After the buzz of December with finals week, graduation and Christmas comes January Term. J-term is a time that I have grown to love as it is a chance to take a breather after a long but fun semester. This J-term proved to be more eventful than most for me because I made a move.
Not to a new house, but to a new position as an academic counselor at St. Thomas after having worked in Multicultural Student Services for the past few years.
I was a self-proclaimed “big school” person, and when I began working at UST in July 2007 I didn’t know what to expect. Only having worked at large, public schools, I knew I was going to experience a big change in working for this smaller Catholic institution.
In the last couple of years, I have gained a strong appreciation for a liberal arts education. I have witnessed firsthand the amazing opportunities that students have here. I have had the pleasure of getting to know many students, staff and faculty and have grown to love the close-knit community that St. Thomas embodies. I strongly believe in this institution, its people and its programs.
My love for UST and our students, coupled with my interest in Academic Counseling, led me to pursue a new position. I feel incredibly blessed to continue to work here and continue to serve our students in a new role!
As an academic counselor, I am charged to assist undergraduate students with registration, understanding graduation requirements, major/minor selection and much more. What I love about my new job is that every appointment presents a new question or challenge; no two appointments are the same. It definitely keeps like interesting!
I often get the question, “Do you miss MSS and Linkages?” The answer is “yes.” Linkages and MSS will always have a special place in my heart because I love the people and the wonderful experience. One of the great things about my new job is that I also am the liaison to MSS, so I have the ability to continue to work with Linkages and other MSS programs in a new way!
As a former athlete, I thrive on challenges. I love this challenge of learning a new aspect of higher education that is vastly different than the previous positions I held. While the nature of my work has changed, one aspect has not: I am still charged to serve students. Academic Counseling is where my heart is, and being a counselor is a perfect fit that rolls all of my interests into one position.
New semester, new position, but same great institution!
