MEET OUR ADVISORS: Read a Q&A with the team that helps our students everyday!

What was your college major? How/why did you choose it?

Kirstin DeFusco Houtz: I majored in psychology because I wanted to learn more about people – why they do what they do, make certain decisions and how the brain works. Minors were required at my college, and I honestly didn’t know what else I wanted to study. I had the opportunity to go to Eritrea (a small country in East Africa) and became fascinated with the role of nongovernmental organizations in nation-building and international relations, so I chose political science! 

Robyn Dooley: While earning my associate degree, I majored in Interior Design. Creating beautiful and functional physical spaces has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I love art in all its forms! My bachelor’s degree is in Human Performance Management. I chose this major because it aligned with my goals at the time and has helped me in my role as an academic advisor.

Olivia D’Aiutolo Mendenall: History and Italian. I loved colonial American history from the time I began watching Liberty’s Kids as a child. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer at the time, so history was a great fit. Then Italian to learn my family’s language and study abroad in Italy.

 

How did you come to work in higher education? Academic advising?

Kirstin: In college, my favorite time of year was when the course offerings were published. I just loved looking at all the classes and planning my schedule for the upcoming semester. I didn’t gel with my assigned academic advisor but found a much better relationship by seeking out the department chair in my major. This made me realize the importance of this role in a student’s journey. I decided I wanted to marry my love of academic advising and athletics (I was a Division III athlete) and got into athletic academic advising. This profession allowed me to move to three different states pursuing this passion until eventually coming back home to Pennsylvania.

Robyn: I returned to the workforce in the early aughts when my children were in grade school. Having first-hand experience as a non-traditional student and recognizing the value of a college degree lead me to my current role as an academic advisor. I have a great appreciation and respect for our students in the College of Professional Studies. As an advisor, the opportunity to collaborate with my students as they embark on a path of self-discovery and lifelong learning is a privilege.

Olivia: While working in the historic area of Colonial Williamsburg after undergrad, I decided I wanted to continue my academic journey. I contacted my academic advisor from Temple, with whom I had a great relationship, and asked how she got to be where she is. She told me the steps, I applied to William & Mary’s graduate higher education program, and the rest is history! I loved building my class schedules in college and was pretty good at fitting the puzzle pieces together, so academic advising was a perfect trajectory.

 

NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising encourages advisors to develop an ‘advising philosophy’ to guide their work. How would you describe yours?

Kirstin: My advising philosophy lies within socio-psychological theories of identity (using my psychology degree!). While I take tenets from many different theories, I subscribe to developmental and proactive advising the most in my practice. We may only be in a student’s life for a season, but I believe we play a transformative role as we guide and encourage students to develop holistically.

Robyn: My advising philosophy is to help students discover their purpose and to guide them towards the courses, activities and organizations that will help them reach their goals. This aligns with the theories of developmental advising. I am keenly aware that the students I advise enter CPS with different life experiences, and one size does not fit all.

Olivia: I align most with the concepts of appreciative advising, self-authorship theory and proactive advising. The three of these together guide me to always see the best in students and play toward their strengths, empower students to be the drivers of their own development and anticipate potential problems before they arise.

 

What do you love most about your role and/or working at Villanova? What energizes you?

Kirstin: What I love most about Villanova is that everyone I have come in contact with is actively fulfilling the institutional mission. Student development is at the core of what we do. My top two CliftonStrengths are achiever and restorative. I thrive equally on the mental challenge of figuring out solutions and the ability to help others. Those two characteristics certainly energize me in my work and life. 

Robyn: The connection I have with my students is what I love most about my role as an advisor. Advising is not a prescriptive relationship.  Learning about my student’s life experiences and families, offering a listening ear when they are facing challenges and connecting them with appropriate resources, receiving feedback about their courses and their Villanova experiences, and celebrating their accomplishments, this is what energizes me!

Olivia: My students energize me – they're the best part of working in higher education. But my team is my favorite part of working at Villanova, specifically. When your environment is healthy and supportive, and you have a strong foundation to spring from and fall back on, you have so much more space to devote to your students!

 

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Kirstin: “Your life is your responsibility.” So much happens around us that is out of our control but, we must focus on the one thing we can control: our thoughts and actions. I have power over my own decisions, creating and achieving my own goals, and will create my own future. It serves as a reality check and motivator for me.

Robyn: "Stop waiting for the one moment in time that will change your life. Instead remember that each moment in time brings change, evolution, and transformation". -Melody Beattie

Olivia: “Let the bridges you burn light the way,” from one of my best friends on the last day of my graduate assistantship. It sounds bleak, but it really helps me to not get bogged down in the past, focus on what I can control, let go of what I cannot, and keep moving forward.

 

What books, podcasts, and/or TV shows are you into right now?

Kirstin: I’ve mostly been reading textbooks and empirical articles for school (I’m currently pursuing an EdD) and haven’t had much time for pleasure reading. But, I do enjoy a good true crime podcast on long runs. My husband and I have also shared the guilty pleasure of watching Love is Blind since quarantine and we just finished the last season.

Robyn: I recently became a certified yoga instructor, so much of my reading has been related to yoga and meditation. Currently I am rereading the Bhagavad Gita. I enjoy reading memoirs, and just reserved Alexandra Auder’s Don’t Call Me Home, from my local library. I love exceptional story telling so my go to podcasts include "Fresh Air", and "This American Life".

Olivia: I have five weekly podcasts in which I am fully invested, but my top favorites are "Ologies" and "Noble Blood". I am currently reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (finally), and I am fully consumed watching Daisy Jones & The Six on Prime Video for the second time—the book that inspired the show was written by Evelyn Hugo author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

 

Anything else to share?

Kirstin: I love this quote by Maya Angelou, “...people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our lives are inherently interconnected and shaped by the relationships we cultivate with others. Relationships provide a source of comfort, joy, support, and can also challenge us to grow beyond our perceived potential. 

Robyn: Take a break from technology and reconnect with nature!

Olivia: Now that summer is in full swing, read a novel! It is good to reset your brain after lots of academic and scholarly reading.