Five Graduate Assistants, One Graduate House

By: Margaret Savoie

Anna Abel

The Graduate House is home to faculty and staff who are eager to help all our graduate and professional students. The Graduate house is also home to five graduate assistants (GAs) who assist with many day-to-day tasks and other key responsibilities such as research, recruiting, and marketing.

“I love working for the Grad School because it is a very interactive place, and the people I work with are super supportive,” said Anna Abel, a first-year clinical mental health counseling master’s student from Oxford, MS.

For Abel’s assistantship position, she works directly under Dean Kluck. She helps with research on projects for the Graduate School, supports various committees, and executes behind-the-scenes administrative activities.

Ty Wallace

When first entering the Graduate House this fall, you were immediately greeted by one of two smiling and friendly faces – Ty Wallace and Jemiah Johnson.

Jemiah Johnson

Both of these students are from Mississippi. Wallace, of Oxford, is an elementary education master’s student graduating in December, and Johnson, from Byhalia, is a communication sciences and disorders master’s student.

As graduate students pursuing human service degrees, Wallace and Johnson help with externally facing operations, regularly interacting with individuals seeking support and assistance. They also work with the admissions process, which accounts for the majority of contacts to the Graduate School. Applying to graduate study can be stressful and sometimes a bit difficult to navigate. Having GAs who understand educational structures, how to communicate well with individuals, and who can empathize with stressed applicants is an asset.

“Working for the Graduate school is great because it is such a positive and diverse work environment,” said Wallace. “Getting to work with such great people every day made working for the Graduate School a wonderful time.”

Michelle Cole-Dickson, Administrative Coordinator at the Graduate School, said, “We are very appreciative of our graduate assistants¾ not only are they hardworking, but they also keep the office fun and energetic.”

“Everyone in the Grad School is so welcoming and all of the graduate assistants get along really well,” said Johnson.

Margaret Savoie

Marketing for the Graduate School Ambassadors and Graduate School is the purview of Eli Howland and Margaret Savoie, respectively.

Eli Howland

Howland, a computer science master’s student from Madison, MS, is responsible for helping with recruiting efforts for the Graduate School. He assists with different recruiting events, works directly with the Graduate School Ambassadors, and runs the social media accounts for Graduate School Ambassadors. Because recruiting relies increasingly upon digital outreach and positive impressions, his background in computer science is especially beneficial.

“I’ve loved my time in graduate school and working with the Graduate School so far; it has let me connect with many other graduate students and learn about different programs,” said Howland.

Savoie, a second-year integrated marketing communications master’s student from Baton Rouge, LA, is the marketing graduate assistant. She helps with professional development events, social media accounts, marketing tactics, and the semester newsletters (like this one).

“My time at the graduate school has given me so much real-world experience,” said Savoie. “I feel confident in my skills and have learned how to take what I learn in the classroom into an office/career setting.”

Graduate assistants typically serve one or two years in the Graduate House, and individuals rotate in and out each semester. These graduate assistants provide a crucial link between the administrative staff who work to improve graduate education and the population of nearly 2,500 graduate students across campus.

Five Graduate Assistants, One Graduate House

2022 Winter Newsletter