Wayne State University is like a city within a city with 7,700 employees and more than 27,000 students, accounting for a total campus population of nearly 35,000. In an effort to learn more about our faculty and staff; their passions, hobbies, and personal history at the university, Today@Wayne will regularly feature stories about employees in a column titled “Getting to Know.”

Take one minute to speak with Andrew Carter and it’s evident he’s passionate about connecting people with what they need.

During the week, you can find Carter helping first-generation Wayne State students navigate the world of financial aid at the Welcome Center. On weekends, you might catch him offering boutique-quality beverages to passersby near his home in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. Anywhere you spot him, Carter will tell you his purpose is that of a social servant.

The 30-year-old financial aid officer has been working in Outreach and Retention at Wayne State since 2014. But he’s no stranger to WSU – in fact, he graduated from the university in 2010 with a degree in philosophy.

“As a philosopher, one of the things I’m committed to is education and service to people. Anything I can do to promote social equity and cultural accessibility for everyone is something I like,” Carter said. “So the opportunity to connect students to money and resources that are available is something that naturally appeals to me.”

When he’s not counseling students, Carter still strives to connect people to resources. He’s co-founded Spot People Coffee, an organization that provides top-quality coffee and herbal tea to people in public spaces at an inclusive price point: zero dollars. Spot People is a pop-up operation that has appeared at such places as Rosa Parks Transit Center, Cass Park, and along the Woodward and Dexter bus routes. Currently, the project is sponsored by Café con Leche, a roaster and café in New Center.

“We partner with Detroit coffee entrepreneurs and take their surplus product to dispense — for free — at public places,” Carter said. “And because Wayne State connects me to other social servants, at Spot People we’ve seen some magical, spontaneous and compassionate stuff happen. For example, we’ve had some homeless veterans get connected to Social Security counseling on the spot.”

If you can’t find Carter elsewhere, check Fringe Society Studios, where he assists with program development and implementation. Located just north of campus, Fringe Society educates, inspires, honors and connects diverse communities through textile craft and education. The studio was founded by Carter’s friend and fellow Wayne State alum Levon Kafafian. The studio recently received a Knights Arts Challenge award. Using the award monies, Fringe Society will create performance art lessons in storefront windows on the Livernois Avenue of Fashion, turning them into temporary studios for spinning, dyeing and weaving fabrics.

(If you would like to nominate a Wayne State employee for a future “Getting to Know” feature story, please send your recommendation to media@wayne.edu.)