I attended Northern Illinois University (NIU) for my Bachelor of Arts’ degree in Sociology. Also, for my M.S.Ed. in Adult & Higher Education: Student Affairs. During my undergraduate career, I was very passionate about my sociology path and interested in criminal justice. Before senior year started, an individual in the housing department asked if I had thought about working in higher education. They encouraged me to take an introduction course about what student affairs is and what it means to be a higher education professional. I was fascinated by the concept of student development. Instead of job searching, I applied for graduate school instead.

I started as a graduate assistant in admissions at NIU. During those two years, I coordinated large group tours and supervised tour guides. I got an insight into what college admissions entailed. After graduation, I decided to move out of Illinois and accepted an online enrollment counselor position with The University of Alabama. I helped students with the enrollment process for online programs and assisted with UA’s recruitment efforts.

While I enjoyed the online recruitment role, I realized that I wanted to form longer term relationships with students. I enjoyed getting to know students during the enrollment process. However, after they were admitted, I would never hear from them again as they moved on to their next chapter. Considering all of this, I thought academic advising might be a better fit for me. I applied to different positions focused on the Midwest and in early 2018, I started at Michigan State University (MSU). My dog, husband, and I had moved to Michigan without ever having been to Michigan before. For a few years, I worked in MSU’s College of Business and moved to the Department of Psychology in 2023.

Your nominator mentioned that you have experience with large caseloads and said that you have a unique way of making students feel cared for and that they are more than a number. How do you go about forging relationships and building rapport with students?

For context, the current office I work in has 2,200 students with six advisors. Forming student connections is something that is important to me. It “fills my bucket” as my old supervisor would say. The institution I attended had over 20,000 students enrolled. It is easy in a school that large to feel lost in the shuffle. However, I appreciated it when my sociology advisor took time to ask questions to get to know me. She really tried to be personable with me but still also answered all my questions. I always felt that my advisor “heard” me and listened. Now that I am advising, I really try to “pay it forward” with my students. No matter the length of the appointment, I try to ask questions to learn how they are doing and how they are an individual. I strive to form some sort of connection with them. On a surface level, I ask questions such as “how are you doing?” “What is your favorite class?”. If I have students that are stressed out, I ask about self-care, hobbies, etc. to help calm them. For example, I had a student today who was stressed out about one of their required classes. First, we discussed remedies and university resources to consider trying to improve her grade. Afterwards, I started asking her what she could be doing for self-care to reduce her stress. She responded that she likes to listen to music. I asked what kind of music she listened to. During our dialogue, we found a similar music interest in Taylor Swift.

MSU has over 50,000 students. It is easy for students here to feel “lost” in the sea of students. My goal is for students to know that they have someone rooting for them. Now, I would be lying if I said that there weren’t days that can be tiring with having a large advising case load. However, I tell myself that if I helped at least one person a day, I would have done my job.

On a final note, about establishing connections with big caseloads, I want to mention that our team does not assign one advisor to each student. The students can meet with anyone on our advising team through appointments or drop-ins. However, I do recognize that some students feel more comfortable with having one point person to reach out to. When I meet with them, I remind them that anyone on our team can help them. However, if they feel more comfortable connecting with one person, they can continue to seek available appointments with that person or email them to continue to build rapport.

Similarly, with a caseload that large, how do you manage time and what advice would you give?

I live by my Outlook calendar where all my appointments are listed and color coded. In addition to student appointments, I put everything else on there like doctors’ appointments, to-do tasks, committee meetings. I also use a checklist daily to monitor my tasks that I need to complete. I recommend advisors figure out what time management tool works best for them to monitor their deadlines and tasks.

What brings you joy outside of work?

My family brings me joy: my children, husband, and dog.

They are the light of my life. I love exercising. It calms me after a busy day. I really try to prioritize getting at least 30 minutes of movement daily. Recently, I started getting back into reading. I enjoy reading on my Kindle (specifically mysteries and thrillers).

What advice would you give to new advisors?

 

I would say remain patient. It is a process to learn university policies, curriculum, your student population, etc. Give yourself a year to feel comfortable. Regardless of if you’ve been advising for 1 year or 20 years, always ask questions. Continuously try to learn. Also, if a student asks a question and you don’t know, don’t hesitate to tell them you’ll get back to them.

Practice self-care. This is a tiring job. Give yourself time to breathe after work. Refill your “bucket” so you can be motivated to go back the next day.