2004, she moved to South Florida where she found work as a clerk  for Trinidad and Tobago’s consulate in Miami and for the Marenco Trading Company in downtown. 

Her journey at MDC began in 2005 at Kendall Campus as a clerk in the Veterans Upward Bound program before she took a position as an adviser in academic advisement. 

In 2008, she found her second home when she took a position as an adviser for TRIO at North Campus.

Alleyne-McMayo scheduled interviews with prospective students, sent acceptance letters, checked on kids during their academic journey, organized end-of-semester banquets and lent an ear to whoever needed it.  

“She connected with students, not only on an academic level, but on a personal level,” said Carlton Daley, who serves as director of TRIO Student Support Services. “She’s very hard working and she manifests herself through her deeds.”

Her warmth and empathy extended beyond her students. Daley found that out first-hand three years ago when he missed extended time from work after undergoing a kidney transplant.  

“When I got a call from the hospital that they had found a kidney for me, she stepped up, in my place, to attend a college tour at the last minute,” Daley said. “[She] had to come [in] at like six o’clock in the morning to get everything ready.”  

Alleyne-McMayo was also a North Campus community mainstay. She was part of the Theodore Gibson Oratorical Project, served on the Haitian Flag Day and Caribbean Heritage Month committees and advised the IMWomen Club.

Outside of work, she was a devoted member of her church, Christ The King Catholic Parish in Palmetto Estates. She volunteered at holiday functions, cooking and donating items to help those in need.

In retirement, she plans to immerse herself into her role as a grandmother and spend more time with her family. 

“I feel good. I have given it my best shot,” Alleyne-McMayo said. “I have given a lot of years of work.”

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.