This story is part of Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special.
Tracey Frazier-Akparawa’s nameplate sits on her desk in the Office of the Provost.
But students know her by a different name.
“They call me Auntie Tracey,” Akparawa said.
The Maryland native is the receptionist and office manager for the Office of the Provost. She’s the first face you see walking into the office and its gatekeeper. She plans meetings, coordinates with deans and senior leaders across campus, and helps plan events like new faculty orientation and commencement.
When she is away from her desk, Akparawa takes on a different role. Often, during her lunch hour, she leads an informal prayer group for students in which she receives prayer requests, listens, or sometimes just offers a hug.
“It’s a little community,” she said. “The students in the community truly bring me joy.”
Akparawa joined Georgetown 14 years ago after working for the federal government and a nonprofit dental association. The role at Georgetown “fit like a glove,” she said. In the years since, she has navigated the provost’s office through leadership transitions, construction projects, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way, she’s extended the spirit of hospitality she learned from her mother to her work and the students she supports.
Learn more about the face behind the desk, Akparawa’s love for dancing, and what she wishes people knew about her.
My job is like: A former colleague described it as the provost keeps Georgetown on course. I never forgot that. We make the train run. It stuck in my brain and made me appreciate making everyone else’s job smoother.
As the receptionist, every face that comes in sees me first. So, I’m the gatekeeper, but simultaneously, as the office manager, I ensure stuff runs smoothly. My job also consists of a lot of event planning every year with the new faculty orientation and commencement. It never gets old. You would think it would be repetitive, but it’s always exciting, especially if you’re a person like me who loves making the train run.
Why students call me Auntie Tracey: After COVID-19, people were feeling so distanced. I was telling [students] that I have this noonday prayer I do for my church during my lunch hour. Some of them wanted to come and listen. It became a thing.
I always follow the Holy Spirit. I listen to what they need, and then I pray about that. Sometimes, we don’t even pray; I just listen. Sometimes, it’s just a hug or inquiring about classes. The students call me Auntie Tracey, and I call them my lambs. It’s a little community, and the students in the community truly bring me joy. It is all about relationships.
We often talk about leadership or titles. Yeah, I’m just a receptionist, an office manager, but the inner game … how can I say it? It’s about ensuring that you’re taking care of your inner game so that the public version of you provides the needed leadership. I’m providing the leadership that God wants me to offer them, or mentorship, or making them feel like they have a friend on campus — someone who sees them. Even when things become overwhelming, there is somebody who honors them.
How Jesuit spirituality has influenced my faith: It’s enhanced it. When I first came here, Fr. Duffy used to be in the Provost’s Office. He was such a remarkable Jesuit. I started going to noonday Mass and listening to his sermons. That became my favorite place. I knew I could freely exercise my faith here. I felt like coming here and working at a Jesuit university; I heard my God-given purpose more, specifically with the students. So, I think my faith became more prosperous and better. I felt freer.
