Andrea Poole

Andrea C. Poole was nominated by Tiffany Murdock who said, “Andrea is a stellar volunteer for the Seahawk Perch and usually volunteers for things even before I ask for help. She studies in the Perch lounge a lot and often helps other students with questions they have. She is willing to share her knowledge about the bus system, the Perch and the university with anyone who needs to know. I feel that she is incredibly worthy of this honor.”

Andrea is a 30-year-old sophomore who is majoring in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Biology or French. She is the Membership Chair for Non-Traditional Student Organization, serves as the Commuter/Non-Trad representative on the University Union Advisory Board and is the mother of two sons, Aedyn, age three and Christopher, age 12.

One of the special challenges that Andrea faced when thinking about college was the fact that her first son was born when she was a senior in high school. Although she successfully finished high school at the same time as the rest of her class, she also had a baby in tow and still chose to attend Cleveland Community College. She later transferred to Belmont Abbey College and took classes in their Adult Degree program before she quit college entirely to work full-time. After her second son, Aedyn, was born, she quit work to become a full-time mother.

It is the process of managing all these life choices that Andrea says makes a non-traditional student. She has juggled full-time school and work since her children were toddlers. These breaks between full-time work, motherhood and college made coming to UNCW in 2004 much more difficult than if she’d come straight out of high school. The transition back into academic life was challenging, but now that she is a full-time student again and has learned the rhythm of working hard to meet the demands of academia, she enjoys the life of a university student.

When asked about people that have been especially helpful at UNCW, she says that “Dana, Tiffany and the rest of the Seahawk Perch staff have been wonderful! They have made me feel like a part of the university. Also, I could not have survived without the staff at the Tutoring and Learning Center.  Dustin, Jessie and Chris have been a tremendous help as I’ve struggled with difficult classes like Organic Chemistry and Physics. My neighbor, Lynell Williams (Learning Center) and her family have also been wonderful in helping me adjusting to my new life.”

Andrea’s advice for other non-trads is to “make connections with others here on campus through clubs (like the NTSO) or just come relax in the Perch for a few minutes during the week. It’s easy to feel all alone in the mass of young kids, but there are many friendly adult students here on-campus who understand the issues we deal with everyday. Also, if you are having trouble, seek help. I was really intimidated at first by the professors but have found that most of them truly enjoy teaching and are really happy to help you in any way they can. The tutors at the Learning Center are also less intimidating (and FREE!). If you have any questions, ask and keep searching till you get an answer.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Seahawk Perch congratulates Andrea C. Poole as our October 2005 Non-Trad of the Month!