How do you help students make the most of their college experience?

I can mention internships, gaining research experience, joining student organizations, and building a rapport with their faculty and their academic advisor, and all of this is true. But it is equally true that your college experience should be an opportunity to explore, to laugh, to meet and befriend people you might never have met otherwise, and to be open to change.

What's one experience outside the classroom that shaped who you are today?

Making multiple cross-country moves throughout my adult life has opened me up to differences in a way I never expected. It helped to shift my frame of reference in useful ways. It also gave me the opportunity to live in some very beautiful areas of the country and to appreciate natural beauty in different geographical settings. Enjoying nature is not just some warm and fuzzy notion; it's far more important to one's interior development than they might think.

What's something you struggled with as a student, and what helped you in that situation?

Imposter syndrome. I am a first generation college student whose parents did not have money, and I lived in the hear of Chicago. Going to college with many other students who were raised in wealthy surrounding suburbs, and whose parents were college educated, often made me feel like a fake. I think the positive feedback I received from my faculty on the quality of my work, specifically the papers I wrote. Serving as a writing tutor in undergrad and helping my fellow students also empowered me.

Where did you grow up? What are some fun facts that others may not know about where you grew up?

In the heart of Chicago -- in Lincoln Park, before it became the stylish (and expensive) neighborhood it eventually became. For a brief period of time, I worked as a bouncer for a popular bar and dance club in the Gold Coast of Chicago. I quit largely because I was too relaxed and apathetic about my duties. That was an example of gaining experience in something you realize you don't want to do. I am also a high school dropout and finished my high school diploma at an alternative high school housed in one of the City Colleges of Chicago.