Seeing the Whole Student

Nancy Osmialowski became a Golden Grizzly in 2011 as a graduate student in counseling. Now, an academic adviser of 11 years in the School of Health Sciences, she supports and guides students as they pursue their goals of becoming health professionals.

Osmialowski began her higher education journey at Eastern Michigan University with the intent to become a teacher, but she discovered along the way that this path was not an ideal fit for her. Working on campus at the time, her supervisor pointed her in the direction of career counseling. Ultimately, she decided counseling would be a good match and chose to attend Oakland University for graduate school.

While pursuing her master’s degree in counseling, Osmialowski worked in undergraduate admissions as a graduate assistant. “I was supervising a small group of student employees,” Osmialowski reminisced. “I got to work closely with them and understand their academic journeys, and that was what I loved.” Osmialowski chose to focus her counseling degree in student affairs and completed her internship through an advising office on campus. 

After graduating, Osmialowski immediately began working in the School of Health Sciences as an academic adviser, where she has advised countless students over the past 11 years. “The students are the reason we’re all here,” she passionately said. “It’s been really meaningful to develop collaborative relationships with them.”

Recently, Osmialowski completed a National Association of Academic Advising (NACADA) microcredential for advising transfer students. Microcredentials enable academic advisers to gain specific expertise on a specific topic. “I chose to focus on transfer students because I work with a lot of them right now, and their needs are different,” Osmialowski explained. “They’ve already done the college experience a little bit, so their questions and what they’re looking for aren’t the same as a traditional first-year student.”

Whether working with transfer students or traditional students, Osmialowski takes a whole-person centered approach to her advising. “It’s a huge decision to come to a university,” she said. “Students bring so much into it, and we have to remember that they’re not just a number. When they come into my office, they trust me to know what they need to do. Some students are non-traditional – they might be a little bit older and they’re working full-time while balancing mortgages, kids or families. It’s important to have the conversation about what is going on outside of the classroom so we can see how to best design a plan that makes sense for them.”

Osmialowski encourages all students to reach out to their advisers if they need help with anything. “We’re here for you,” she said. “If you tell us what’s going on, we can help or at least point you in the right direction.”