Michele Parker Recognized by the College of Arts and Sciences
John B. Drahmann Advising Award
In recognition of having established among colleagues and students a well-deserved reputation for extraordinary dedication to student welfare through wise, informed, effective, and caring counsel, and having demonstrated the ability to motivate other teachers and learners.
Michele Parker is an inspiring educator, mentor, and advisor all in one; however, it is for her truly outstanding and consistently exemplary work as an advisor to so many students that she is receiving the Drahmann Advising Award.
Michele is a systems-level thinker who is as creative as she is knowledgeable. She thinks deeply about “all things advising”, from the granular details of course planning to the arc of a student’s educational experience, as well as their physical and mental health and well-being. She has built new systems for advising support and worked on summer advising. Michele currently serves as the departmental liaison to the Colleges’s advising group, manages the peer advising program in Public Health, and has quickly become a go-to resource for advising.
Yet it is truly in the daily advising meetings and interactions with each of her students—no matter if they are formal advisees, or if they seek out her wise counsel before or after class—that “Dr. P,” as she is affectionately known by her students, truly shines. Michele is an incredible advisor for many, many students whom she supports through advocacy, coaching, accountability meetings, and most of all, the tough emotional labor that goes with establishing a strong, trusting relationship. She believes in each student and doesn't allow them to forget it.
As one of her students shared: “I can never thank Dr. Parker enough for being one of the driving reasons as to who I am today as a person. Her loving actions and thoughts have guided me through some of the lowest points in my life, which showed me that I am more than just a student here at SCU. There is no one more deserving of this award than Dr. Parker due to her tremendous love for her students, co-workers, and the overall Santa Clara community. She actively exhibits one of our Jesuit values of cura personalis”.