CEPS Advising Center
Originally from Wisconsin, Jennifer Martin moved to Laramie in 2002. She has worked
for the University of Wyoming since moving here and loves all that the university
offers to students and to the state. While working full time, she completed a bachelor’s
degree in communications in May 2011 and a master of arts in educational administration
in May 2016. Through her work and school experiences, she discovered a love for academic
advising and has taken every opportunity to expand and improve her advising skills.
If you have any questions regarding degree programs, class schedules, registration,
petitions, advising, or any other academic related inquiries, please don’t hesitate
to set up a time to meet with her to further discuss your questions.
Philosophy
I am someone who is deeply connected to the people with whom I interact and I have
been told by several people that it is what makes me a great advisor. I empathize
with students because I spent 13 years as a part-time student while working full time,
so I can understand their fears, victories, and when they need a little bit of encouragement.
I feel as if I am able to really connect with students on a personal level because
I truly enjoy hearing about their lives, what they learn in school, what they are
frustrated with, and just their general experiences in their own personal development.
I think that this helps me be a friend, a mentor, and a guide, and that is exactly
what I aspire to be as an advisor.
I feel that my career as an advisor has me helping people and I love that about my
job. I love seeing the growth in students as they learn new things, as they mature
in their thought processes, and as they figure out this thing we call life. It is
an empowering thing to see students grow throughout the stages of their academic career
and I like thinking of myself as an anchor for them. Many things might be happening
and changing, but I hope my advisees always see me as a stable force in the midst
of chaos and that they always feel like they can come to me for advice, for direction,
for comforting, or to celebrate their successes.
Chapter six from the “Academic Advising Approaches” (Drake, Jordan, Miller, 2013)
covers the Appreciative Advising theory and part of that chapter says, “academic advisors
are challenged to do more than just offer good advice about courses. To offer great
advising support, they need to take the initiative in “engaging students in reflective
conversation about educational goals,” addressing “the nature of higher education,
academic decisions, and the significance of those decisions,” and “encouraging student
change toward greater levels of self-awareness and responsibility”,” (Bloom, Hutson,
He, p. 83). I love everything about that statement and it is exactly what I aspire
to be as an academic advisor. I want to embrace the student’s entire learning experience,
making it more than just picking out classes and setting up a schedule. As they develop
in life and as business professionals, I want to help them “achieve their dreams,
goals, and potentials,” (Bloom, Hutson, He, p. 83). I am glad for the strong foundation
of understanding that I have developed through my academic and work experiences and
how those experiences have helped me develop my personal advising philosophy. I look
forward to continuing to build on this throughout my career.