Where Are They Now?

• Grad Program: Counseling and Student Personnel - College Student Affairs track
• Residential Life Assistantship: Student Service Coordinator from 2021-2023
• Why did you come to MSU? For my undergrad I simply came for the colors and for grad school I came back because it had become home and I was not ready to leave just yet.
• Where are you currently working and in what capacity? I am currently at the University of Kentucky as a Resident Director.
• What did you enjoy about being an SSC? I enjoyed all the interactions and relationships I formed with the residents and my desk assistants, a lot of which I still keep up with today. I also really enjoyed advocating for myself and minorities while being given the opportunity to work with many different campus partners. I really enjoyed programming, including hosting some of my own events, being included in programming and working with the Hall Directors on programming and visibility events. Lastly, I absolutely loved the relationships I formed with the custodial staff, the general repair workers and the administrative assistants in the main office. All these individuals made everyday life jovial, less stressful and overall fun. Shout out to my supervisor Emily Ender for always being willing to help and take the load off of the SSC's as well as the guidance.
• How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an SSC helped you in your current role? The administrative aspect of the job was the biggest transferable skill I gained. All the systems like StarRez, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel etc. have helped me tremendously in my current job. Even the department culture of organization and using lists has really helped me run my building and supervise my staff well. I was even able to share that particular skill and introduce it and transfer it where I am currently. All the advice I received from various mentors like Cindy Janney, the Residential Life Director and Matt Burns, Safety & Services Specialist among others, was priceless and is advice I try to apply in my day-to-day professional life. 
• What is your favorite experience/memory of being an SSC? My most impactful memories were advocating for myself and my staff and being given the space to do so. My favorite memories were all the visibility events I did with my Hall Directors. Shout out to former Hall Director Timothy Schmiesing, Assistant Director Peter Hausladen, and Hall Director Griffin Hart for being the absolute best, always having my back and being team players and inclusive.

• Grad Program: Counseling and Student Personnel - College Student Affairs track
• Residential Life Assistantship:Student Service Coordinator from 2021-2023
• Why did you come to MSU? The program was unmatched compared to others in my field!
• Where are you currently working and in what capacity? I am currently a Career Advisor for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay (my hometown!)
• What did you enjoy about being an SSC? The personal connections I made with my Desk Assistant (DA) staff, the Community Advisor (CA) staff, my coworkers, my supervisors and others within the department (and across campus!) 
• How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an SSC helped you in your current role? Understanding how to work effectively as a team but also on my own, balancing self-care and work, how to be an effective supervisor, and learning the inner workings of a department in higher education.
• What is your favorite experience/memory of being an SSC? The annual Crawford Carnival - it was so much fun to plan and put on, seeing all of the CAs and students from all over campus come together to have some end-of-semester fun!

Grad Program: CSP – Professional School Counseling

Residential Life Assistantship: Student Service Coordinator from 2020-2022

Why did you come to MSU? I decided to attend MSU because of their wonderful school counseling graduate program and graduate assistant opportunities. I saw MSU as a place that would provide me with tremendous growth both academically and professionally, as well as a place to develop supportive relationships with peers and mentors. I also enjoyed the location of Mankato. This area offers beautiful scenery and fun outdoor activities, and it is just a short drive to the Twin Cities.

Where are you currently working and in what capacity? I am currently working as a school counselor at Byron Middle School in Bryon, MN. I work with students in grades 6-8 and support them in their personal, social, and academic growth and success. I meet with students individually to work on areas including calming anxiety, managing anger, navigating friendship concerns, and focusing in class. I also hold groups for students to work towards a shared goal, and pop into classrooms to teach lessons too. These students are very fun to get to know and work with. You never know what each day is going to bring.

What did you enjoy about being an SSC?  I look back at being an SSC and something I enjoyed most was the connections I made with my staff and the students. These connections allowed me to be a level of support for these students and create some friendships as well. This role also provided me with great experiences and new knowledge being in a supervision role, and helping students in both similar and new ways than I do as a school counselor.

How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an SSC helped you in your current role? Being an SSC allowed me to apply quite a bit of knowledge and strategies I was learning during my classes and throughout my school counseling internship. This role also brought me new challenges and experiences that allowed me to take away new skills. As an SSC, I was able to grow my skills in connecting with students and developing creative activities to support students and their concerns. Connecting with students is central to my work as a school counselor, and these relationships with my students grow their comfort levels coming to me for support. Creating activities is an additional skill I continue to use in my current role to keep students engaged in our sessions and help them work towards their personal-social goals.

What is your favorite experience/memory of being an SSC? My favorite memory of being an SSC was holding a desk event during October called "Spooky Conversations" where I provided resources to students on navigating roommate conflicts and talking about race, with some treats too. We also had the front desk decorated for fall and Halloween which seemed to bring a smile to a lot of students and my desk staff, and brought more engagement to the front desk.

