Student Perspectives: How Support Sets the Foundation for Success
We are Lilly Baron and Elegy Garcia, and this fall we’ve joined the Advising Success Network (ASN) as Marketing and Communications Interns.
Lilly Baron
Elegy Garcia
Lilly supports ASN through social media analysis across our three major platforms, translating data into meaningful recommendations. She also leads resource repackaging strategies and testimonial outreach that highlight success within the ASN community.
Elegy supports the Services side of ASN, updating and refreshing internal communications templates, and playing a key role in this year’s Student Choice Awards case study collection. She occasionally creates social media content as well.
Throughout the remaining months of the semester, we will co-publish three blogs following our individual journeys through advising as higher education students and how those experiences translate to our work supporting the vision of ASN:
A higher education landscape where institutions align to provide holistic support to students that is sustained, strategic, integrated, proactive, and personalized, and take the whole student – their goals, intersectional identities, and experiences – into account.
This first blog explores the beginning of our higher education journeys, specifically the beginning days of entering college as first-generation students. The advising support we both received prepared us in different yet equally supportive ways, building a lasting foundation for academic and professional growth that ultimately led to the opportunity to work at ASN.
We hope students reading this blog series feel empowered to reach out to support services and utilize the resources that are offered to them. Just as we were supported in our higher education journeys, we want others to know that there are faculty members, advisors, and other support staff who want them to succeed. We also hope that practitioners appreciate our perspective as students, especially as we discuss in future blogs what we valued most about the support we received during difficult times in our education journeys and the ways advising led us to where we are today.
Getting Support at the Right Time: Elegy’s Higher Education Beginning
My name is Elegy Garcia, and I am a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Texas State University. When I was in high school, I encountered a variety of health issues that resulted in my dropping out early. After I recovered, I decided to pursue a GED, which was offered by a local community college.
The Alamo Colleges is a collection of community colleges that serve the San Antonio community. There I was able to explore classes that I wouldn’t have been able to access without the help of my advisors. Orientation at Palo Alto College was a very new experience for me. I hadn’t experienced anything like it, and I was grateful when I got to meet the advisors I would work with. They were all very friendly and took time to help me register for my first semester on the spot.
I was interested in biology during my first semester, and originally met with advisors in the STEM department. They were very helpful in finding classes that I felt confident attending, and even helped me find online options that my scholarships and grants would cover. I met with my advisor regularly during my first year of college, which gave me the opportunity to find classes that fit my busy schedule as I began working in the biology lab on campus.
During my third semester, I wanted to enroll in the criminal justice degree plan:
- So, I switched to the Liberal Arts advisors
- The advsors worked on a plan that allowed me to use my biology credits toward the criminal justice degree plan
- They also helped me build a schedule that allowed me to continue working on campus
I graduated from Palo Alto College in 2020, just as the COVID pandemic started.
How Support Shaped My First-Year Experience: Lilly’s Higher Education Beginning
My name is Lilly Baron, and I am a senior Marketing major at Miami University (OH). In high school, I had little knowledge about college life, as I am a first-generation student. I didn’t know where I wanted to attend college, but I knew pursuing higher education was my goal.
I applied to Miami University because of its strong reputation in business education and because it allowed me to stay in-state while gaining the independence to grow away from home. I viewed college as an opportunity to develop personally, academically, and professionally.
My college orientation took place two months before my first year started, and I had no idea what to expect. I attended sessions regarding meal plans, transportation, room and board, and more, but I found a sense of comfort amongst the uncertainty when I met with my advisor to schedule my very first semester.
Although I felt overwhelmed at first, with the support of my advisor, I began my first semester at Miami University in August 2022. During that time, I took:
- First-Year Integrated Core (FYIC), a comprehensive program designed for first-year business students
- BUS 106, a course for first-year students taken alongside one’s academic advisor to foster connection and guidance early on
In BUS 106 and the FYIC, I began building a strong sense of community and gained the confidence to connect with faculty and staff. I developed meaningful relationships with both my professors and my academic advisor. My first year concluded successfully, and I felt proud of my progress. Shortly after that, my advisor contacted me about an opportunity to co-facilitate the BUS 106 course in the following fall. Encouraged by my advisor, I decided to apply and eagerly accepted the role. By this point, I had established a supportive network and meaningful opportunities at Miami University—something I had only dreamed of a year earlier—and I couldn’t have been more excited to continue my journey in Fall 2023.
Support to Success: What’s Next
From our growing sense of belonging and confidence in academia, it is clear that the support we received created a strong foundation for our higher education journeys, which ultimately led us to our work with ASN.
While that support gave us a strong start to higher education, what really made the difference in our journeys were the people and the resources that helped us during difficult times.
Stay tuned for our next post, where we will share:
- hardships we’ve faced
- how we were supported
- advice for students and practitioners
— on fostering meaningful relationships as ASN team members