Academic Advisor, Academic Standards Board
About
What is your advising philosophy? My basic advising philosophy is to provide information and support for students’ academic and personal goals; however, the ultimate decisions or actions taken on this information or support is the student's responsibility. It can be daunting for new students to begin making decision for themselves, and sometimes they may make poor choices (Hey, welcome to adulthood!); nevertheless, there is a chance for learning in these instances. As advisors, we work to determine what student can learn from these moments and how they might move forward, but initiative in this process must come from the student.
What was your path to Newnan? My path to Newnan has been winding, but I am at peace with my wandering. I came to Michigan shortly after the recession of 2008. I was divided between becoming a professor or working in support of students, and I chose the latter. Similar to the students that we work with, I entered graduate school planning to become professor, but, in the end, I learned I had a wider interest in wanting to bring academics and wider student development together. The recession assisted with this decision-making process; however, I also have family in Detroit, and that helped too.
What do you enjoy about working in Newnan? Perhaps the thing that I enjoy most about advising is being able to step outside of the 'grade-relationship' that students have with professors. Grades and other marks of success are important -- we are a research one university, after all -- however, students also learn through other experiences while at Michigan. As Newnan advisors we have a unique opportunity to make connections between those academic, personal, and aspirational aspects of undergraduate life at Michigan.
Class you loved and why? I don't have a specific course, but rather I have found that I have enjoyed courses that have explored the gray areas. I find questions of value, beliefs, belonging, and ethics as they operate in culture and society more engaging than trying to reach some 'exact' answer. The world we live in does not provide easy answers, and I believe broad and comprehensive learning provides the best lens to see our world for what it is and to find out place in it.
