Hey, hey, hey. This is Lisa A. And you're listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at LansingCommunity College. Who's that Star? Is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with the employees at the college. This is an inside look at LCC where you will have a chance to learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives. I'm your host, Lisa Alexander. I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to all the people who make LCC great. This show is for you to to get to know the people that work at Lansing Community College a little bit more and see what makes them tick. Are you ready? Okay. Let's go see who's today's star. We have another recently added star to the family as a guest today. This star earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Health Service Administration in 2011 from Davenport University. She worked for a short while with community Mental health before getting an opportunity to return to her alma mater as a high school admissions representative. She served the central region of Michigan helping students transition smoothly from high school to University until 2015 when she became the senior admissions representative for the community college team. In this role, our star worked closely with Lansing Community College and our students to promote and create awareness regarding transfer opportunities from LCC to Davenport. During her time in this role, she earned a Master's degree in management from Davenport. Shortly after earning her master's degree, she was promoted to Director of high school admissions for the community college team. She said she thoroughly enjoyed being back with the high school population because it's her passion to help young people see their potential and invest in themselves in their future. This past May, our star concluded her 12 year career at Davenport University to grow professionally in a new role. She is the Associate Dean of Strategic Enrollment Management here at LCC. Are you guys ready to learn who's today's star? Drum roll. Today's star is Alyssa Andrews. Welcome, Alyssa. We're so glad to have you here on Who's That Star?

Thank you so much for having me.

We are excited. So we're gonna begin. Where were you born and raised?

Oh, I actually was born in Key Largo, Florida. Oh yes, the warm weather definitely draws me. But only lived there a short while and then was born and raised in Essexville, Michigan. Not sure if you ever heard of it.

I've heard of Essexville, but I'm not sure where it's at.

It's close to Bay City, Michigan or Saginaw is what A lot of people know.

Yeah. Saginaw. Okay. So when did you go to Davenport?

In 2011. I attended at the Saginaw campus. So I actually started in 2009 there and then graduated from Davenport in 2011.

So, like, a university center was that they have, like a. Or do they have a main place in Davenport and Saginaw?

So they actually have satellite campuses. The main campus is in Grand Rapids right off of M6, and that's where the dorm rooms are, the athletic teams, the more traditional student life. And then there are multiple satellite campuses across Michigan. Saginaw was one at the time. It has since closed, but that's the one that I attended.

Okay, Well, I noticed that you got your business administration in Healthcare Administration, Bachelor's degree.

Correct.

From Davenport. So how did you end up in higher ed?

Absolutely. So it's a funny story. I actually anticipated going to college for forensic psychology originally. If you've ever seen criminal minds, Dr. Reed Spencer. Yes. That's who I aspired to be. And then I ended up getting pregnant with my son.

Okay.

And I met with my academic advisor at the time at the college that I was attending. They said, oh, well, you just have about 10 more years to become that doctor of psychology. And I said, I don't have that much time. I need to start making money and to be able to provide for my son.

Right.

So I actually went to Davenport, transferred there, and basically said, what degree can I get the fastest with the credits that I'm transferring in? And it was just an amazing, amazing admissions representative there that just kind of was like my cheerleader and believed in me and said I could get the degree in Health Services Administration the fastest.

Okay.

And so I said, sign me up.

Right, right.

And. And I did that. And I did my practicum at Community Mental Health, and I started working there for a short time. But it just was weighing on me emotionally. I couldn't make the clean cut when I would go home at night. So it was. It was a lot for me. And an opportunity presented itself at Davenport to be the person who had really inspired me and helped me start my college journey. And I said, that is what I want to do. And so I applied for it and ended up becoming the high school admissions representative there.

And the rest is history.

The rest is history. That's how I got into higher education.

Yeah. Well, that's an interesting story. And, you know, he seems like it's where you supposed to be, because you do a lot of good work. I worked with you before. You were actually an LCC star. And you were very passionate about the work that you did, and you were always making yourself available and accommodating. So I know that we're lucky to have you and get you here. So can you tell me about your work at LCC? Like, what department do you work in here and what is your official title?

Absolutely. So I work in the Student affairs division. And my department is Strategic Enrollment Management. My title is Associate Dean of Strategic Enrollment Management. And people are probably wondering, well, what does that mean?

Right.

So with. Under my area are six departments here at LCC. It's the University center, the Admissions Department, Outreach and Recruitment, the STAR Zone. So the Enrollment Support Specialist, the Veteran and Military Affairs, Global Student Services, which services all of our international students, and then the Registrar's Office.

Okay.

So in a nutshell, my job is to work with all of those six departments to really dissect the data and make sure that we're offering the resources that our students need, removing the barriers in hopes that that will equate to increased enrollment for Lansing Community College.

Oh, that's great. You got a lot of areas.

I do. I do.

It seems like it's hard to manage. Like, you have your new. Because you got here. When did you say you started?

May 31st.

So May 31st, you have six areas. You got. Have you been here six months?

