Meet Smith’s All-Star Advisors

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 spends time with the Smith Undergraduate Advising Team. Read about his conversations:

An acceptance letter to the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is a ticket to a bright future. But the first day of classes comes, and you begin to feel lost. Luckily, there is an incredible team of individuals working to make every single student’s experience at Smith as enjoyable and promising as possible. This team is not like most teams; they don’t have a locker room, their training grounds are offices, and they don’t play competitive matches, but they do help students rebound, score big, and become champions. So without further ado, let’s meet the All-Star student advising team of the Smith School of Business.

Karmin Cortes: “I wear many hats as an advisor,” Karmin states. Besides having a truly astonishing collection of great headwear, Karmin has several different responsibilities that she executes with the utmost empathy and vision. Karmin works extensively with student athletes and internal and external transfers. She also works with prospective students, reaching all the way back to ninth graders. However, Karmin echoed to me her belief that we are not reaching back far enough. “It is important for us to start considering middle school students as prospective students, because your math curriculum through the years is a huge factor in eventual college admission, so if you’re not on the right math track early on, you are putting yourself at a real disadvantage.” Her visionary approach is what has helped so many students during their years at Smith.   

Gabrielle Salinas: If you are ever feeling down, a short talk with Gabrielle Salinas will surely boost your mood. Her warm words and smile do wonders for students who are lost or struggling. She talked a lot about the challenges of working with students who have passions in, say, the arts, but are doing a business degree “for their parents.” Gabrielle tells them that if “you are not happy coming to work every day, you are just staving off the inevitable. Neither you nor the company is benefitting from a situation like this.” In light of this wisdom, it was good to hear how much Gabrielle enjoys being an advisor. “I’m a policy wonk, but I’m also a helper, and finding different resources for students to assist them along their path is something I really enjoy doing.”  

Jeanette Snider: Jeanette Snider has been working with students ever since 2009, and has never looked back since. Like Karmin, Jeanette stresses the importance of reaching not just current students, but transfer and prospective students. I asked Jeanette what the most challenging part about being and advisor is, and she told me that “unfortunately there is a lot of red tape in higher education, and helping students cut through that tape while staying true to policies and regulations is tough.” Jeanette appreciates how visibly rewarding her job is. She keeps a basket of nice things students say to her, physical vestiges of the fulfilling nature of her job. She topped off our conversation by telling me her dreams of the future; “I just want to be Dean [Victor] Mullins when I grow up!” A worthy goal indeed.

Ebony Fullwood: From working with orientation and recruitment while an undergrad at UNC Chapel Hill, to getting a master’s degree at George Washington University in higher education, to transitioning from UMUC to here, Ebony knows the ins and outs of advising as well as anyone else. Ebony stressed that she is more than just an advisor that answers emails. “I’m an advocate for students in more formal settings, because I’ve been with them every step of the way.” Ebony is every student’s biggest supporter. Coaching, advising and mentoring comes naturally to Ebony, but this job is not without obstacles, for example, when students just refuse to listen. Ebony wants students to take advantage of everything the business school has to offer, because “you don’t know who you’re going to meet, or when and where.”

Jason DeSanto Jones: Jason goes above and beyond every day to make sure students are getting the most out of their time at Smith. Jason works on several different projects, but his brainchild has been the Leadershape six-day winter value-based leadership retreat, which Jason coordinates and organizes every year. There was no hesitation when answering what his favorite part about his job is: “The long-lasting relationships with students has convinced me that I would not want to have any other job. My hope is that I can help students go from barely being able to do their own laundry, to being a leader in their community and effect change onto others.”

Amy Merritt: As the newest on the All-Star team, this will be Amy’s first full semester as a Smith student advisor. Throughout our conversation, Amy stressed two main points. First, how blessed she feels to be part of such a supportive culture in the Office of Undergraduate Studies, that has helped her acclimate to a different environment with such ease. The second point Amy stressed was how rewarding advising is, and how she already sees the emotional depth of her work, touching lives on a daily basis. Last year, she worked with a reenrollment student that had physical disabilities, which led to her constantly struggling through her undergraduate career, but eventually thanks to Amy’s endless help, she graduated the university, confidently and proudly.

For more information about the undergraduate program at Smith, visit http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad