April 5-9, 2021 is Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. To commemorate the service our Graduate Assistants do for the Division of Student Affairs, we reached out to their supervisors to talk about the work their GAs do for their respective offices.
Zana Morris on Vic Norris, Graduate Assistant for Intercultural Engagement, Office of Intercultural Engagement
“Vic Norris has been a graduate assistant in the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement since the fall of 2020. His leadership and guidance are unmatched. He gives his time, energy, and mentorship to multicultural organizations through advising and program planning. Vic brings light and joy into the office with a special sense of authenticity. The students have taken to him quickly and I am beyond thankful for his knowledge as I am a recently added member on staff. Without Vic, the office wouldn’t be the same.”
Staphany Coronado-Lopez on Fernanda Reyes, Graduate Assistant for Community Engagement, Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement
“As the Graduate Assistant for Community Engagement, Fernanda is primarily responsible for advising Alternative Breaks. The Covid-19 pandemic presented a new challenge, as the traditional way of offering the program was no longer possible. Fernanda advised and worked closely with her leadership team to develop new outreach and recruitment activities for the Alternative Breaks program. Fernanda’s ability to work independently and strong problem-solving skills has been vital for the success our office. of great value to us. We are so grateful for her work!”
Meghan Perez on Logan Judkins, Graduate Assistant for Leadership and Orientation Programs, Office of the Student Experience
Logan Judkins joined the Office of the Student Experience team in Fall 2020 and hit the ground running! Before the semester even began, Logan hosted outdoor movie nights to help welcome our newest Mustangs to the Hilltop! As the school year got underway, he supported the Caswell Leadership Fellows by facilitating leadership workshops, coaching students on their impact projects, and developing them as leaders. Logan was also instrumental in coordinating January Stampede 2021! Through his various projects within StuEx, it is clear to see that Logan cares about SMU and helping to create an environment for world changers!
Nathan Faust on Jessica Borne, Residential Community Director for Mary-Hay Peyton Shuttles Commons
Jessica Borne currently serves as the Assistant Residential Community Director for Mary Hay Peyton Shuttles Commons – or for somewhat shorter, she’s the ARCD for MHPS! Jess stepped into this role during a unique time in housing due to Covid-19, however she did not let that stop her from hitting the ground running. She directly advises our Commons Council who are responsible for programming for the MHPS community and co-supervises our 11 Resident Assistants with myself, the Residential Community Director. In addition to that, she oversees all of MHPS programming efforts by both the Commons Council and RAs including our traditional program Taste of Diversity, and a new program she developed with our student leaders called the MHPS Carnival! As Jess works towards completing her first year as the MHPS ARCD, she is taking on more responsibilities in Student Conduct and roommate mediation, student staff training, and other departmental involvements such as committee involvement and individual projects that align with her academics.
Matt Nadler on Cody Dumas, Kayley Carter, and Mark Cordero, Graduate Assistants in RLSH
Cody Dumas is a current second-year student in the Higher Education program and the Assistant Residential Community Director for the Hillcrest Houses. In the position Cody assists with supervising and leading RA staff meetings, advising Community Council, and addressing facility and resident concerns – he is truly an invaluable member of the team! Recently Cody was able to utilize his love for Big Brother by working to create a friendly competition-style program for Upper Division Housing residents. Thank you for all the hard work Cody, and I excited to see what the future holds for you.
Kayley Carter is a current first-year student in the Higher Education program and serves as the Assistant Residential Community Director for Daniel House. In her role, Kayley has been tasked with opening a new residence hall and assisting the Resident Assistants and the Community Council in developing a unique community that residents can grow in. In her role, she has taken on additional responsibilities through assisting with research interviews and utilizing her design skills to create promotional materials as well as designing our community newsletter. I am thrilled to be welcoming Kayley back next year as a second-year Graduate Assistant and the Assistant Residential Community Director for Upper Division Housing.
Mark Cordero is a second-year master’s student in the Higher Education program and is completing his tenure as the Graduate Assistant for the Housing Unification Board (HUB). Throughout his time with this student leader group, Mark has given countless hours to ensure that student leaders feel supported and heard in their roles. He has assisted with numerous departmental projects including RA signing day, as well as HUB-specific advising responsibilities where he works with student leaders to achieve their goals. Mark will be graduating this May and while he will be missed, I am excited about his next adventure. Thank you for all you’ve done Mark!
