Hello. You are listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at Lansing Community College. Who's that Star? Is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with employees at Lansing Community College. This is an inside look at LCC where you will learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them, both at work and in their personal life. This show is for you to get to know the great people behind the scenes at LCC. I'm your host, Julianna Blain, but feel free to call me by my nickname, Juji, which is short, sweet, and fun to say. You're listening to a special episode. Today. I'll be making an announcement that you will be interested in along with finding out our favorite thing, which is Who's That Star? Before I introduce our star, I want to let you know that there will be an important announcement midway through the show that you won't want to miss. That's all I'm going to say for now, so stay tuned and let's meet our star. Our star today is someone that I met very recently. She's the kind of person that you feel instantly at ease around and really comfortable with you when. Which really fits her job role very well. At LCC, she's an academic advisor. She's worked here for 13 years. She has her master's in social work, and she loves her job, which you can tell right away. She really excels at helping students identify their passion and helping them make a plan to reach their goals. All right, are you ready to meet her? Our star is, wait a second. We need a drum roll. Our star is Lisa Alexander. Lisa, the crowd really loves you today. Do you hear that?

I do. I do.

It's so great to have you on the show today. Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Absolutely. Can you tell me, are you from the Lansing area?

I am. I'm born and raised from Lansing. I say la. From Lansing area. So, yeah, I've been here.

La. I like it. Like California, but better.

Yeah, that's right.

All right, so you work at LCC. Can you tell me a little bit about your role here and what you do?

Sure. I work in student affairs. I'm an academic advisor and I get the opportunity and privilege to help students reach their academic and life goals. So I really enjoy that.

Yeah, it sounds like you enjoy it.

I do.

So what are some of your favorite parts about your job? About helping students and helping them find their purpose and goals.

I really. I really like establishing the rapport with students, like making them feel comfortable Letting them know that LCC is an open and welcoming place. And so that way they know that they can put their trust in me and I'm going to help them try to get to where they want to go.

That's actually a really big deal, I'd say, because I mean, I've been a student before. I know you've been a student before. Academic advisors can really make or break your experience, you know, so having a good academic advisor and having someone who really cares, like it's so obvious you do, just talking to you, it. It really makes a huge difference and being able to, you know, help students, you know, what are you interested in? What, what are your goals kind of thing. So I really like what you're saying about establishing rapport so they can trust you. Because that's a big deal.

Yeah, it is very big because a lot of times people come in with hidden fears that they, that you don't know. And so you have to break down those barriers and you have to let them know that you're willing to listen. You don't have any judgments and you want to help them reach their goals. So that's, that's my purpose and that's what I want to do. So.

Wow. I love, I love that. It's beautiful. So tell me, how did you get started at LCC?

You know, I got started at LCC out of desperation. You know, I was a single parent. I worked for the Lansing school district and I got laid off and so I had a three year old. I was trying to figure out how I was gonna make it and a friend of mine said, you should start maybe adjunct teaching at LCC. And I was like, oh yeah, let me look at it. And then I looked. I got in with LCC, working in sdev, taking those, excuse me, teaching those courses. And then it just went from there, where I went to supplemental advising to 30 Hour Advisor. And then in 2014, I was a full time advisor. I just had my anniversary on March 14th, so I'm super excited.

Yeah, that is awesome. So you really worked your way up. And what was it that you started? You said the acronym, but what does that stand for?

I was student development. I taught the student development courses. So that was the acronym for the student development. So I did assertive training, eliminating self defeating behaviors and study techniques.

I feel like I want to take one of those classes.

Yeah, I learned as I was teaching actually, you know, that eliminating self defeating behaviors. I thought it was a great course. I thought it was. It helped you to think about how you get in your own way. And so it was really. It was timely for me, and it's always something that I try to reflect back on.

Yeah, that's. That's amazing that you're able to teach and learn at the same time. Especially like when you were starting your career at LCC and working your way up, I might add.

Yeah, I was. You know, I was. LCC has just been that place for me. It's given me a lot of opportunities. It's helped me grow. I've met a lot of people who've mentored me, and just. It's a really good place.

Yeah, it's probably because it's people like you that work here. So what do you. What is some of the best advice that you've learned in your life so far?

Well, I would say some of the best advice that I learned was from my mom, and she would say, this, too, shall pass. And so a lot of times, we are so caught up in the moment, and we're thinking about what's going, you know, right now and not realizing that we'll get through this. This moment, we'll get through this time. We just have to be patient, go through it, and then, you know, plan for what's next on the other side. So once I realized that. That things don't always stay the same. You can move through things. It makes you. You know, I can get through it in the moment.

So, yeah, that's really deep advice. And it just hits home with me because I know, especially in school and in work, in personal activities, in anyone's life, when you're going through a hard time, man, it is tough. And it's like sometimes all you can think about. So to remember that, you know what? This too, will pass. Like, I'm gonna get through it. Even though it's so hard right now. I think that's such great advice.

Well, thank you. Yeah, I know.

I was like, thanks to your mom.

Yeah, my mom. I was like, thanks, mom. You know, my mom is no longer here with me, and so to be able to listen to her advice and think about it and know that it's always timely. So that's what I try to do with my students and my daughter. I try to just, you know, plant seeds that they can reflect back on later.

Yeah.

And hopefully it helps.

Absolutely, it does. I can imagine, like, going through a tough time, and that little advice pops into your head. You're like, ah, you know what? This. This is so hard, but it's gonna pass. It's not forever, and Having people around to remind you is chef's kiss very helpful.

Support is everything.

Yeah. The support and encouragement. It seems like in your role, you do a lot of support for students.

Yeah, I do. It's. It's one of the things that, like, I'm their biggest cheerleader. I get the opportunity to say, you can do this. You know, when people are doubt, they have doubt, they're worried about what they do. And a lot of times, I'm able to. To relate to that, because I'm always fearful. Don't always think about that. I can do something, but then I do it, and I'm successful, and I'm like, yes. And so I just try to carry that on to students and let them know, try. If you fail, that's okay. You can. You can get back up and start again. And so that's the thing about it. It's not so deep that you can't make mistakes. And so I think that that's an important thing for people to realize.

I think you're absolutely right, because I think I know, me personally, I want to say, like, everyone really can struggle with that. It's got to be perfect. I can't, you know, if it's not perfect, I can't do it. Or being scared to fail, which is so real. But it's kind of like normalizing failure in a way, because that is a big way we learn in our life. We can look at other people and see what they do and kind of learn from that. But personal experience is like the benchmark for learning. And it's okay to fail because you get up, you move forward, you've got supportive people around you, or you find supportive people encouragement, and then you know what not to do.

Right, Exactly. Exactly. Trial and trial in error is a. Is a. Is a really good thing, you know, and we have to start looking at that in a different way. Right. You know, it's okay to make a mistake. It's okay not to get things right the first time.

Yeah. Do you find yourself giving that advice to students often?

Oh, yeah. I'll tell a student in a minute, you know. Yep. Life happens.

Yeah.

Some things. You know, especially with COVID the pandemic we had, you know, people were making major adjustments in their life, and certain areas needed more attention than others. And so people just had really ambivalent feelings about letting something not go as perfectly as they wanted to. Right. And then I'm like, hey, we all been through a hard time right now, so, you know, we gotta give each other and ourself grace and then just pick back up and keep moving.

Oh, you're hitting my soul with these words. Because I think giving ourselves the grace, and sometimes when we can't give ourselves the grace, we need it from other people. And especially you and your role, like, you know, helping students who are choosing their life path, in a way, you're right there to give that grace and help them remember to have grace on yourself. You know what if you fail? It's okay. We get up, we move forward.

Oh, exactly.

Goosebumps. I love that. I love that.

Thank you.

Can you share a career highlight that you're very proud of? I want to hear it.

Well, one of my major highlights was I started at LCC, had received the full time position as an academic advisor. So, yeah, I was really excited. And then I got an opportunity. I worked with Cheryl Guerrata, and she asked me to present with her. And I was so nervous. Like, I was scared, you know, at first I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do it. And then when I thought about it, I was like, I'm gonna be in front of people. I can't do this. And then I said, okay, what can I do? So I thought about trying to fake a heart attack. And then I was really going on it. I was like, I had this down, Right?

And then you had a plan.

Yeah, I had a plan. You know, you can't plan.

Let's see. The ambulance ride will take.

