I earned both my bachelor's and master's degrees from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. During my time there, I experienced significant personal growth and discovered my profound passion for helping others. My college years were transformative, shaping my commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of students. Currently, I serve as the Director of the VPST (Veterans, Public Safety, Transportation) Care Team at Wake Technical Community College. In this role, I supervise, and develop academic advisors and support staff across multiple campuses. My focus is on providing a wide range of student services, implementing strategies that maximize student retention and completion, and collaborating with academic department heads and four-year colleges to ensure smooth student transfers and success. In addition, I coordinate the development of workshops and programming specific to our identified population groups, promoting retention and career readiness. Additionally, I am constantly measuring and analyzing the effectiveness of our advising strategies to ensure we are meeting our goals. In 2017, I joined Wake Technical Community College as an Academic Advisor, working closely with university transfer students and Applied Science degree seekers. I was the lead advisor for transfer events, I coordinated on-campus university visits and supervised advisors to ensure that our university materials were always up-to-date, facilitating successful student transfers. My professional journey in higher education began in 2018 at Piedmont Community College, where I served as an Academic Advisor and Student Recruiter/Admissions Counselor. In this role, I advised both prospective and continuing students, helping them with career planning and providing essential admissions guidance. Leading the Student Government Association was particularly rewarding, as I developed and presented recruiting materials at local high schools, organizations, and businesses.