When you meet with students, what's most important to you?

I think finding a way to connect is most important. Students experience so much in their time here: highs, lows, and everything in between. Having the opportunity to celebrate the wins is awesome, but earning the trust necessary to have those open, honest conversations about struggles is so important. The option to have those conversations doesn't exist without making a connection and building that trust.

What's an opportunity you took in college that you're glad you didn't miss? 

I was a non-traditional student at a university with far fewer opportunities than Michigan offers, so I can't say I took advantage of any in college. That actually informs the enthusiasm I express to students when they tell me of the opportunities - whether they be study abroad, research, internships, or what have you - they are exploring or considering.

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

As a first-generation student, I struggled with navigating college in general. Fresh out of high school, I found myself at a college I couldn't afford and in a major I was unprepared for. Those were decisions I made from a place of ignorance, and they led me to stopping out. When I returned to college decades later I sought out the support I needed to find success. I leaned on the advisors, professors, and various support agencies to help resolve struggles before they got too big to overcome. I'm grateful for the relationships I developed when I returned to school that helped me overcome the obstacles I faced not only as a first-generation student but as a non-traditional student as well. I'm also gruntled that I get to act in that capacity for the students I am honored to work with who are facing similar difficulties.

What are some places you've lived or traveled to? How have those places influenced who you are or how you see the world today?

I've been fortunate to live in a lot of different places, and visit many more. I've lived in Japan, Korea, and Italy, and visited many Asian and European countries. I've also lived in states from Alaska to Virginia, and have ridden a motorcycle from Anchorage, to Prudhoe Bay, to Key West, and back to Anchorage. All of these places have given me a deeper understanding of our similarities and differences, and that it's those differences that make the world such an awesome place.