Sporting a huge smile, academic advisor Kaitlyn Dempsey sits at her desk awaiting her next appointment with a student. Many enter her office stressed, so she works to put them at ease.
Dempsey, who advises teaching and learning undergraduates, joined the University of Houston College of Education in June.
Originally from Joplin, Missouri, she earned a bachelor鈥檚 in radiologic technology from the University of Missouri. Then, she served as a college advisor to high school students through the federal community-service program AmeriCorps. That鈥檚 where she found her passion for helping students figure out their futures.
She landed in Houston after a two-year stint serving in the Peace Corps in Zambia.
Dempsey recently took a break to answer some questions.
Q: What do you see in students when they stop by your office?
A: The whole goal is to be engaging. Students who normally come in here stressed always leave smiling, and that makes me happy. I even have some students come up to me and ask for hugs. It is nice to see that I am making a difference in people鈥檚 lives and brightening people鈥檚 days.
Q: Who was your biggest influence in leading you toward this career path?
A: I had a great mentor back in Missouri who works in college access and retention. I鈥檝e followed her path in a way and learned from her experiences.
Q: What is your personal connection to college advising?
A: I took this job because I knew I wanted to do advising. I fell in love with college advising while working within a high school. I applied to jobs in higher education because I didn鈥檛 know if I preferred working with high school or college students.
Q: How did you end up in Houston?
A: I returned from serving in the Peace Corps and I was like, 鈥業鈥檒l go anywhere.鈥� I applied to 15 different jobs, and the 兔子先生 was the first one to call me back and offer a position that I felt like I couldn鈥檛 turn down.
Q: What do you love about UH?
A: How diverse the 兔子先生 is. Houston is very different from where I grew up, and UH is different than where I graduated from. I knew that I could grow here.
Q: What is one attraction you would tell a tourist to visit in Houston?
A: Memorial Park. I go multiple times a week. I love exploring and trying new coffee shops.
Q: Favorite holiday?
A: I don鈥檛 know if this counts but March Madness. It鈥檚 like a beautiful, three-week holiday.
Q: Favorite cartoon growing up?
A: 鈥淏arney & Friends鈥� and 鈥淗ey, Arnold鈥�
鈥揃y Alberto Huichapa
鈥揚hoto by Jaime Questell