2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award Recipients
Outstanding Undergraduate New Professional Staff Advisor Award (2 recipients)
Abigail "Abby" Clark
Academic Advisor II, School of Nursing
Abby, a proud alumna of UConn (Class of 2019), embarked on her Higher Education career at UConn Hartford in the autumn of 2021, assuming the role of Academic Advisor 1. Here, she advised and supported students across all majors and programs, found her passion for teaching through FYE, and developed advising resources and training materials for students and staff, while serving as the coordinator for advising events at UConn Hartford. In recent events, Abby joined the School of Nursing as an Academic Advisor 2 in the spring of 2024. For Abby, being an Advisor transcends course recommendations. It entails being a student's biggest fan, celebrating victories, empathizing with struggles, and breaking down barriers to ensure success. Abby dedicates this recognition to her students, colleagues, and mentors, crediting their invaluable role in shaping her into the Advisor she is today. She feels honored to collaborate with such esteemed individuals and is deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside them.
Abigail Clark’s advising philosophy encompasses being a pivotal support system for students, offering mentorship and guidance through academic and personal challenges. She prioritizes qualities of empathy, organization, and advocacy to create inclusive e spaces where students feel empowered.
“I like to equate Advisors to an EKG machine of an institution. Advisors read the pulse of the campus and student body and call attention to the problems that students face in their academics, on campus and off campus living, and other areas of their undergraduate experiences…In short, as an Academic Advisor, I believe in being my students’ safe space, living encyclopedia, and their number one fan.”
Academic Advisor, Student Services (Waterbury)
Since earning her M.Ed. in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University, Jenna Hartwell has worked in a variety of professional roles, for an even wider variety of students, resulting in an interdisciplinary perspective informed by the principals of Universal Design. Jenna is currently an Academic Advisor on the Waterbury campus where she serves first- and second-year students and where she manages the Peer Mentor and First Year Seminar programs. She is a proud member of the NACADA Region 1 Conference Planning Committee, and she likes to spend her free time finding and exploring quirky sites/attractions (like the world's largest garden gnome) with her partner Brendan and her two dogs, Jack and Justice.
Jenna Hartwell’s advising underscores the significance of trust and availability in education, highlighting the importance of being present during designated office hours and being honest about not knowing all the answers but following up. It emphasizes empathy, teamwork, continuous learning, and believing in students, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion as integral to educational practice.
“Engagement is an outcome – rooted in trust. Boundaries are kind. It results in students knowing that you’ll be available every time you say you will be. Show up. …Saying “I don’t know” is powerful…Be mindful. Teamwork makes the dream work. People who choose to do “the work” rarely do so for fanfare or fame. But that also means that caring and supporting each other is the only way to successfully do less with more. Be who you needed when you were younger.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Professional Staff Advisor Award
Academic Advisor, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources
Kristen Dostaler, originally from Littleton, NH, earned a B.A. in Psychology and Communication Sciences and an M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at UConn. She has worked at UConn for ten years, including time as a professional staff member in First Year Programs & Learning Communities and the Honors Program. She joined the CAHNR Office of Academic Programs in April 2021. In her advising role she works directly with College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) students and Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture (RHSA) students. In addition to meeting with students, her responsibilities include reviewing readmission applications, teaching SAAG 250 First-Year Seminar for Ratcliffe Hicks students, overseeing the CAHNR College Ambassador program, and coordinating CAHNR and RHSA advising and registration during orientation.
Kristen Dostaler’s advising philosophy emphasizes aiding students in developing personal growth and self-confidence through her advising practice. She highly values being accessible, knowledgeable,
supportive, and inclusive with the goal of supporting students on their academic journey.
“By considering each student holistically, connecting with them on their interests, and inquiring about their life beyond classes, I am able to gain their trust and be a resource when they are feeling lost. From my personal lived experience with challenges in my own life, it is the growth that comes from these challenges that facilitates learning far beyond what can be accomplished solely in a classroom. It is that personal growth and self-confidence that I try to help students recognize in themselves through my advising.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award
Assistant Professor in Residence, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences (Stamford)
Vida Samuel has been an Assistant Professor in Residence in HDFS since 2018. She is a scholar in women’s studies and intercultural communication and received her master’s in speech and interpersonal communication from New York University where she was also an administrator and sat on the Dean’s leadership team. Her interests focus on the sexual lives of women at midlife with a secondary interest in the relationship of school success and post-secondary access in under-represented and underserved communities, first generation and formally removed students. During her time at NYU, Professor Samuel developed recruitment and retention strategies focused on non-traditional graduate and doctoral nursing students and students of color. Professor Samuel was instrumental in increasing NYU’s undergraduate student membership to paraprofessional nursing associations. She also sat on the Advance Nurses Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.
Dr. Samuel received her PhD with a focus in intercultural communication and women’s studies at Howard University. While in Washington DC, she worked as a researcher at FHI 360, a global, human development, non-profit organization that studies and gathers evidence to deliver community based solutions in the United States and globally.
Professor Samuel is active in her community and is often a featured speaker for issues impacting women and girls. In a 2022 Babe with the Power podcast, she examined the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal Roe v Wade on young college women. She facilitated a conversation for young women in high school and college on Race in America and was interviewed for the Healin’ Podcast about anti-racist perspectives. Dr. Samuel served as an education expert panelist responding to the Fairfield County Community Foundation – Fund for Women and Girls 2019, Fairfield County Community Wellbeing Index, was a featured speaker and panelist for the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Your Voice your Vote: Be Remote to Promote the Vote and The “F” Word – Feminism: A Conversation Between Generations. Professor Samuel’s interests in the arts provided her with an opportunity to be the copy editor for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s exhibit program Unveiling Visions and co-editor of the companion book, Cosmic Underground: A Grimoire of Black Speculative Discontent. She also peer reviews academic journals.
Dr. Vida Samuel’s advising philosophy prioritizes a supportive environment and equitable access to resources. By proactively reaching out, providing personalized guidance, and advocating for students' holistic well-being, she can aim to empower students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their academic and professional goals.
“My goal is to make a significant difference in the lives of my advisees by cultivating an environment of accessibility, knowledge, and support. I am dedicated to guiding them through UConn's academic landscape, helping them discover their strengths, and empowering them to achieve success both inside and outside the classroom. As I say to them, my primary role is to ensure their successful and confident completion of their academic programs and get them all out of the University of Connecticut, on to the next phase of their lives.”
The goal of the annual Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Awards is to recognize the extraordinary contributions of undergraduate academic advisors in supporting academic success and student development at the University of Connecticut.
For 2024, the awards include:
- Outstanding New Professional Staff Advisor
- Outstanding Professional Staff Advisor
- Outstanding Faculty Advisor
Nominees will be evaluated on qualities and practices that distinguish them as an outstanding academic advisor and leader. Award winners will demonstrate excellence in undergraduate advising and will exhibit an impact on their undergraduate advisees’ educational development through sustained academic advising relationships.
Recipients of the awards will receive professional development funding and a commemorative plaque.
2024 Advising Celebration and Undergraduate Advising Awards
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 from 9:00-11:00am at the Alumni Center
Join us in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of undergraduate academic advisors in supporting academic success and student development.
2023 Advising Award Recipients
2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award Recipients
Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award
Professor, Department of Animal Science
Dr. Zinn's advising philosophy prioritizes student care and fostering personal connections by being present, attentive, and knowledgeable about the information needed for success at UConn and in life.
“In total, my advising philosophy is very simple: care about students and get to know them as individuals, be present, pay attention, know the information they need to be successful at UConn and in life, and be aware of their growth as adults. My guiding principle in advising is one I tell my students all the time: ‘You are my advisee and mentee from the time that you decide to be an advisee until the time you decide you don’t--whether that is one week, one year, four years, or 30 years.’”
Outstanding Undergraduate New Professional Staff Advisor Award
Academic Advisor, Avery Point
JP's advising philosophy encompasses a holistic approach that recognizes the academic and emotional state of each individual. She prioritizes inclusiveness and strives for constant learning, as well as knowing students individually.
