Guided Discovery
Faculty & Staff Monthly Newsletter | April 2020
COVID-19 Update
As we all navigate the changing nature of our work in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we want to give a friendly reminder that Guided Discovery services are still available for all students. Students can still utilize Navigate to schedule appointments with both Academic and Career Guides, which are being conducted virtually (via phone, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc). Guides are also available and responsive via email and phone as we are working remotely for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, we have put together a "Career Resources for COVID-19" newsletter that is being sent out to all students this week. You may also find this guide helpful, and it is linked below.
We have a new Guilford Guide!
Cara (she/her/hers) comes to Guilford having worked most recently at High Point University where she advised and supported students in the learning center as they transitioned from high school to college. Previously, Cara has also worked in student activities and residence life and holds an undergraduate degree in writing with minors in communications and women's studies, and a masters degree in higher education.
Cara is excited to be joining Guided Discovery as an Academic Guide in Pathway 2. She loves Guilford's sense of community and its values of social justice and stewardship.
Personally, Cara loves all things Harry Potter, and she enjoys running; hiking; being outdoors; baking; doing yoga; meditating; traveling; and spending time with her family, including her nine-month-old daughter.
You can contact and welcome Cara to Guilford at carena1@guilford.edu. She is also featured in our Guide Spotlight this month at the bottom of this newsletter!
Major/Advisor Changes for Students
For first-year students:
Students should contact their Guilford Guide if they wish to change their major and/or advisor. Guides log this information and the changes are made at the end of the semester.
For non-first-year/upperclassman students:
Students can use the "Change Advisor/Major(s)/Minor(s)" link located in their Student page on BannerWeb to fill out the Google Form and submit the request for the change. This will be accessible until April 10. The changes will take a few days to process after that date.
Alumni and Constituent Volunteers
As you revise plans for your courses, we are sharing a list of alumni and constituent volunteers as a possible resource. The folks on this list have volunteered specifically to support students in their career planning by completing an online form. A background check on each volunteer has also been completed. Each of the volunteers on this list are excited to engage with and help students.
You may consider tapping this cohort of alumni and constituent volunteers for part of a class session if their area of expertise fits with your course planning, to work with a team of students/individual students for informational interviews, by asking them to share resources and advice with you for your students, etc.
We are happy to facilitate coordination between you and the alum (s) to fit with your course plans. If this sparks you to think of other alumni and constituents in your network, we hope that you will encourage them to join the volunteer cohort, by sending them to the website for more information and to complete the volunteer form.
We offer this information as an additional resource for your course planning, and hope that it is helpful. We look forward to hearing from you as you have requests, ideas and/or questions.
Hailey Hendrix Assistant Director of Alumni & Parent Volunteer Engagement
Karrie Manson `82, MA, Director of Integrated Career Advising
Guided Discovery Student Staff Position for 2020-21
Guided Discovery is hiring for our 2020/2021 student staff!
We will be hiring Integrated Advising Mentors (IAMs) who can leave their mark on the Guilford Community! IAMs will provide great customer service to Guided Discovery guests, assist with the marketing of events, manage Guided Discovery social media, and provide basic academic and career advising to peers. Please let students know about this great opportunity- they can look out for the full job description and application that will be shared widely soon!
Pre-Orientation Canvas Course
March Highlights
Guides' Conference Attendance and Travel
Janelle and Ja'lessa attended ACPA (American College Personnel Association) in Nashville, TN March 2-6. ACPA is an international student affairs association that strives to focus on social justice and diversity within the field. This year's convention had many highlights like Kimberle Crenshaw (coined the term intersectionality) as opening speaker, many sessions focused on ways to enhance student learning and the student experience, and celebration of scholarly work. Janelle and Ja'lessa also played major roles in this year's convention by serving on the Convention Planning Team and directorate members of the Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice. Their biggest takeaway from this year's convention was to be bold in transforming higher education by creating space for those students that are silenced and unseen.
Also in early March, eight members of the Guided Discovery Team attend UNCG's "Hot Topics in Higher Education" drive-in conference where colleagues from surrounding areas presented current and upcoming trends in student affairs. Topics included, among other things, departmental culture shifts, mental health and well-being during an election year, and supporting diverse students. Two of our own, Charli Bryan and Amy Holmes, presented on the development of Guilford's Reflection Seminar series as a means of extended advising.
April Events
Guide Spotlight
Cara Arena
Cara (she/her/hers) is originally from Rochester, NY and holds a B.A. in Professional Writing from SUNY Cortland and an M.Ed. in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has experience in student activities, residence life, career development, and advising students on learning strategies and academic skills. Outside of work, Cara enjoys running, hiking, doing yoga, and spending time with her family.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I would like to speak another language fluently; I took French throughout high school and college, and can speak/understand enough to get by in Quebec and France, but I would love to be able to teach my daughter as she grows up.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?
I would choose to be Hermione Granger from Harry Potter; though my house is Hufflepuff, I love the Harry Potter series, and definitely relate to Hermione in many ways, but especially her love for learning.
Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?
It’s hard to choose just one place, but one of my favorites was the Grand Canyon. It’s indescribable, especially the first time you see it in person. We hiked all the way to the bottom and back up in one day; it seemed impossible at the time, but it taught me a lot about my capabilities and reminds me that I can do hard things.