



	Meet your APA Kyle Morrison Hometown: Rochester Hills, MI. Academic Level: Senior Any previous peer advising experience: PAAOer Ranger and Summer Academic Advisor for two years now Concentrations: History, Political Science Minor: Crime and Justice What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? I came not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. Both law and business interested me, but I had a hard time choosing between the two. My first year I focused on getting into the business school and doing economics. After taking a history class and realizing I did not want to spend my college career working with numbers, I decided to concentrate in History and fall in love with it. I'm currently Pre-law and applying to law school this fall. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. Changing the way I approached math. Math 115 was group and word problem focused, which I was not used too. I had taken calculus before, but not in that way. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? I spent a long love affair with most of the social sciences. I considered concentrating in Economics, Sociology, Organizational Studies. I chose History and Political Science. I took a class through the RC about Punishment and loved the class so much I minored in Crime and Justice. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? Talking to the faculty. I was afraid I had nothing to say, and it can be hard to fit in office hours. Extra-curricular activities? Michigan Model United Nations, Middle School Model United Nations, International Affairs Society, PAAO. What do you do to relax and unwind? Hanging out around Ann Arbor with friends, watching television, reading Sociology books, and going to the gym. Lee Foley Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI (originally the Puget Sound in Washington State) Academic Level: Senior (Fifth year) Any previous peer advising experience: Two years of peer advising for summer orientation Concentration(s), minor(s): Philosophy What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? When I started college I very much wanted to “get in and get out” of undergrad. I always wanted to become a physician and I viewed college as simply a prerequisite for achieving this. Now, my view of my undergraduate education is the antithesis and I am taking a fifth year of study to explore the classes and research that I did not have time for previously. I say this with sincerity: with the knowledge and perspective I have now, even if I could start medical school right out of high school, I would not do it. My long term plan is to attend graduate school either concurrently or after medical school so that I can also earn a doctorate in bioethics and become a medical ethicist and practicing physician. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. My biggest academic challenge in my first year was meeting fellow students to study with and discuss course material. I lived off campus my first year and commuted every day. This made it hard to study with other students and really get into the whole college atmosphere. I think studying with other students is crucial to academic success because it forces you to really engage the material and it builds a foundation and framework for structured studying. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? Pretty much every single one, some more seriously than others, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted to study. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? I would have forced myself to be more engaging all the way around whether it was with course content, fellow students, professors, activities, etc. As a younger student I was much more timid and weary of going outside my comfort zone. Not fearing going beyond that zone is one of the best ways that I have found for personal growth and development. Extra-curricular activities? Peer adviser…duh! (: Four years of biomedical research at the medical school Medical ethics research through the Center for Ethics in Public Life Ann Arbor Adventure Club: biking, hiking, camping, etc. What do you do to relax and unwind? I get outside and do something active…anything. If I don’t have time for an extended outdoor activity, just taking a walk or riding my bike suffices. Danika Forgach Hometown: Midland, MI. Academic Level: Senior (Fifth year) Any previous peer advising experience: RA for what seems like forever Concentration(s), minor(s): Chemistry major What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? I came in wanting to study chemistry and eventually go into optometry. However, after doing some shadowing, I decided I didn’t want to go into optometry because it was hopelessly boring. So, I switched to general medicine. I shadowed an anesthesiologist last semester every Monday morning and am much more fascinated in the surgical field and think that’s where I want to go now if my knees can stand it. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. My biggest challenge was finding things to do with my time. I only took 13 credits (my APA suggested I not take calculus with orgo) and I was bored with all the time I had. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? Two. I looked at physics for a while and then decided that I’d stick with chemistry. I always thought I’d go into chemistry. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? I wish I had seen a pre-health advisor early so I could have avoided a fifth year since a lot of my chem classes that are only offered in the fall or winter overlapped with pre-health classes that are offered in only fall or winter. So, had I seen an advisor, I probably would have been able to avoid staying here. Not that I don’t like it here… Extra-curricular activities? Unite for Sight Eyeglass Drive Director, RA/RC in Markleezy, ONSP Information Referral Assistant, K-Grams Pen Pal, PAAOer Ranger, etc. What do you do to relax and unwind? Read wonderful pieces of literature/trashy mystery novels that my mom gives me, jam to some good music, play with my adorable new puppy, talk on the phone, take naps, look at people’s facebook photos, clean (when I’m in the mood or the mess is too overwhelming), bake/cook, watch TV and movies on my computer and go to the gym Jennifer Hessler Hometown: Mesick, MI Academic Level: 4th year Any previous peer advising experience: Baits Hall Residence Staff Coordinator, Baits Resident Advisor, Psychology 405 Facilitator, Baits Hall Council Advisor Concentration(s), minor(s): Screen Arts and Cultures What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? My career goal was to be a lawyer. My current career goal is to be an entertainment lawyer. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. Being a low-income first generation college student made it especially hard for me to adjust to U of M both academically and socially. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? I considered English, Sociology, History, Political Science, and Communications before settling on Screen Arts and Cultures. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? I wish I had used more of the available resources and I wish I had taken the initiative to work to change my learning habits instead of letting it happen gradually. Extra-curricular activities? Multiple roles on Res-Staff What do you do to relax and unwind? Nap, TV, or just hang with friends Manika Agarwal Hometown: Franklin Lakes, NJ Academic Level: Senior Any previous peer advising experience: Peer Advisor in high school Concentration(s), minor(s): Neuroscience What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? From the start of college I knew I wanted to be a dentist. Now I know that I want to specifically be an orthodontist. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. During my first year, my biggest challenge was adjusting to the large amount of group work that was required in a lot of my classes. In high school, almost all of our work was done individually so group work was a big change. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? I only considered one other concentration before deciding on Neuroscience. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? I wish I got involved with more extra-curricular activities that were not so culturally focused as my main activities were because I feel like I would have met a lot more people from a variety of different backgrounds than me. Extra-curricular activities? I have been part of a South Asian Fusion dance team named Taal since my freshman year. I’ve been part of the Pre-dental Association and Undergraduate Student National Dental Association (USNDA) for a year. Lastly, I am a member of the Indian American Student Association (IASA). What do you do to relax and unwind? Going to dance practice is what normally relaxes me, but I also like to listen to music Victoria A. Roache Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI Academic Level: Senior Any previous peer advising experience: Previous ResStaff Position (RA) Concentration(s), minor(s): Women’s Studies What was your career goal as a first year college student? What is it now? When I first arrived I wanted to become a physician. Now I aspire to own an event-consulting firm in southern California. Describe one of your biggest academic challenges, particularly in your first year. Adjusting to studying many hours, I think especially for successful students we find in high school that we didn’t exactly spend loads of time studying. However in college that’s a bit of a different story. There is a lot of information and studying is a requirement. I actually had to learn study habits and the difference between studying and homework. How many different concentrations did you consider before choosing one? None, Womenstd was the only. Is there anything you wish you had done differently in your first year, or as an undergrad? Explored majoring in business. As well as having a better understanding of the graduation requirements before jr. year. Extra-curricular activities? Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Nu Chapter., Black Volunteer Network. What do you do to relax and unwind? Read, Write in my journal, listen to music (smooth jazz), watch movies, and go shopping.