Grad Program: CSP – Student Affairs

Residential Life Assistantship: Academic Success Coordinator from 2020-2022

Why did you come to MSU? I wanted to attend a Master’s degree program that had a strong counseling base combined with traditional student affairs coursework, given how important counseling is to the Student Affairs profession. MNSU offered the curriculum I was hoping for and I was excited by the opportunity to work in two different functional areas during my second year of the program.

Where are you currently working and in what capacity? I currently work as a Project Associate for the National Survey of Student Engagement in the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. I am also attending IU as a PhD student in Higher Education.

What did you enjoy about being an ASC? I appreciated the opportunity to develop programs and use my creativity to reach students and connect with them. I also loved having the support of the department to explore professional development activities that helped me further my professional interests.

How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an ASC helped you in your current role? The ASC role really required me to be self-driven in completing my tasks and connecting with students. Those are skills I use now as I pursue my PhD and develop a research agenda.

What is your favorite experience/memory of being an ASC? My favorite memory of being an ASC was during the end of the room checks when I would assist other communities to ensure a smooth check out for students. I really enjoyed the opportunity to help others in the department and connect with students as they reflected on their experience in res life at MNSU!

Grad Program: CSP College Student Affairs

Residential Life Assistantship: Student Services Coordinator from 2019-2021

Why did you come to MSU?

I came to MSU as I was looking for a graduate school experience where I could learn and get practical experience working in my field of study.

Where are you currently working and in what capacity?

I am currently working as a Hall Director at Lakeland University.

What did you enjoy about being an SSC?

While I was SSC, I enjoyed supervising the front desk and getting the opportunity to work closely with the desk workers to provide services for the residents of the building. Sitting at the desk, chatting with residents, or tracking down a misplaced package were things that made me feel like I was making a positive impact on students. I liked that I was kind on the front line, responding to the needs of the community.

How have the experiences and skills you gained from being a SSC helped you in your current role?

The SSC position called for a lot of administrative and organizational skills to balance the expectations of the role. I really beefed up those skills while I was an SSC and now feel prepared to handle the administrative side of running a residence hall. I also identify the experience of supervising student staff as vital to my current work. Having supervised students in the past makes supervising my current staff much easier.

What is your favorite experience/memory of being a SSC?

My favorite experience of being an SSC was the connections I was able to make with the students I worked with. The connections I made with people grew beyond one-off solutions to a problem or just being a desk supervisor. THe friendships that came from my work mean the world to me.

Grad Program: Sociology - Human Service Planning and Administration with College Teaching Emphasis

Residential Life Assistantship: Student Service Coordinator from 2017-2019

Why did you come to MSU?

MSU was the perfect match for me. It provided a traditional campus experience, numerous resources, graduate assistantships, and most importantly the faculty and staff shared my professional interests.

Where are you currently working and in what capacity?

I am currently working as a full-time TRIO Advisor and Retention Specialist at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul.

What did you enjoy about being an SSC?

Working and living with a community of higher ed professionals, graduate students, community advisors, and residents to enhance the college experience on campus.

How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an SSC helped you in your current role?

I continue to perform many administrative tasks that I was responsible for as an SSC - such as managing a budget, record keeping, hiring/training/supervising, and collaborating with campus resources for programming.

What is your favorite experience/memory of being an SSC?

Move-in Day and Welcome Week (but also all the work and excitement that went behind the scenes in preparing for the start of the year!)

Grad Program: CSP College Student Affairs

Residential Life Assistantship: Student Services Coordinator from 2019-2021

Why did you come to MSU?

I came to MSU after receiving a position offer through the Oshkosh Placement Exchange graduate school interview process for the SSC position. I appreciated the benefits that were given in the role and was impressed with how supportive the Residential Life staff seemed to be with what my future would look like in Mankato. The university reminded me of home and I felt comfortable stepping out of Wisconsin to try something new.

Where are you currently working and in what capacity?

After graduating and interviewing for positions for some time, I was fortunate to find a position working with University of Wisconsin Extended Campus. In my role here as a Success Coach, I serve as primary advisor and mentor for non-traditional students’ undergraduate or graduate degree. Through UW Extended Campus, we partner with the other UW colleges and additionally offer advising support for competency based-Flexible Option education. This is intended for individuals who are self-directed and looking to start or finish a degree or improve their professional growth within a company.

What did you enjoy about being an SSC?

There were many parts of the SSC role that were enjoyable! I believe that my favorite part was being comfortably pushed to learn how to be my best self as a Student Affairs professional. The Residential Life team gave me the space to learn and I never felt that I wasn’t supported, even amidst a pandemic. The role helped me find my administrative strengths and helped me target areas to work on improving.

How have the experiences and skills you gained from being an SSC helped you in your current role?

The role that I am currently in pushes me to keep testing my abilities with task management and administrative juggling, while wearing many different hats in the process. I feel that the SSC position, partnered with this graduate degree, pushed me to work with many peoples’ different styles and ways of thought.  

What is your favorite experience/memory of being an SSC?

My favorite memory from being an SSC was participating on the Residential Life softball team competing against students and student staff. Although we were guaranteed to loose, we had a great time!