Moving Ahead in Life with APU
By Kate Miller, MPA
Director of Admissions
The distinct quiet of December has settled in on our campus: Senior projects are submitted, Capstone presentations are complete, and the Fall 2016 graduates walked across the stage just two short weeks ago. Winter break is upon us.
It’s already too quiet for me. I miss our students and the excitement in their voices as they talk about their weekend plans, their trips home, or their research projects. Or maybe they’re stopping by because they’re worried they’ve missed a deadline (or two). Regardless of the reason why they come into our office, our students are at the center of everything we do here in Student Enrollment Services and when they’re not here, they are missed.
It’s a pretty remarkable experience to get to play a small part and be on this journey with our students. In Admissions, we have the unique perspective of working with students long before they ever set foot on our campus. It is our responsibility to inform, guide, and listen as prospective students and their families make perhaps the largest decision in their lives to date. And then, once our students arrive and begin the next phase of their lives with us, we get to bear witness to the passion, enthusiasm, and confidence they develop during their time with us.
And that’s really the part that makes APU so unique and genuine. At APU, we meet our students where they are (literally and figuratively) and guide them in the direction of their goals. A student’s time with us is short (relatively), but the lessons they learn here will remain. We are the lucky ones who get to see the incredible arc of growth and maturity, pride and confidence that develops in each student during their time here.
![Students celebrating APU Fall 2016 Graduation](https://www.alaskapacific.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-December-Story-1024x483.jpg)
APU Fall 2016 Graduation