Name: Allison Warren
Hometown: San Diego, CA. 
Major: English, Creative Writing. 
Engagement Track: Leadership 

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My EDGE Project In Academic Advising

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        For my EDGE Project, I volunteered in the Academic Advising Department at SUU. I decided to conduct my project here because I wanted to gain experience before I’m an adviser myself. I volunteered 9-10 hours a week for a month and did the following; shadowed appointments with advisers, helped the advisers plan events, shadowed the receptionists at the front desk, and volunteered alongside the ACEs or assistant advisers. One event that I helped the advisers plan for was “advis-a-palooza” which took place in the Starlight Room. This event was important because it allowed Freshman to meet with their advisers and remove their rack number before they registered for Spring semester classes.

       

        On the days where I was shadowing advisers, I participated in the ACEs’ Nest downstairs where underclassmen would visit with us and talk about how their semester was going, things they needed, etc. It was a great opportunity for me to connect with other students. Because I’m in my Senior year, I felt confident being able to answer any questions they had and be as helpful as possible. I’m very passionate about education so it was a joy to be able to be in that environment every week to help students feel more welcomed and motivated to succeed. The Academic Advising Department was very flexible in terms of the times I could come in and help. Overall, they made my EDGE Project experience one that I will always remember.

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        I was inspired to conduct this project by my academic adviser from last year, Katya Konkle. When I was a sophomore in college in California, I didn’t know what career path I wanted to follow. I felt lost and brought down by my uncertainty of the future. I then received a phone call from SUU. It was Katya! She wanted to talk to me before I transferred to SUU and she was incredibly helpful and sweet. From that day forward, I had a strong desire to work towards becoming an academic adviser one day. I figured that if I was going to spend 40 hours on a project that could benefit me – it had to be in the Academic Advising Department! Looking back, I know it was a good decision and fit for me.

 

        One of the major challenges I faced while trying to complete my project was when I would be able to start it. I had planned on beginning my project and finishing it in the Summer of 2017, however, I received a decent job that kept me very busy, on top of getting surgery at the end of the summer as well. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish my project before I began my last EDGE class in mid-October. Luckily, the head of the Academic Advising Department kindly let me begin my volunteering the second week of fall semester, to which I was able to complete my hours by the first week of October. I learned that doing an EDGE Project on campus is really nice because the people you’ll work/volunteer with will understand how important the project is and will be willing to help.

 

        I definitely feel like my project benefited people other than just myself. The academic advisers in the department were very appreciative of me being there because I was always willing to help them with anything they needed and learn from them. In addition, I thought about a time where I was with the ACEs and met a Freshman girl who told us she was lonely and felt like she didn’t have anyone to talk to. Being a Freshman once myself, I understood where she was coming from and befriended her. I texted her at last a couple times a week, with the hope that I could create a positive impact in her life. Lastly, I felt like I was able to help my friends and other students decide what they wanted to do for their EDGE project. I told them to conduct their project concerning something that they’re passionate about. I believe that an EDGE project should be both fun and engaging

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         My EDGE project in Academic Advising benefited me in several ways. First, by shadowing the academic advisers’ appointments with students, I was able to gain a broader knowledge as to what I should expect when I’m on the job. If anything, this made me even more passionate and sure that academic advising was what I wanted to go into. Secondly, the advisers helped me create the rest of my educational path. Before, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go on to graduate school, however, the advisers told me how beneficial it would be for me if I wanted to be an adviser. They directed me to the place where I could find out more information about SUU’s graduate studies and I’ve had a plan ever since! Lastly, my project humbled me more in terms of students and their success in education. In the month that I volunteered, I met several students who didn’t know what they wanted to study or what classes they needed to take. With the academic advisers’ help, the students who were once lost were able to find a defined path in their education. I saw how happy and relieved students were when they finally figured out what they wanted to major in. Like them, it brought me immense happiness as well.

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Reflective Quotations: 

 1. "You connect with all different kinds of students every day." - Katya Konkle. 

 2. "Thank you for helping me finally chose my major." - A student. 

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