Kriantae Plater, housekeeper
Kriante’s actions express her understanding that supporting our students is an integral part of everyone’s job.
Kriantae Plater, housekeeper
Kriante’s actions express her understanding that supporting our students is an integral part of everyone’s job.
Kelvin Clark, academic adviser and coordinator of the Multicultural Peer Program (MAPP) Kelvin (a newcomer himself) took the initiative to organize a lunch for two new staff members (Kristen McGreeney & Doug Campbell) and even corralled several other staff members who have been employed here varying lengths of time to help the new employees gain a perspective of SMCM. He put himself out there to make a positive impact on the new hires and helped them feel more connected to the campus. A shining example of the St. Mary’s Way.
The winner of the award for 2014 is Sahra Grube, general support/mail. Congratulations, Sahra!
“Sahra is dedicated to her work and her happy attitude toward her job is always met with a warm greeting and a smile. Through rain or snow or scorching sun, Sahra gets the job of delivering the mail done!” -Nominator
What are your 2014 vacation plans?
Have a safe & fun time!
9 months
Once I learned what an academic adviser was in undergraduate, I knew I wanted to be one, amongst a host of other things. While serving as an adjunct history professor at Essex County College in Newark, NJ, I was given the opportunity to become an academic adviser for the first time and fell in love with it completely.
I think, one of the coolest things in the world. I get to have conversations with students in hopes of finding out what they struggle with academically and sometimes personally, then determine what is the best course of action to take in order to alleviate or reduce the struggle, if possible, and finally assess their progress. At times I feel like a mechanic in a NASCAR pit, except I tighten up a student’s habits, mindset, and priorities.
Evenings are simple: guitar, Redbox (soon NetFlix) then reading – usually in that order, too. I’ve been playing the guitar since high school; I get down with some classic rock and the blues. Movies are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I problem-solve all day, so I definitely enjoy, for lack of a better word, “stupid-funny” movies from time to time (Coming to America or Stepbrothers), in addition to a good drama, book adaptation, or biographical film. I have managed to amass quite the reading list for myself as a result of talking to students and my fellow colleagues. Weekends are simple too: Driving – I spend most of my weekends visiting my boo in Philly or my family in NJ, VA, or NC.
I’m a fat kid so I have many favorites, but all depend on my budget that day: (1) Popeye’s (Chicken tenders w/ ranch dipping sauce, popcorn shrimp, and iced tea); (2) St. James Deli (if I’m kind of tight, just a pepperoni slice, if I can splurge, a Ciabatta Dan w/ House sauce).
I still get nervous before speaking in public – my palms sweat inappropriately…which is why I can’t use note cards.
Interesting – I worked as a marketing specialist for the Boys & Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties in North Carolina. I developed all of their publications and wrote their newspaper articles. Surprising – I was a dishwasher in undergraduate. It was the only non-work-study job left that year so…I busted some suds!