"Nice to meet you, you have big shoes to fill".  That's pretty much all I heard within the first couple seconds of every new face I met at my new school.

At first I thought they were just being nice since the old Adviser was the one introducing me to everyone so they wanted to save face. But after my first real day alone at my new school I realized just how fond everyone one was of the last College Adviser that served there before me. After the first couple times of hearing those same words, I began to feel a bit uneasy. Afterall, I was fully aware of her awesomeness.

She got a late start at her school last school year but she didn't waste any time, she got right to business.  After hearing all of the wonderful things she'd done in the short amount of time she had combined with the nerves of starting at a new school, I began to second-guess not only myself but my capabilities as an Adviser as well.  Super conscientious of my new surroundings, I started the new school year with one goal in mind; to get the students on my side, considering their advancement is my main concern anyway. I began doing classroom presentations and hanging out in the cafeteria during lunch distributing Generation TX goodies.  I even had faculty and staff requesting some of the colorful lanyards that they had seen students wearing. 

In an effort to foster a college going culture at the school and of course to get to know the teachers, I created college pennants, including their Alma Mater and school logo to place outside of their classrooms. After the first couple of weeks of school, I became much more comfortable in my new role thanks to the students. Seniors and even some highly motivated juniors began to trickle into the College Lab to talk about their college options. Some asked me where Ms. O'Brien was, "She went off to Grad school", I'd answer. 

What I found to be most impressing was that instead of asking about the change, they wanted to know what graduate school was.   And then it hit me. My students didn't really care who was there to help them, they just appreciated the fact that someone was there at all. I soon realized that just because people thought the last Adviser was amazing didn't, automatically mean that I wouldn't be. In fact, her likability and the positive impact she left on the school made it much easier to get acclimated to my new digs. :-D 

As a second year Adviser, I have a wealth of knowledge and I also have the opportunity to do things the best way I see fit. We're all amazing and clearly competent of impacting our schools, otherwise we wouldn't be there. The pressure to do "better" than the one before you will always exist, but the truth is, "better" can be defined in a number of ways. Find what works for you and your school!

About D'Andrea:

As a first-generation college student and graduate, I know first-hand how
difficult and overwhelming the process of getting to college can be.  Had
I not had someone in my corner to hold my hand and help guide me through the
journey of both going to and graduating from college, I'm not sure where I'd be
today.  As an Advise TX College Adviser, I have the pleasure of being that
mentor for students just like myself. Advise TX allows me to change lives and
make a positive impact on society.  What more could a person ask
for??!  I'm a firm believer that every individual should have the option
to attend an institution of higher learning so I'd like to continue on this
path of college access and pursue a graduate degree in Higher Education and
Administration to ensure that minority students are successfully matriculating
throughout their college career.