In the complex landscape of higher education, academic advising stands as a critical pillar of student success, particularly within the University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This dynamic field transcends mere course selection, encompassing holistic support that guides students in navigating their academic journeys while fostering intellectual growth and personal development. As the university cultivates a broad and vibrant community, the role of academic advisors becomes paramount, serving as navigators through the intricate pathways of a liberal arts education.
“Academic advising today is about connection, guidance and building a sense of belonging. As our student body becomes increasingly varied in background, experience and goals, our approach has evolved to meet them where they are,” said Gillian Lord, associate dean for undergraduate affairs and director of the Academic Advising Center. “We are committed to creating a supportive advising community that empowers every student to thrive academically, professionally and personally.”
No two students take the same path through college, and that is where CLAS academic advising shines. Meet four students whose journeys and successes have been shaped by the power of thoughtful, personalized advising.
Redefining the start
Ashley Theilacker knew she wanted to be a history major before anything else. The Jacksonville native is a storyteller at heart and is passionate about using different mediums to connect people with their own histories.
But her entry to Gator Nation was not what she thought it would be. Theilacker was thrilled to be accepted to the University of Florida in 2021, but her admission as a PaCE student was not what she anticipated.
Pathway to Campus Enrollment, or PaCE, provides first-year students with the opportunity to start their UF journey online and then transition to in-person learning to complete their undergraduate degree. With the limited physical space of the Gainesville campus, this allows UF to expand its admission to more of the best and brightest students. Once 60 credit hours, including requirements for the student’s identified major, are completed, students can then transition to campus to finish their degree.
“At my high school there was a stigma around PaCE, and it took a lot of unlearning to erase that,” Theilacker said. “To me and to a lot of students who don’t know what PaCE is, it first seems like you didn’t really get into UF.”
Nicole Raymond, assistant director for PaCE advising, helped Theilacker handle that feeling of impostor syndrome that often accompanies new PaCE students.
“Many students have this internal perception that everyone will know they are taking only online classes, which is not the case,” she said. “In reality, every student is sitting in the library watching an online lecture or studying at the Reitz or on the lawn doing homework.”
Looking back, Theilacker said the flexibility the PaCE program gave her was invaluable, and in the end, she doesn’t regret it at all. In fact, just after transitioning out of the program, Theilacker applied to be a peer advisor with AAC to help others in their journey at UF.
Theilacker is one of five student peer advisors at AAC. The students are available in-person and remotely, even offering advice on UF’s pre-health and pre-law tracks. When advising other students who found their entry to UF through the PaCE program, Theilacker said she emphasizes, “All students are UF students no matter what program they get into. You belong at UF.”
In May 2025, Theilacker graduated from UF, double majoring in history with honors, and anthropology, along with a minor in classical studies. In the fall, she is set to continue her education at Northeastern University, pursuing a graduate degree in public history.
The art of rerouting
Marianne Turner had a plan. After excelling in science in high school and receiving her medical assistant license and a certification in phlebotomy, there was no doubt that medical school was in her future. But plans change.
“Inside a year, after the realities of college algebra and chemistry hit, I crashed,” said the Miami native. Turner then wisely sought help and found herself on an advisor’s doorstep, an inch away from dropping out of UF.
“I can help you,” said Jason Storch, an academic advisor with UF for 27 years. Through his advising and mentorship, Turner says she has excelled.
“I found Jason and it clicked. He told me straight up, ‘I think you will crash and burn if you keep going. Let’s look at other options.’” It turns out, Turner was fully on track for a bachelor’s degree in English, a path she never considered before.
But Turner was stubborn and fought the idea immediately. She said it was difficult at first to give up the image of herself as a doctor, but once she came to accept it, she is now, for the first time, enjoying her academic journey.
“The past year and a half have been phenomenal,” she said. “I was on life support before — now I even have a social life. Everything I wanted in college that I didn’t have before, is happening now.”
“Many times, we ask students why they are heading toward a certain goal, and they really can’t answer,” Storch said. “Our role is to help them evaluate what they want and show them the many options they have to get there.”
“He never told me what to do. He made it a point to show me my options and empower me to decide for myself. Jason gave me that sense of choice when I felt I had no choices left.”