“I am working to create a supportive environment for diverse populations that considers the needs and perspectives of marginalized students. By listening and validating experiences and continuing my own education, I can better advocate for others.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Professional Staff Advisor Award (2 recipients)
Assistant Director, Pre-Professional Programs
Krista Rogers's advising philosophy looks at students as a whole. She recognizes that a single interaction has the potential to significantly impact a student's journey.
“Sometimes a single interaction can change the course of a student’s academic and professional trajectory. Every student who enters my office has their own story to tell. I strive to be someone who empowers my advisees to be able to articulate their own strengths and to tell their own story.”
Student Support Services, Coordinator/Counselor, ISS Academic Programs Center, Stamford Campus
Rawan philosophy emphasizes individualized relationships. Acting as a supportive figure, she aims to create caring and beneficial relationships, and ultimately, sending the message to students that they matter.
“I strive to create personalized relationships with all my students. Being their support system and having a genuine concern for my students allows me to develop a caring and beneficial relationship that helps increase academic motivation and persistence. The message I send to all students is that they are valued, they are appreciated, and they are supported."
2021 Advising Award Recipients
2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award Recipients
Recipients have demonstrated sustained excellence in undergraduate advising and have made a significant impact on their advisees' intellectual development through sustained academic advising relationships.
Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award
Daniela Weiser
Daniela joined the Dramatic Arts Department in 2011 to teach drawing, painting and drafting in the BFA and MFA Design/Tech programs and to be the Scenic Charge Artist for Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Currently she also serves as the Associate Department Head for Courses and Curriculum and as an undergraduate academic advisor. Daniela's advising philosophy revolves around service. She believes in creating a support system for students, providing resources and guidance on how to navigate the college experience.
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Daniela completed her Master of Fine Arts in Technical Production from the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) at the University of Delaware. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Psychology from Beloit College, WI. She is also a proud alumnus of United World College of South East Asia in Singapore.
She has worked professionally as a Set Designer, Scenic Charge Artist and Stage Manager since 1998. Some of the companies she has collaborated with are Utah Shakespearean Festival, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Utah Musical Theatre, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, South Carolina Repertory Theatre, Theatre Catalyst, Lean Ensemble Theatre, Timberlake Playhouse, Teatro Teresa Carreño, Caracas Contemporary Ballet Company, Caracas International Theatre Festival and the Ateneo de Caracas.
Outstanding Undergraduate Professional Staff Advisor Award
Dr. Noemi Maldonado-Picardi
Dr. Noemi Maldonado Picardi has served as an Academic Counselor the past 13 years at both the Storrs and the Avery Point Campus where she has lead efforts to improve the academic, personal, and professional success of students through strong collaborations across multiple campuses. She instills a student centered approach to advising that fosters connection and sense of belonging amongst her students and promotes life transformative experiences that enhances students educational opportunities and growth.
Most recently, Noemi was named Director of Student Services at the UConn Avery Point Campus where she leads a team in supporting student success and retention across areas of admissions, orientation, advising, wellness and mental health, student activities, and career services. She recently earned her Doctorate in Education from the Neag School of Education focusing on the retention efforts and overall support of African American males in higher education. Noemi is passionate about improving university wide efforts that support diversity and inclusion and and the ways advising and student services can support these goals.
2020 Advising Award Recipients
2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Advising Award Recipients
Recipients have demonstrated sustained excellence in undergraduate advising and have made a significant impact on their advisees' intellectual development through sustained academic advising relationships.
Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Advisor Award
Judy Brown
Dr. Judy Brown currently holds the following appointments at the university:
- Associate Professor and Director, Health Care Genetics Professional Science Masters Degree Program.
- Co-Director, UCONN Chromosome Core, a Division of the Center for Genome Innovation within the Institute for Systems Genomics.
- Associate Director, Genetic Counseling Professional Science Masters Degree Program under development
More on Judy can be found here.
Outstanding Undergraduate Professional Staff Advisor Award
Shoshana Armington
Shoshana is the Assistant Director of Advising for Student Transitions in the School of Engineering. She currently advises undecided engineering, regional campus and exploring engineering students at all campuses regarding course scheduling, degree planning, and career enhancement. More on Shoshana can be found here.