Hey, I'm gonna invest in this, you know? And so my coworker, Tangela, she came over to my house. And this is the thing about LCC is that she supported me through that, because I'm serious. I was trying to figure out how to get out of there. And then when I. She helped me, I did. I went and presented with Cheryl and it went well. And I received a job offer from another institution. And I was like. So I was so, like, excited. And I was like, I did it. I couldn't believe I did it. And so it just gave me, you know, like, faith and it gave me, like, confidence.

Yeah.

And so for me, I've gained that in everything that I've tried here at LCC. I've gained confidence in the skill and I've built on it. So, yeah, that was my highlight, though.

Yes. That's amazing. And it sounds like, you know, it was a great opportunity. Like, yes. And then as it so often happens, you're like, oh, wait, this means I have to talk in front of a bunch of people. How do I get out faking my own death? Ambulance ride.

I know, right? I know I'm a drama queen, but.

Yeah, sometimes you gotta be. I mean, but then I like how you problem solved. You got, you know, your friend came over, helped you, talked, talked you out of the ambulance.

Yeah.

And then, like, in the end, you killed it and you got a job offer and you proved yourself that you could do it. That's incredible.

It was. Yeah. And so that was like a major highlight.

Yeah, that is. And now you're here on the radio talking. Look at you guys.

I know, I know. Like, who would have thought?

Mm. Mm. It's in there the whole time. You just got to do it.

I know, right?

And I think that goes back to the key of not being. Or, you know, you might be scared to fail, but doing it anyway.

Yeah. Pushing through. Yeah. Because if you. You never know. Like my friend always told me, if you don't ask, the answer's always no. And so, like, if you don't try, you've already failed. So, you know, you have to try.

Exactly.

You never know how to go.

Yeah. Yeah. One of my fears is looking. Looking silly or people being like, oh, she doesn't know what she's talking about.

Oh, yeah, me too.

And I think everybody has those things on the inside. But on, you know, we look calm, cool, calculated. We don't ever know what battles other people are fighting in their heads.

Exactly.

And I think kind of tying it back around to the students, you being able to, you know, have gone through things yourself, being able to establish rapport, build trust with them. You make it a safe place for them to be able to talk to you about what they might be scared about, you know, those hidden battles, you know, when they're going, when there's things going on at home, maybe asking tough questions. Do you find yourself having to do that?

Yeah. There's a philosophy in advising about. It's called intrusive advising.

Okay.

And intrusive advising is you are trying to find out what barriers can stop the student from succeeding.

Yeah.

And so for me, what I like to do is get the opportunity to ask, hey, what's going on in your life? You know, do you have children? Are you working, what your life looks like, like, outside of school? So that way we can plan accordingly.

Yeah.

For how you're gonna take your classes, are you gonna be a full time student or a part time student?

Yeah.

So, yeah, it makes a difference.

Yeah, it really does. And I know, you know, in personal experience, sometimes I don't even think of those questions. I'm like, oh, I can do it all. Here we go. And then, you know, two weeks later, I'm like, oh, dear Lord, what have I done? Exactly.

Yeah. And I like to do that. I like to say, have you thought about this? And have you looked at this option? And a lot of times students come in with tunnel vision, and they don't think that there's options. And so a part of my job is to present different options to the student. You could do it this way, you could do it that way, you know, and then they start. You can see that their eyes start to light up, and they're like, oh, yeah, I didn't really think I could do, you know, but yeah. So it. It just to provide that support and give them information, because information is key. If you. If you know more, you do more, you are right. And so I think that my job is to provide students with information. And then they make decisions, and we process together, and then they decide, and if they change their mind, we rework it.

That's beautiful. It's like, no pressure. Grace, let's figure out some options. Doesn't work for you. Let's try something else. Let's move forward. I'm here with you.

Yeah. And the difference. I'm here with them, but they're doing the work. Right. So, you know, I can't make these life decisions for you, but I can listen, and then I can help you. Well, I. I don't know about that, but have you thought about this? And then let them think about it again, because it's important. You know, people have ownership in their goals and not feeling like, oh, my advisor just put me in this major. Nope, you thought about it. You did career advising. You talked to people in your life. So you knew that this was something that was important to you.

Yeah. And you helped them find those options. I love it.

