Advisor of the month: March 2025

What do you enjoy about your role in advising?

I think above all, I enjoy getting to know my students on a deeper level. I love hearing about their families, home, dreams, aspirations, struggles and being a soft place to land when times are hard. I enjoy advocating for my students, meeting them where they are and helping make their academic journey a little easier by being their champion. At graduation each year, I’m giving the loudest cheers when our students walk across that stage - so grateful to get to be a part of their journey.

In what ways have you contributed to advising in your department/area?

Serving on our curriculum committees, I bring the student voice to address issues in the curriculum that affect progress towards degree. My efforts to address curriculum resulted in being asked to co-teach our school's first-year experience course for the first time. I was instrumental in helping to get our FYE created and approved through the university's first-year experience office and this fall is the first time that advising/community building are a focus in our curriculum.

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

I would tell them to keep your door open, be a good listener, walk around campus, sit in on classes, engage with our undergraduates, and empathize with them. For many students, college can be overwhelming and unfamiliar. I think it’s incredibly important to stay “open.” In a troubled world, where you may not know what someone may be going through - be OPEN. Whether it’s your office door, your mind, or your heart. Everybody, always.