I've not been here six months. A little over four months now. But the greatest part, I think, about having the six areas that I have is that they all need to collaborate so closely together that it makes it a little bit easier in implementing strategic plans and changes because they do need to work so closely together. And it kind of brought together all of my passions that I had from Davenport into one role. So that's been really cool.

Yeah. Cause the business administration aspect of it, knowing how to manage a business, because this is what that is. And those different areas have those, you know, special needs. And you get an opportunity to kind of oversee all that and make it right and give our students a good experience. So I think that's great. What do you like most about what you do here at LCC? And I know it's new because you just started, so. But from so far, what do you like?

So far, what I'm most excited about and enjoying the most is that Lansing Community Coffee. Lansing Community College offers a high quality, affordable education where students can really figure out what it is that they like and maybe make some wrong turns along the way without it costing them an arm and a leg or being in debt for the rest of their life. And I just didn't know personally when I was a student about the community college option and the route and the two plus twos and the three plus one transferability options. And so I'm really excited to offer the personalized attention through the resources that we have at a very affordable price for students, because I believe that higher education should be a right afforded to everybody.

So, yes, definitely. Or some. Some type of training. You know, if you don't want to get an associate's degree, that's fine, but we have a lot of certificates. But we want you to have a good experience. And I think that you're going to do a great job in that because I know you always made us feel good, listened and heard. And so I think that you'll do that for your staff and the students as well. So I'm excited. Well, with that being said, four months in, what would you like your legacy to be at LCC?

That is a good question. So I would like my legacy here at LCC to be that everything that I did was with the students in mind.

Okay?

Removing the red tape, removing any barriers, maybe removing things that even if it's unpopular amongst departments or whatnot, but just every decision that I make, being really student focused and going into. Into it, knowing that we did what was right for the student. And that's what I want my legacy to be.

That's a good legacy, you know, to just know that I'm trying to do everything in my power to make this the best possible experience for you, for you. And I think, you know, people have hiccups, but to be intentional about that, I think is. Is very important. So I'm glad about that. What career advice would you give yourself now that you've been in here? If your younger self, what would you give someone coming in, what would you tell them?

A career advice that I would give is that it is great to be transparent and it's great to be open and honest, but one should also be careful about maybe sharing too much personally. And that's a lesson that I learned early on. Like, it might have been my second week at Davenport, I had somebody sit down with me and provide me with that advice. And I've always been an open book because I thought it was really insane, inspiring to share the struggles and the challenges that I had come through and surpassed. But I did get that piece of advice and then it just made me be a little bit more cautious about how much I share and when, because not everybody always has your best interest. At heart. And so it's important to know that before you share too much.

That's a good one. Because I overshare. I tell too much stuff, and people are like, maybe you shouldn't have said that. But, no, I get that. And then you never know who you know is your best interest at heart. So I think that that's a good piece of career advice. So now we're gonna go into life lessons. Have you learned the hard way?

A life lesson that I learned the hard way is that it's great to have a plan, but if that plan has to change, that's okay. Yeah, I'm very much a type A personality. I'm a planner. So when things don't go my way, I automatically. It can overwhelm me. I can get flustered. And that's something that I had to learn is, you know, there's. There's a path that was set out for you that you have no control over, and you just have to. You have to roll with the punches sometimes.

Kind of roll with it. That's right. And that's a. That flexibility can save you a lot of pain, you know, later, not being so caught up and you saying you identified yourself as a type A kind of. So that's something that you. I'm sure you had to really work through and.

Absolutely. A long time of working on myself, identifying it and just knowing that it's okay. Because I found myself earlier on in life forcing things. Because that was the plan. That's what I had laid out. And forcing things can also lead big mistakes in the end. And so you just have to accept if the plan's not working, you have to pivot and go with plan B. And plan B can be just as good as plan A, right?

Definitely. Or better sometimes. Because plan A might not have been what you were supposed to do. So what is something you are really proud of and why?

I am most proud of my career, I would say I was a single mom going to school full time, working full time. My son is 15 now, and we made a lot of sacrifices together in order to better our future and to set our lives up for success and change the trajectory of our future. And so I'm very proud of the fact that I've continued to work hard and continue to grind and just achieve that next step, that next promotion, that next level.

Yes.

And Davenport afforded me a lot of great training opportunities to put me in the position that I'm in now, you know, but to be fairly young in my career, to be an associate Dean, it's something that I'm really, really proud of because there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into getting that education and getting into this place. So.

Yeah, no, you should be proud because that pregnancy could sometimes, you know, swerve people off. Right. They think they can't do certain things, and you showed that you can. But it's a determination and the sacrifice, and that's admirable. And you should be proud of yourself because I know, like, my daughter's graduating at the end of 23rd June, and I'm proud of myself because I was like, I'm a single parent. I did have help, you know, later on, but it's hard. And you have to do that and stay true to yourself and what your goals are.

Absolutely. And my. I. That's the other thing that I always say is my son, really. He is very. He's good in school. He's a great football player on the football field, he's respectful. So he's. He's my personal biggest.

Right, exactly.

In getting to where he is too, because, you know, it was just us for the first 11 years of his life.

Okay. Okay. Do you have other children?

I do. So I'm engaged. And my fiance and I. Oh, congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. We are a family of eight.

