Meet the Team
While the drive to support students is active throughout the AU community, the university has intentionally created a team of experts to focus on the many aspects of success students face during their college journey. The cohort includes a dozen academic advisors, as well as specialty advisors focusing on careers in the health sciences, business internships, student teaching, and social work clinical placements. Here are just a few of the people helping AU students to succeed.
Jennifer Buckley
Senior Vice President for Student Success
Most important piece of advice for students: Seek out a support network on campus. These are the people that will help lift you up and point you in the right direction when you need it. They are also the people that will celebrate all your accomplishments. Mentors are critical to student success. We all need these individuals in our life.
Success is … All about growing yourself. It is taking ownership, responsibility, and action toward a worthy goal or ideal.
Chris de Kok
Director of Leadership Development for Student Organizations
Most important piece of advice for students: If you’re interested in a particular field, start getting involved with it as early as you can. It’s never too soon to start building relevant experience.
Success is … Often more about the journey. Setting goals and working toward them is a great way to stay on track, but it is also important to stay flexible and pay attention to the things you learn along the way.
Tory Nair
Director of Career Services
Most important piece of advice for students: Take advantage of every opportunity to try something new. You never know what it might lead to and how it will change your life.
Success is … Defined and achieved differently by everyone, and can change over one’s lifetime. However, a true measure of success is living a life you don’t feel like you need to escape from.
Brynn Speh
Dean of Student Success
Most important piece of advice for students: Try new things to discover what works for you. Study in different locations, attend different student organization meetings, take classes in different disciplines.
Success is … Feeling content with your accomplishments. If you can end the day knowing that you learned from the decisions you made, the things you said, or the tasks you took on, I consider that success.
Teri Tomaszkiewicz
Senior Vice President for Alumni Relations and Career Services
Most important piece of advice for students: Don’t wait until your last semester to think about your career path.
Success is … Doing better today than you did yesterday.
Kendra Trudo
Director of Academic Advising
Most important piece of advice for students: Every single moment is preparing you for the next, so choose to see the hardships as something wonderful as you grow. Your dreams are worth fighting for!
Success is … Honoring your inner compass instead of letting others’ expectations guide you.