Kristin Smart on Dani Meyers, Graduate Assistant for Career Development, Hegi Family Career Development Center
Dani is an engaged Master’s of Higher Education student and Graduate Assistant with the Hegi Family Career Development Center (HFCDC). When Dani joined the HFCDC in 2019, she quickly learned how to navigate her coursework and job responsibilities and began taking on additional projects! In the career center, we prioritize counseling and coaching students in their career development, creating innovative and informative programming, and professional communication and service for all students; and Dani accomplishes all of these tasks exceedingly well. She is not only capable and hard-working, but is also passionate about her work and development in the field of higher education. Dani goes above and beyond; always finding ways to innovate and create new events as well as further develop existing programs and help students. We have been so grateful to have her as the Graduate Assistant for Career Development in the HFCDC the past 2 years!
Sandra Scheidegger on Hannah Schied, Graduate Assistant for Employer Relations, Hegi Family Career Development Center
Hannah has been such a great presence on the Hegi Family Career Development Center team! She is engaged in her work, and she consistently contributes things of value to the team. Hannah is receptive to providing a helpful student voice to various discussions, and she approaches situations with rationale and good thought. The Hegi team wishes Hannah the best in her future endeavors!
Lauren Chapman on Jade Webb, Graduate Assistant for Programs and Events, Department of Student Involvement
Jade Webb, Student Involvement Graduate Assistant, is a key part of the team. She has made her mark on so many of our programs and initiatives, including FSLead, the Student Senate Organizations Committee, and co-advisor to Student Foundation. She’s also the creative mind behind our popular Hughes-Trigg Grab & Go opportunities – if you enjoyed a Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, or Mardi Gras-themed grab bag, you have Jade to thank!
Dr. Sidney Gardner on Colleen Collins, Graduate Assistant for the Women and LGBT Center
This year has been particularly challenging as a one person shop. The pandemic has highlighted how isolating it can be when you are without daily interaction with other staff or students. The brightest spot for me this year was getting the honor to work with Colleen Collins as my graduate assistant. There are not enough ways to say how truly exceptional Colleen has been in this role. Since stepping into this role in August, she has not only jumped in and re-designed our entire social media presence, she has also taken an active role in advising our student leaders with such strength and thoughtful guidance. She is such a rare GA that is able to not only accomplish what she is given in record time, but she is also able to anticipate both what I may need as well as the larger needs of the center. This year alone, she has served as a webinar tech, a content manager, a podcast editor, a project manager, an advisor, and a sounding board for all things related to running a center during a pandemic. She has also been able to do all of this as a busy 1L in Dedman College of Law and all from her home in Florida. I owe so much of our accomplishments this year to the dedication of our phenomenal GA, Colleen Collins.
Bonnie Hainline on Hannah Curtis, Graduate Assistant for Sports Clubs, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports
Hannah Curtis serves as the Sport Club Graduate Assistant within Campus Recreation. We appreciate Hannah’s work ethic, passion for helping each student succeed, keen sense of organization, and positive attitude. Hannah is an incredible resource for our Sport Club Officers as they are able to reach out to her for questions, concerns, and general help on how they can succeed. One of Hannah’s signature marks on the program are her weekly “Hannah’s Helpful Hints” that she sends to our Sport Club Officers to help them track of due dates, expectations, and opportunities coming up. It is without question, that Hannah has a positive and helpful impact on the student Sport Club experience at SMU.
Dr. Allison Kanny on Emily Rasch, Graduate Assistant for Student Affairs Administration
Emily Rasch—Graduate Assistant for Student Affairs Administration…Where to begin… Our team has had the impossibly good fortune of adding Emily to our mix this year, and her presence is a breath of fresh air in every way. She is authentic, intuitive, earnest, and so, so bright and promising in this field. Her passion for constant learning and service is commendable and it has been a true pleasure working with her this past year. She has brought a unique perspective to the work SA Administration is endeavoring to get off the ground, and I am confident that when I look back on this time years from now, I will always remember Emily as an integral piece of the foundation of our office. While the fabulous work product and personal growth and development I’ve witnessed in Emily this past year begs great mention, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also speak in the converse—Emily is teaching me. She is teaching me how to be a better supervisor, employee, higher education professional, and human. And THAT is one of Emily’s attributes that I find most special, and one of the great gifts of having a Graduate Assistant like her.