Advisor of the month: June 2026

Which National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Core Value resonates with you the most in your position as an advisor and why?

The NACADA Core Value of Caring resonates the most with me because I firmly believe an undergraduate program can be a pivotal and life-changing experience, so long as students are open to growth and change. To encourage a growth mindset, I need to meet my students where they are, envision where they are going, and honor where they have been. This means I need to build relationships with my students and actively participate in empathetic listening. Problem-solving with students is the best part of my job, and ensuring students know that I truly care about finding the best possible solutions to their concerns is imperative for maintaining trust. I utilize compassion to guide my suggestions, while challenging students to step outside their comfort zones and grow. Should failure happen (because that is an inevitable part of life), I am a soft-landing spot, offering encouragement to learn and grow from the experience; it is only ever a true failure if you do not learn from the experience!

 What advice would you give to other professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of their students?

Be real. Life is hard no matter what stage you are at, and students connect with those who don't try to sugarcoat or disregard things. I'm an open book; from needing a tutor to survive intro biology, to my emergency appendectomy my freshman year without my parents, to feeling lost because I didn't know what I was doing with my life, it all helps them realize that I'm a person as well as their instructor and advisor, and that I also struggled to get to where I am. Make those human connections.