What is your advising philosophy? I think of the role of advisors like the bumpers on a bowling lane. It's our job to support students when they need it at any point on their journey toward their goals. We're here to keep students on track and provide a bit of advice here and there, but ultimately it's their choice to decide where to throw the ball down the lane and what spin to put on it. There's no one right way to knock down the pins and that's the fun of it all.

What was your path to Newnan? After completing my undergraduate degree I came straight to UM to pursue a Master's in Higher Education. I started as a General Advisor in the office and grew to love working closely with undergraduate students. I also continued to develop my skills and enjoyment of large and small-scale student communication and engagement efforts. I transitioned to the role of Coordinator for Advising Communication and Engagement and eventually applied for my current position as Associate Director. I couldn't be happier to continue growing and learning at Newnan while still staying close to my first professional roots in advising.

What do you enjoy about working in Newnan? Our students are incredible! It's great to see each of them navigating UM in their own special way. I've learned something new every day be it directly from one of our students or because of an experience others have had working with them. The office community is also wonderful. It's nice to know that the people here truly care about supporting students and supporting each other.  

Class you loved and why? Introduction to Children's Literature

As someone who has always loved reading, learning about this new way to study literature and its impact on our lives was fascinating. I loved learning about children's literature from picture books and their composition all the way through young adult literature, and how it is infused with themes from adult literature. I still use the things I learned in that class today with my kiddo. 

Interests and hobbies: I love spending time with family and friends, watching Youtube and television (especially reality competition shows), scrolling Reddit, and attending sporting events and concerts!