Yeah.

Oh, my goodness.

We have a lot of options here. So sometimes it can be, you know, people like, I don't know, but we got options, and we got ways. Ways for you to figure out what's right for you.

I remember being a student and doing the career testing because I was like, oh, I love so many things. There's so many options. It's overwhelming. And a career advisor helped me take some tests, find out what I really liked, and move forward in those areas. So helpful.

We have a great career advisor here. Where? As well. Sandy Leon.

So, yeah, she was the one.

Yes. She's good.

Oh, my goodness. All right. Well, Lisa, it has been so nice getting to know you. Thank you so much. For being here and sharing. All right, everyone. Now, do you remember in the beginning when I said I have a big announcement? Well, that time is now. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? The big announcement is. You know what? We might need a drum roll.

We do?

You think we do? Okay, let's hit that drum roll. And the announcement is, I am moving forward on from who's that star? And passing the baton on to Lisa, who will be the fantastic new host of this amazing show. So you might have some questions, and the first question you might have is, why are you leaving Juji? Where are you going? And what better way to tell you than to have Lisa go ahead and interview me for the second half of this show? So we're gonna go ahead and get right into that. And let's turn the tables. Lisa, the floor is yours. Let's go.

Hey, Gigi. Thank you. First off, I'd like to give an applause to you.

Oh, should I hit applause?

You need to hit applause. Yeah. I'm excited and I'm happy to have the opportunity to talk with you, Juji. I think you've done some great things with this show. I'm really proud to be able to step into this role. But before we talk about that more, I really want to talk about you. And what's your next plan? Your next step? What are you going to do?

Yeah, great question. I would love to share because I'm so excited while I am. You know, LCC really has been the best job of my career yet. It's been a great place to explore what I want next because I am very passionate about working with people face to face. So my next step. I'm currently a grad student in clinical mental health counseling at Siena Heights University. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I graduate in December 2022. So coming up soon.

Okay.

And I've started my practicums, so that is the. It's not as intense as my internship, but I'm working with clients. I'm getting direct hours and non direct hours at a counseling practice called core counseling. Shout out to core counseling in Lancaster.

Counseling. Yay. You still in our G. But. Yay,.

But. And what I specialize in is somatic therapy. So there's a couple different kinds of therapy. There's many, actually. Who am I kidding? But somatic therapy, it's different from traditional talk therapy where we just talk back and forth and work on, like, our mindset. It goes real deep, and it's called a bottom up approach. And somatic therapy, it takes in. So I do something specifically called brain spotting, which I've been trained in. And what it does is it. This uses the science of eye movement, and it helps you be able to process your past traumas and your past emotions that are trapped in your nervous system from, you know, all the way from a young baby, sometimes still in utero, in your mom's womb, all the way till now. And a lot of people don't realize they have trapped trauma or trapped emotions, and they get stuck in the same patterns in their lives. Like, say somebody finds themselves never able to date somebody and have a good relationship. They might have some past trauma they haven't worked through, and they keep repeating the same cycle because their nervous system knows and wants to do the same thing. So I geek out about this. And like, that is brain spotting, where you use the science of eye movement to do that. And it's amazing. But the somatic therapy, so, like the umbrella that is over brain spotting, it basically just pairs the mind and the body with processing things. So instead of just traditional talk therapy, psychotherapy, it's a level deeper. You're working on your actual system, your body, because the stored memories and everything are in your body. And I could talk about this forever.

No, it's really interesting. So one in December. What degree will you have?

I'll have my master's in clinical mental health counseling. And. Yep. And then I'll be applying for my license. So I'll have a limited license for about two years while I get my hours.

Okay.

And then in two years, I'll have my full license.

And so then people will be able to come to you?

Yeah.

Will they be able to use insurance?

Yeah, Yep. Insurance. And I don't know all the details of that.

Yeah.

But you can check the show notes. I'll put a link to core counseling just to learn a little bit more about somatic therapy. I'll have a link to a YouTube video as well.

Is in core counseling. Is somatic therapy all they do?

No, they do a lot of different things. They do psychotherapy, couples counseling, emdr. It is also, and I'm failing on what it stands for. It's eye movement and something. It's about the eye movement and processing. So they do. That's a somatic therapy as well that a couple people at that practice specialize in.

