As a new Academic Advisor who was previously a middle school special education teacher, I work with a Developmental Advising approach.  The attribute that first excited me about this approach was that the advisor has to learn about each student’s life goals to advise them. Building relationships with students, having them feel comfortable sharing their goals & obstacles, and helping them figure out how to meet those goals and overcome those obstacles has been the most rewarding part of my experience in education. 

The purpose of knowing who my students are and what they want to achieve is, of course, to help them get there! Once their needs are understood (whether explicitly or implicitly shared), I have resources & supports available to share. I have attended trainings for various “safe zones” and have made connections with “Run With Your Pack” resource centers & student organizations, career services, financial aid, tutoring, and much more! 

One model of Developmental Academic Advising states “higher education provid[es] opportunities for students to develop a plan to achieve self-fulfilling lives”. I am excited to be one of the supports that helps students with this achievement.