Transcript

As assistant dean to University College my responsibilities are largely to oversee a number of programs that serve entering students. I was fortunate to receive an award for one of the ten outstanding first-year advocates in the United States. It's an award given by the National Center for First-Year Students and Experience... First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

It's an award that's given every year, and it's basically to recognize people who have been working with students in their first year of college. I was a  first-generation college student. I didn't know much about it. I feel like I floundered a lot of the years that I spent in college.

The only thing that I would say about getting the award is that I want to emphasize that there are a lot of people who work in University College, a lot of people who day, after day, after day, that do tremendous work for students. I think my recognition is way of recognizing all of the work that has gone on at IUPUI and University College.

I feel very fortunate in my life's work to have been able to work with students to ensure that they are successful in college. I've had a passion always to make sure that students who come in the university have the opportunity to go to college, first of all, and take full advantage of what's here, and not just those students who typically go to college or who have gone to college and passed but all students.