Paige Jenkins from Missouri State University shares Advisor Advice for Fall 2023.
Paige’s Advice for navigating challenges as a new professional:
Community. For me, having a supportive community is what helps me navigate challenges, whether it’s regarding event planning, supervising, creating boundaries, implementing changes, or just having people in my corner to bounce ideas off of. As a new professional, I believe it can be easy to get burnt out, but having community with other new professionals, student activities staff, and mentors helps me re-center, feel seen, heard, and valued.
Paige’s one piece of Advice for her students:
It’s okay to fail. While programming for an ever-changing student population, we need to continue to brainstorm and plan events that are diverse and new, and sometimes that means stepping out of our comfort zone. If an event doesn’t go exactly as you may have envisioned, that’s okay, because it’s a learning opportunity and will help make other events better. Just remember to have fun!