Oh, so you. You. Your practice will offer a wraparound, like. Yeah, there's a lot different people, different ways, so. Yeah.

Yeah.

That's wonderful.

Yeah.

I. And I'm super excited for you because I'm also in the mental health Field. And so I understand that passion, and I understand helping people, and I know that you've helped a lot of people around campus. Could you talk to us about the role that you're leaving?

Yeah, absolutely. So I. Currently, I'm an administrative assistant to a dean, and it's Dean Bo Garcia, and it is in the division. It's a mouthful. It's a long one. Community Education and Workforce Development, or CEWD Seaweed for short.

Okay.

And what we do over there, we have several departments, and we do corporate training for companies. We do community education. We have the Small Business Development center that helps and helps people build small businesses and provide support, which I'll be using in the future as I build my business, because I do plan to go private practice.

Okay.

Got big plans, right?

Yeah.

No.

Wonderful.

Yeah. But I. What I do there is I assist the dean, and I do a lot with our marketing. I do a lot with, you know, ordering things for the office. There's a lot of different avenues that I work in.

Right. So you touch a lot of different areas, but you also touch the community.

Yes.

Working with the community and bringing them into our great services here at LCC. That's so great. I mean, like, I'm super excited. I'm. I'm excited for you and your next journey. I'm sad for LCC, but I know, like, what are some things that you're gonna take from LCC into your next row, into your next job? What are you going to take some things that you've learned?

That's a great question. I think that this job actually has set me up far more than I ever, ever would have realized when I started, because, you know, it was administrative assistant position. And I wasn't sure what all that would entail when I started. But upon leaving. I've been here since 2019, so almost three years in July. But what I've really learned a lot from the people around me, specifically. So I. I'm the assistant to Dean Bo Garcia. I've learned so much from him as far as a lot of. Because he specializes in, you know, community outreach and corporate training and things like that. It's just strategic things as far as business planning. I now know what, like, corporate lines of business mean and, like, a lot of business jargon, which is really helpful to me. And I've really been able to learn at a high level how things really work at a college or a larger organization that I had no idea about before and how we connect to the community and how we connect to businesses and how behind Every company, there's a bunch of people working really hard to make things happen. And really, the relationships I've built here will really I'll carry with me. I feel like I've learned something from every coworker I have, big or small.

Wow. And it's interesting that you say you started July 2019. You had about, what, a good seven months before we shut down, and so you had to figure out your role and still, you know, make stuff happen. So I think that's wonderful. You definitely have some resilience to be able to come into a new role, figure things out, and then, you know, do it when you're alone. And so I think that's great. I feel bad for Dean Bogart. You know, it's gonna be hard to replace you.

Thank you. I love hearing that. Keep it coming.

I know. I know it is. I'm sure he would say the same thing, because it just sounds like, you know, your attitude is so great. And it's like, I see why you were the host of this show because, you know, the enthusiasm that you have and. Could you tell me why you wanted to start this?

Yeah, absolutely. So I was involved as the administrative assistant in the project during the radio transition, and I was asked to be a host on the show. And one of the reasons I really wanted to do it is because. And I'm just grinning really big as I'm thinking about it. I love people. I love working with people. I love learning about people. I love being able to highlight people's good qualities. I truly believe the best in people.

Oh, yeah.

So if I see somebody, for example, like, I abhor stereotypes because they really block everything. So what I'm trying to say is, when I meet people, I really just try to speak to the best part of them and let them show me who they are. No matter what. My brain might try to throw up that I think I know about them already. I try to just stay curious and move forward. And that kind of goes along with, like, a lot of the trainings I've done at LCC, too, that they've really helped, like, with diversity. Diversity, equity, inclusion.

I'm saying that sound like that unconscious bias, you know, making sure that you're. You're aware of that.

Yeah.

You're making sure that you meet that person and not bringing back.

Exactly.

I like that.

