Meet Emery Ross, former Arts & Humanities Peer Advisor.
I graduated from Boise State in December of 2014 with a B.A. in English with an emphasis in writing.
What was your experience with academic advising as an undergraduate student?
I started out as the peer advisor for the Art department, and worked with incoming students during summer orientations, as well as with Art majors during the semester. I then moved to a new position as the Arts and Humanities peer advisor for COAS. Most of my time was spent looking for ways to connect with COAS students. I helped to start the college’s social media presence, as well as assisted with events, created literature for departments, and worked with faculty, staff, and students across the university.
It was fun, challenging, informative, and exciting to work in advising. It opened up incredible opportunities for me that I probably wouldn’t have found without the connections and experiences that came from being a peer advisor.
How has this experience helped/guided/informed your current career and work?
I am in my first semester as a graduate student, teaching assistant, and graduate assistant in the Writing Center. Advising has always been a great complement to being a writing consultant, and having a background in advising is beneficial to my teaching. I have a unique perspective of the experiences of students, which informs the way I relate to the students I teach. My passion for student advocacy and the understanding I have about student experiences helps me to be a better, more empathetic teacher than I think I would be without an advising background. Plus, I have some really amazing connections to faculty and staff thanks to my time with COAS.
What was the role of academic advising in your success as an undergraduate student?
Being a peer advisor gave me the opportunity to understand the importance of advising — something I tell anyone who will listen to this day. I worked with my own advisor a lot to ensure I was on the right track. I was able to graduate when I intended thanks to careful planning with my advisor, which I’m not sure I would’ve been able to do without advising. Being a peer advisor and working with other advisors helped me learn about many resources available to me. Being a student is hard work, but there are so many great (free!) resources across campus, and there are plenty of really cool opportunities available to students.