In the time Storch has been at UF, he feels advising has evolved as students have evolved. “Florida is a big place. If we can shrink it a bit, that’s great. There is a lot that students are supposed to know and that’s hard,” he said.
“I went from, I might have to call my parents to come pick me up and bring me home, to having their next visit to see me walk across the stage at graduation,” Turner said. “I’m not stressed anymore; I am enjoying my life. There is a reason for everything.”
Turner is looking at even more options in front of her. She is considering continuing her education through a master’s program or perhaps another path to medicine through nursing school. No matter her choice, her options are endless.
Promise kept, future bright
The last thing Malik Williams wanted to do was lose the final few weeks of summer before starting college at UF. As it turns out, it was the best way to start this new venture. “Starting in the summer made my transition to UF a lot smoother,” Williams said.
The Fort Lauderdale native was invited to the UF PROMISE program, which requires an early summer start for first-year students. It’s a program of the Office of Academic Support, and accepted students are identified by the Office of Admissions and offered services to enrich their experience and reach their full potential.
Kathryn Rex, assistant director for access, belonging and community at AAC said PROMISE scholars are offered several resources, including selective advising, priority registration and smaller initial class sizes.
“The advising team in CLAS are the welcome committee. All PROMISE students come through us to get advising at orientation,” Rex said. But that does not limit them to CLAS majors, she added. PROMISE students can take any academic path they wish, including art, business and engineering. Once initial registration for summer and fall classes is complete, students are introduced to their PROMISE advisor who is specific to their college.
Creating community is key to the program, according to Rex. Hosting events like a late-night breakfast buffet with tutors in chemistry and math and sponsoring a graduate student panel, fosters relationships and connections.
After the summer semester was complete, Williams said the fall came with new challenges. “My advisor really helped a lot. He helped me understand what I like to do, and that was a struggle for me,” Williams said.
Williams realized he loved theater and poetry and thrived in oral presentations. He was concerned how that could lead to a job after graduation, but attending campus events with faculty and alumni helped change all that.
“I learned that part of being an adult is not only recognizing your skills but opening yourself up to ideas about what you can do with them,” he said. A third-year English major, with minors in theater and dance, Williams plans to attend graduate school after UF, pursuing a master’s degree in marketing.
When asked what he might advise other students considering the PROMISE program invitation, Williams said, “Have an open mind but also a strong way of thinking and knowing yourself. Find ways to evolve — take yourself to the next level by taking advantage of the programs. It’s going to be scary, but that’s life.”
Right On time
When Grey Sanz arrived in Gainesville, it marked more than just the start of a new chapter — it was the first time she had ever lived away from her close-knit family in South Florida. A transfer student from Broward College, Grey brought with her a quiet determination and a deep curiosity about the human mind, now guiding her pursuit of a degree in psychology at the University of Florida.
It was Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., her inspiring community college professor and a proud UF alumnus, who first recognized her potential and encouraged her to take the leap. His belief in her sparked a journey that would carry her hundreds of miles from home, and into a world of academic growth, self-discovery and newfound independence.
At large universities like UF, transfer students often face an unfair reputation, one shaped more by assumption than reality. Many times, they are viewed as outsiders, latecomers to the Gator community. But those perceptions overlook the intentionality and resilience of these students and the experience they bring with them.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the transfer program with CLAS right now,” said Sara Mock, associate director of the Academic Advising Center, and director of transfer student admissions and transitions. Mock credits former CLAS Dean David Richardson for providing the support that allowed the AAC to increase programming and resources for transfer students.
“We are focused on being as accessible as possible to students to help answer questions throughout the transfer process, from the prospective to admitted to current students,” Mock said. She said that providing as many opportunities as possible for transfer students to gather and connect has been key to building a community.
“I am a first-generation college student, so I had no idea what I was doing,” Sanz said. “I was so nervous, but once I transferred, there were so many resources for me to learn how to navigate college.”
A recipient of the Galloway McFarland Family Scholarship for transfer students, Sanz is an inaugural member of the Transfer Advisory Council for CLAS. The council was designed to allow transfer students to have a voice and give direct feedback to make the experience even more student focused than it is.
“From the beginning my biggest challenge was feeling that I belonged here just as much as everyone else. I had to remind myself that UF saw that and put me here for a reason,” Sanz said.
