Academic Advisor, Nick Hainesworth, recommends to first, if you haven't already done so, please thoroughly review your syllabus for each course to familiarize yourself with upcoming assignments. Next, identify the tasks that hold the most weight and examine the grading rubrics for each assignment. Doing so may prompt you to reach out to your professor to clarify anything that may be unclear. Knowing what scores you need to achieve on each assignment and the exact grading criteria should aid you in earning the grades you desire. Finally, visit your instructors during office hours if you have any questions or need additional support. |
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Senior Academic Advisor, Sheetal Survase, reflects on the potential challenges that having multiple responsibilities can bring. Most students find that their greatest challenge in adjusting to college life and to succeeding in the classroom is in managing their time effectively. I would advise students that are challenged by workloads or due dates to think about how they approach time and develop their own personal time management style to fit in all aspects of their lives including school, work, and social opportunities. Since there are so many different “time personalities,” reach out to our Academic Success Coaches www.unlv.edu/asc/coaching to learn more about how to strengthen your time management skills.
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Assistant Director of Advising and Retention, Progression, and Completion, Tiffany Schmier, encourages students to learn more about the resources available to students. Utilizing resources can help you overcome challenges if they arise and help you finish the semester strong. Advisors are a great resource to learn about all that campus has to offer. UNLV and the ASC have a lot of great resources to help students not just with classes, but also with their socio-emotional learning. Check out ways to get involved on campus by visiting involvementcenter.unlv.edu/, learn more about tutoring by visiting: www.unlv.edu/asc/tutoring, and investigate the new ComLab www.unlv.edu/asc/comlab, especially if you are taking COM 101!
ASC Advising is always here to help! To schedule an advising appointment or learn more about Friday drop-in appointments, please call the ASC Front Desk at 702-895-3177.
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Dr. Anne White, Senior Director of Data, Assessment, Retention, and Diversity, has been selected to serve a three-year term as a manuscript reviewer for the Consortium for Student Retention Exchange (CSRDE) Sourcebook, Building Bridges for Student Success: A Sourcebook for Colleges and Universities.
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Sheetal Survase, Senior Academic Advisor, was elected as an Administrative Faculty Representative to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Senate Committee. This inaugural committee's charge is to advise and provide input on Senate activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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Dr. Joe Ervin, Assistant Professor-in-Residence, with colleagues D. Beiscker and J. Özel from the UNLV Department of Philosophy, had a paper titled, Reconstructing American Hegelianism: John Dewey and William Torrey Harris, accepted for the John Dewey Memorial Conference, October 8-9, 2021.
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Dr. Brandy Smith, Executive Director of Finance and Administration, with UNLV senior Rebecca Smith, is presenting a poster titled, Implementation and Assessment of Two Strategic Outreach Campaigns on a Diverse Campus: Implications for Retention and Student Success, at the National Symposium on Student Retention (NSSR), November 2-5, 2021.
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Alex Petrolia
Academic Support Specialist
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Describe your journey through college. What schools did you attend? What were your majors, programs, etc.?
I was a student-athlete myself. I started here at UNLV. I played softball. I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I took a psychology class and loved it. So, I ended up being a psychology major. I loved being a psych major. Very interesting stuff.
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I actually ended up transferring to Stony Brook in Long Island. So I spent a couple years out there and graduated with my psych degree. As far as my higher education, I was inspired after a few internships. I learned a lot from a learning specialist internship in UCLA and that was what really drove me to pursue educational psychology. I’m almost done with that now, which is very exciting.
What originally drew you to work at UNLV?
After being at a couple of institutions, UNLV is so unique. Growing up here in Las Vegas and attending UNLV, I had no idea what diversity was because I was surrounded by it and grew up in it. Then, I went to a couple different places in the world where it was very evident of the diversity that we have here in Las Vegas and at UNLV. That’s really something that drew me to working in higher education here at UNLV. I just think it’s a really special place because of that.
What inspired you to work in the role you have now?