Wow.

Yes. We have six children in our family and they range in age from 2 to 20.

Wow, that's a crazy range.

Yes. And my oldest, the 20 year old, she's a student here at Lansing Community College.

Oh, okay. Good, good. So I know you mentioned before when we were talking somewhere, and we're crosstown rivals.

We are.

So I'm a Everett Viking, if you all don't know. I graduated from Everett, but my daughter also attends Everett. Now, your son, where does he go?

My two older boys attend Sexton High School.

Yes. Crosstown rivalry.

We are. Yes.

And so you said that they do both sons play football or just one?

They do. So my sophomore, my 15 year old, he plays on varsity.

Okay.

Yes, he did. He started as a freshman on varsity at linebacker.

Okay.

Very proud of that. And then my middle son, he plays on the eighth grade team, so he's not in high school yet. He's on the path to be starting on varsity next year as well. So.

Okay, you said you're engaged. So when is the big day or when do you have that plan?

July of 2023. So we've been engaged for a while, but the pandemic, it, you know, threw a wrench in some of our plans. So now that things are becoming a little bit more normal and we're getting back to things. We've set the date for July of 2023 now. So very excited about that.

Yes. That's going to be holiday weekend. Have a good time and then you'll know you'll always be able to do something fun.

Absolutely. Yes. Because my fiance is also a football coach at Sexton.

Okay.

So the boys and him spend a lot of time in the summer preparing for the big season. So that'll be. That'll be a dead week for them and we can, you know, enjoy our anniversary each year.

Yeah, do something. See, that's smart, ladies. You gotta. You gotta think about that, you know, or whoever. Partners. When you have a partner or mate that does sports, you have to figure out what's going to be the most doable way to have trips and not conflict with sports.

Absolutely. 100%. So, Lisa, I would just like to mention, you know, we did beat.

I don't.

The Everett Vikings.

I don't hear that.

Just saying.

I was there.

You were. Okay.

Because my daughter was drum major, so I was there forever. And I was like, okay, I'm focusing on her, not on the football game. But I am still the Vikings. But the big Reds did do a good job. Have to take my hat off to them. I did work there some years ago, so I am. I'm a Lansing area person, but Everett's first.

There we go.

Okay, so what's your favorite quality about yourself?

My favorite quality about myself is my perseverance is just to never give up. Yeah, I heard a quote, probably in the middle of my professional career that no doesn't mean no, not ever. No just means no, not right now.

Right.

Okay. And so if something just isn't shaken out for you right now, it doesn't mean that it can never happen. It just means you have to find another path to get there and to make that happen. So something that I live by. And, you know, perseverance is just important. You can't give up. Hard work pays off.

It does, it does. And I think when you see it and you've lived it, you can be a good testimony to people about that. And it does. You got to do the hard work to get what you want and where you want to be. So what is the motivation to work hard, always been there? Or have you just like, did you get it from your parents or something that you picked up on your own?

So I'm intrinsically, I'm just self motivated to do the best. I like to Be the best. If I'm gonna do something, then I want to do it right, and I want to be really good at whatever it is that I'm doing. But it definitely comes from my parents. My parents were both very much. My dad was in the laborers union. My mom was a preschool teacher. Yes, yes. Hats off to her.

Right.

And just always worked really hard. They taught me early on in life, and we didn't have a lot growing up, so it was. You worked hard. If you want something, you have to work hard to get it. And that definitely is just. Always played with me, went along with me through my entire life, is if I want something, I can't depend on anybody else. I have to put in the work and go get it for myself. And so that keeps me motivated. And then just my kids, my family. You know, I'm really wanting to change the trajectory and set up some generational wealth for my family so that, you know, each. With each generation, it gets better and better and puts everyone in a better spot in the future. And so that starts with me and the work that I've done in my college education. And so I just want to. They. They keep me motivated and grind and to be able to set that up for them in their future.

Yeah. And it's thoughtful. You know, you know what you want. You see the vision and the goals, so that's a good thing. Well, Lissa, I've loved talking to you. Our time is winding down. But I have one last question, and I gotta ask you. Are you go blue or are you go green?

Oh, I am go green.

Okay. Yes.

Yes. We are a house divided, but I've always been an MSU fan, so go green.

Well, yeah, okay. I know, because there's a lot of houses divided around here where we have these people who live in Lansing, right by East Lansing, that are U of M fans, but I'm not going there because I do wish U of M good luck when they're not playing Michigan State.

Absolutely. I'm a Michigan fan when they're not playing Michigan State as well.

So we can. We can learn, and we can do that. We'll. We'll do that. But I just wanted to ask that question as one of the questions I like to ask people before they leave. But, Alyssa, I want to thank you for coming on who's at Star today. I think students, parents, and the community will find that when they come, you know, to LCC, you're gonna make a difference in that experience that they get, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me today. It's been great.

You've been listening to Who's That Star? I'm Lisa A. and you can listen to this episode of Who's That Star and other shows from Elsa LCC Connect anytime online at LCCconnect.org thank you for listening. Catch me next time to find out Who's That Star.