“Come to the edge," he said.
"We can't, we're afraid!" they responded.
"Come to the edge," he said.
"We can't, We will fall!" they responded.
"Come to the edge," he said.
And so they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.”
― Guillaume Apollinaire
Who helped me to fly? Family, friends, teachers, counselors, and even strangers played a part in helping me to succeed and follow my dreams. Some individuals contributed in obvious ways, others in more subtle ways. This has motivated me to Pay It Forward and share the generous help and support I received from others. This has been my calling throughout my career and I hope you (our students) will Pay It Forward when you have that opportunity.
Yes, advisors create an environment that helps students gather facts, solve problems, or think outside the box. The energy and magic of advising happens when trust, and sometimes vulnerability, are transformed into the essence of advising, making a heartfelt connection to be of service to another.
I do my best to ‘bring it’ every day and some days are more successful than others. This humbles me to know I have another day to be better than the day before. These are some of the values that I try to incorporate into my advising world to share with others. Compassion – To find compassion within ourselves, and to help others find theirs, is one of our highest callings.
Resilience – To move forward in the face of adversity is an invaluable skill that gets better with practice. “Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight.” Naoki Higashida
Humor – Humor can make a difficult road easier. It can help you remember how to smile when you think you forgot how to do it.
Forgiveness – In our fast-paced lives, we are quick to judge and sometimes forget to practice forgiveness or to give others the benefit-of-the-doubt.
Kindness – Kindness is a key that opens the door to healing others as well as ourselves.
My advising space fundamentally incorporates these values and I strive to provide a safe place for you to feel comfortable and confident to discuss and explore whatever is on your mind.
Yes, we will answer questions about majors and minors, academic policies, graduation requirements, and more. However, your journey through higher education is an amazing opportunity for personal growth. I believe the greatest growth occurs when you are challenged outside of your comfort zone. My advising space is open to support you when you are in that zone. This is the holistic support I offer and consider it a privilege to partner with you on your educational journey. A degree represents so many things; challenges overcome, achieving goals that once seemed far away, setting sights on new goals, personal transformation, looking for moments that take your breath away, and the opportunity to Pay It Forward.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Anonymous