I was a first-generation college student. I only knew my sport. I had no idea what I wanted to do career wise or academically. Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) was such a huge influence on me and my academic development and my holistic development. That’s something that I, years later, am so thankful for and I want to be that for someone else. It’s not just when you’re a student-athlete and making sure you’re eligible, it’s what can we do to support you no matter what.
Describe your role in the ASC. What is your favorite part about your job?
I am an Academic Support Specialist with SAAS. One of my favorite things about my role is building relationships with student-athletes. In overseeing the Academic Excellence Center, I get to be there while they are studying and you never know what kind of conversations will come up.
What is on your wish list for the next 10 years at UNLV?
My personal wish list is to really develop many relationships with students and to see them through. I’m very new, I’m only a couple months in, but I want to have an open door policy where whoever needs anything can come and I can talk them through whatever their rollercoaster is for that day or that week. My biggest wish list is to have many moments with students.
When you aren't at work or school, what do you enjoy doing?
I love to cook and try new recipes and I love going on runs with my pup. Outside the normal things, I like to snowboard and motor cross. I grew up dirt biking and that’s something I did with my brothers and my family. That’s a fun thing outside of work.
What is your favorite piece of advice for UNLV student-athletes?
Take it day by day. Figure out how to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes that’s all you need to do to get through the day and that’s okay and that’s a win. Find the good in every day.
Who is someone on campus you would like to thank? Why?
I would like to thank a student I used to work with. Her mom passed away last year from breast cancer. And I would like to thank her because she is very inspiring to me and she is the reason why I continue to do what I do. I’m very proud of her and I feel very lucky to know her.
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Mebarka Mouaki-Benani
UNLV Senior
Biological Sciences, Pre-Professional
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Why did you choose to come to UNLV?
I was born and raised in Las Vegas. This is my home. I went to elementary school, middle school. and high school here. Something I'm really proud of is the diversity that we have. I will walk the campus and hear someone speaking in German and then I hear, Korean and I hear Arabic. I just hear so many different languages and I feel like I have an ounce of the entire world, just around my own home.
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What role has the ASC played in your success at UNLV?
The ASC has definitely provided me with a safe space. I feel we are so blessed to have so many resources, many resources that people don't even know we have. The ASC has kind of been a friend to me, whether I need an advisor, or some assistance, or even just a conversation with an old professor, it's been a good outlet for me. It's something I've used since day one - and I still use it to this day. So, I'm very grateful for that safe space.
What are your plans after graduating?
I am applying a dental school, but will be taking a gap year, where I want to be a guest teacher at my old high school. I feel that right now, still with COVID, it's very hard times and we still have that transition from online to in-person. I know how intense science courses can be already in person, let alone online, and I feel maybe some people may not have as many resources or tutoring privileges that they would normally have. If I can give back to my community and the age gap isn't too much, they can see you don't have to be 30 to be successful - it starts at any age. Dr. Gianoutsos also asked me to be a tutor. I'm super excited about that, which will hopefully start after my spring graduation.
I also want to learn Spanish. I speak five languages and not one of them is Spanish. I really want to take on Spanish because we have such a large group of Spanish speakers here in Las Vegas, and I want to reach a larger audience. I want to be able to go to different locations in Las Vegas and go to different clinics, and just kind of see how different communities live with different healthcare systems. These are the people that will be my patients one day, so I want to be able to know how to communicate with them and see what they're experiencing.
You mentioned five different languages. What languages do you speak?
Okay, so I speak Arabic, English, French, German, and then I speak also Berber. It's a native language in Algeria. I'm from North Africa and our dominant languages are Arabic and within Arabic, it's called Berber. That's how I communicate with my grandma. She only speaks that language, so, I had to learn it growing up.
What is one piece of advice you would give new UNLV students?
