Meet undergraduate academic adviser Karen Lesch, a proud member of the award-winning World Campus Student Services team. It's Karen's responsibility to make sure our students always have someone to lend a hand when they need it. We interviewed Karen to find out why that's a job she really loves.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, later moved to Allentown, and finally wound up in State College. I had been a high school guidance counselor. Then I became a full-time mom for a while, staying at home with my two kids. That's when I started studying adult education, by taking courses part-time at Penn State. I soon got really hooked on adult ed. I was an adult learner myself, so I have a real appreciation for it. I can relate to a lot of mothers who want to go back to school.
How long have you been working as a World Campus student adviser, and how did you get started?
My first experience working with adult learners was my job as a G.E.D. adult literacy instructor for the State College Area School District. Then in 1998 an opportunity opened up to start working as an academic adviser for Penn State's Distance Education Department—also dealing primarily with adult students. I took it, and loved it. As Penn State's Distance Educaion Department grew and evolved, I became a student adviser for the World Campus, which was just getting started when I came to Penn State.
What kinds of questions do you get from the students you advise?
Everyone is so concerned that their diploma isn't going to be an "official" Penn State degree, and when they find out it will be, it makes them really feel like they're part of the University. Another area of concern is support. Students don't want to feel isolated, and I don't blame them. Luckily, the people at our HelpDesk are wonderful. They make sure that when a student has a technical problem, it's taken care of.
Potential students also often assume everything is online, and are usually very happy to find out they'll still have a textbook but can submit lessons online. I also get lots of questions about financial aid, how to start the registration process, and how to transfer credits from other schools.
What kind of feedback do you get from the students you advise?
When a student calls back to register for their next course, I always ask about the one they just took. Usually they say it was excellent. If they did experience problems, I always take that information and pass it along to the right people so that we can continually improve our courses.
What's the most exciting part of your job?
There are two things I love about my job: First, I really enjoy helping people make positive steps in their lives. Second, I love the people I work with. They all share a passion for this work, and that makes it wonderful to go to work every day.
