Majoring in kinesiology with a minor in psychology, and hoping to graduate in the 2023-2024 academic year, Keenan Sterba became an advisor to help other students, and to help himself understand what goes on behind the scenes in the College of Health Sciences. His schedule is open to all students, but he focuses on the pre-health pathways students, who are aiming to enter professional or graduate school after graduating from Boise State but may have any major.
As a first-generation college student, Sterba came into college blind and wasn’t sure what went into a major or how to plan out his classes, so he feels very lucky that he has had a lot of luck with advising. He knows how important it is to have an advisor that’s on top of it and prepared to help plan out a course schedule and move forward with their plans.
“It’s nice to have a solid advising team behind you or even just an advisor who knows you a little bit,” Sterba said.
With that, Sterba understands that coming to advising and asking for help can be intimidating for students, so he always tries to be friendly and open during appointments to help them feel comfortable and supported. He enjoys learning about how each student is unique, and seeing the different motivations students have for their field.
“There’s a lot of interest seeing the diversity of where people come from,” Sterba said. “Just knowing people’s backgrounds and kind of understanding why they’re pursuing these specific degrees, these pathways.”
Sterba believes that the most important part of being a successful advisor is making students comfortable and willing to be open, and donations from Bronco Giving Day will hire more peer advisors to make sure those relationships are made for everyone. As the college grows and more students seek out advising, it becomes harder and harder to maintain those connections with students, so having more advisors and space to conduct appointments would ensure every student feels supported with advising.
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