In classes, I have people who are 17, 30, 50, 60. I have people returning back from nursing school to pursue their dream and become a doctor. You can't compare yourself to the person next to you because you are something that nobody else can be. We don't know the experiences that people have had. So, this person might have gotten an A in a class, but is this their first time taking it? Is this their second time taking it? We can't always beat ourselves up without even giving ourselves credit for where we are right now. Take it at your own pace, and own that you are you and literally, no one else can be you. Knowing that you have that power, I think, will give people confidence and more piece of mind being themselves throughout the course of their college career.
If you could change one thing about your time at UNLV, what would it be?
I kind of just bounce back higher in my mental state of mind. Whatever happened, I feel like it provided me with certain experiences that I need to kind of shape my success. Everything has helped me become a better communicator, a friend, a leader, and an advisor. It's just, overall, a part of me and I don't want to change anything. Really.
Who is someone at UNLV that you would like to thank? Why?
Overall, I just want to thank the staff, whether it was an advisor or a teacher. COVID was a really hard transition, especially on me. I took going online a little harder than some people. I don't like online teaching and learning; I prefer in-person, hands-on. We had to do the best that we can and I know I struggled, so I can only imagine the advisors and the teachers having, like, 300 or 400 emails a day, just taking the time. If I needed my advisor, I would call her and she would be there.
Or Dr. Gianoutsos, especially, he was my very first professor when I joined UNLV. He shaped what I envisioned to have in a professor, like kind speaking or that we can come talk to him if we have questions. So, if I had to choose one person, it would be Dr. G, but overall, I think the staff is just killing the game right now. I just wanted to give a big thank you to any and every professor I've had because even if it was hard, it still built some character into my life.
What is one thing that most people don't know about you?
I would have to probably say that I'm an international worldwide taekwondo champion. My dad instilled the martial art at a very, very, very young age. I started kicking as soon as I started walking and I just kind of just fell into it. I earned my black belt when I was 10 years old, the same age that I competed in championships at the Riviera Hotel here in Las Vegas. Seventeen countries participated and I competed in my category, so 10- to 14-year olds. It was definitely an experience and I ranked 4th in the world, which was a very big accomplishment in my life. I installed those qualities of life common in taekwondo - it's a way of life. It has allowed me to use attendance, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and domino spirit in my everyday life and routine. It's not just on the mats, it's everywhere. Whether it's persistence to achieve what I want or motivation just to keep me going in school, it's given me much confidence in walking down the street. It has given me enough courage and, God forbid, something happens, I feel like I'm able to defend myself. But, it's not just a self- defense aspect, it's the mind, body, and spirit. Those are qualities I take with me every single day. I'm a better version of myself because I have that sport and that connection to my dad and my sister, and my mom, who would come watch us. Everything kind of just fell into place.
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FIRST-GEN CONNECT:
EXPLORING FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT IDENTITY THROUGH ART!
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First-Gen Connect is a free program for first-generation college students, who can connect and build community with current students, faculty, and staff, as they celebrate and explore their first-gen identity.
First-Gen Connect is designed to:
- Build your first-generation network
- Learn valuable transition skills necessary for academic success
- Discover how access to art challenges our thinking and holds space for us all
November 9, 2021
1 - 3 PM
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
Featuring Erica Vital-Lazare,
Curator of SEEING/SEEN
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Academic Success Series:
The Nature of Success
Academic Success Coaching holds workshops throughout the semester to help students with a variety of topics.
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Hixson-Lied Success Scholarship Program:
Applications Open Now!
Thousands of students across Nevada may never have the opportunity to earn a college degree primarily because of economic and academic challenges, and there are very few programs in place to help these students. The UNLV Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Program helps make a difference in the lives of these students by providing both financial and academic support through the ASC.
This program provides students:
- A scholarship in the amount of $1,250 per semester ($2,500 per year) for up to 8 semesters
- Academic Success Coaching Sessions
- The ability to make a difference through serving peers and giving back to UNLV
- Access to the Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Newsletter, a monthly newsletter created by the scholars
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Be sure to follow the ASC on Social Media! |
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