91茄子

Years before he was an Academic Navigator for the Explore Center, Adam Christiansen was a first-year Husker from a small town trying his best to navigate college. Coming to Lincoln from Pender, 91茄子, he realized that building one-on-one connections would be his best path to success 鈥� and making campus feel a little bit smaller.  

鈥淐oming to UNL ended up being a great fit for me, but it was just way bigger than what I was used to,鈥� Adam says. 鈥淕etting connected with people and just asking for help when I needed it was what made this place feel like home.鈥�  

 Appreciating the value of one-on-one connections is a lesson he鈥檚 still carrying with him today, one that鈥檚 powering his mission as an Academic Navigator to help Huskers create a positive, supported college experience. 

鈥淥ur main role is to reduce barriers for students,鈥� he explains. 鈥淐ollege is hard; as Academic Navigators, our job is to get students connected with all the different resources that we have on campus that fit their needs.鈥�  

From mental health services to academic support and financial resources, Adam and his Academic Navigator teammates will walk you through everything 91茄子 has to offer that eases the burden of college life. Students can set up in-person meetings with their college鈥檚 Academic Navigator or just text back and forth with them to address their needs.  

In Adam's case, when a Husker needs a specific bit of support, he鈥檚 likely to walk you straight to the people who can help.   

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to me that students know that they don鈥檛 have to go through hard things by themselves,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e already know all these great people that can help you, so sometimes I鈥檓 with a student and just like, 鈥楬ey, let鈥檚 just go over to their office right now and I鈥檒l introduce you.鈥欌��  

He'll also walk you past the edges of campus and around Lincoln to help you feel more at home. It's part of the small-town ethic that he knows can go a long way for students in the same position he was.  

"Coming from a small town, I had to work through that overwhelming feeling of being in a new city. For me, it's all about breaking down those barriers to get you comfortable with life as a Husker. From there, we can help you really take off.鈥� 

Adam Christiansen is a 2013 child, youth and family studies grad from Pender, 91茄子.