Yeah. And I think that that has really been impactful in my life and my career, because I, I. That's my big thing, is I don't want to judge anyone. And when I catch myself Doing it, I. I try to notice and be like, oh, Gigi, you're judging. Back off there, pal. Like, stay curious. Because I've learned the moment you make a judgment, you close a connection. And when you stay curious, you know, it opens a connection. So even people. And I've really learned this in the past, probably year or two. And working at LCC has really helped me because we have the trainings. I'm in contact with a lot of different types of people. And even in my own personal life, I was starting a story and I kind of forgot where we were going. But the basic premise is staying curious because, oh, this is what it was. Even if someone has a different viewpoint than me. In the past, I'd been very conflict avoidant. It was very hard. I wanted to run away, you know, oh, God, they said something I don't agree with. What do I do? You know, the anxiety, red light flashing. So what I've learned to do is just first pause. And I've done a lot of my own work as far as therapy, which is one of the reasons I love therapy so much. It's really changed my life. I've gone through a lot of different. I feel like I've had maybe eight lifetimes in one life, and I'm only 31, so there's a lot more to go. But as far as, you know, learning to not be so conflict avoidant and be curious about people and be able to just be. Again, curiosity is a big thing, because if I can ask them, if I can pause, notice my own reaction, pause, and then be like, hey, well, why do you think that? Or, tell me more. You said this phrase and it hit, you know, I'm just curious. And I noticed, you know, people, like, open up like a book. Whereas if I was like, hey, you can't say that. Why are you saying that? A lot of times people, you know, they might have good intentions way deep under there. People do things for a reason, but it gets so mangled sometimes by the time it comes out, you're just like, what? What is this?

Exactly.

So. So just really being curious, open and asking questions and making a safe space for people that's not judgmental.

Oh, I mean, hey, I think it takes people lifetimes sometime to figure that out. And so you've able to take that from your experience here at LCC. I think you're well on your way to a really great career. I think that you're gonna help a lot of people. I'm in mental health as well, and I just see your affect how you are. And I think that you're gonna make a difference. And I think you've made a difference here at LCC. And I know it's, like, bittersweet for us to say goodbye because you've been impactful here and you've helped and you've created a show that I get to follow in your footsteps and take over. And I'm so excited. And I just wanted to know, is there, like, any parting words that you want to say to your audience? Is there anything that you want to, you know, let people know? Because I think we. We appreciate you and we are going to miss you.

Lisa. That means the world to me. Thank you. I'm just sitting over here just soaking up this. This nice talk and these good vibes. But I guess what I would want to leave and my parting words might be is be kind. Be kind. You never know what someone's going through.

Yes.

You never know what's going on in someone's mind or what they've dealt with in their life. I'm a first generation college student. I never thought I would go to college, let alone get my master's.

Right. Me too.

Yeah, it's a big deal. And a lot of people, you know, you wouldn't guess things by looking at people. And it's important to not guess things when looking at people and to always ask and stay, just to stay kind. Because a kind word could literally change somebody's life. You never know, somebody could be on the brink of something that's really difficult and a harsh criticism could send them over. But a kind word and a loving heart, like, it just. You feel that energy, and it really makes a difference. So that I try to always spread kindness, positivity, love, and just be the best person I know how to be and not judge myself for past mistakes. So, everyone else, you should do this, too.

Hey, no, I think that's. That's a good parting word, right? If I'm, you know, to be kind. I think I'm done with asking questions my first time. So thank you, Juji, for letting me do this. And I'm gonna turn it back over to you.

All right. The tables are turning again. Skirt. Skirt. Lisa, really, thanks for being on the show. Thanks for taking it over. I'm so excited to turn on the radio and hear your voice and be like, hey, I know her. She's on the radio. I'm very excited to see, like, how you get to know people and interview them as well. So moving forward, let's. I'm not sure even what to say after all this, my heart feels full. But thank you. Thank you for letting me share my passions, share a little bit of my story. I feel so grateful to have worked here at LCC, grateful to know people like Lisa. And again, I'm so excited to hear these future episodes. Lisa, that you do.

Thank you.

All right, here we go. So thank you so much for listening to Who's That Star? The behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk to the employees at Lansing Community College. We spent some time today with Lisa Alexander, who is changing the world by helping people one student at a time. We also spent some time learning about my next steps as I pursue my career in counseling somatic therapy. And I'm so excited about the transition. Again, I'm your host, Julianna Blain. Call me Juji. Thank you so much for listening in. This is my last show as we welcome Lisa as the new host. Tune in next time to hear Lisa and discover Who's That Star.