Autumn semester in the College of Pharmacy is always a busy and exciting time, as we welcome new and returning students, faculty and staff, and get into the heart of the work that we love:helping our students become the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.
While everyone in the college is committed to helping our students learn and grow, one office in particular specializes in this task, providing extra support our prospective and current students need to be successful in their educational journey.
For this post, we are highlighting the members of our Office of Student Affairs, to help our readers better understand the great work being done for our students, and to give everyone a chance to get to know the staff members, including several new faces who have recently joined the office. We’ve asked all of them to share a little bit about themselves, their roles in the college, and what they like best about being part of the College of Pharmacy.
Joe Orozco, Director of Student Affairs
Joe develops and supports academic and co-curricular initiatives to improve the student experience in the College of Pharmacy, leads the Student Affairs staff, and chairs the Dean’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. “I love the energy that students bring to everything they do in the college,” says Joe. “Their energy makes it easy to come to work every day. My favorite part of working in the Office of Student Affairs is being a part of a diverse group of professionals that works really hard on behalf of students in the College of Pharmacy.” A fun fact about Joe? “I love watching movies in the theatre,” he says. “I love watching movies in the theatre so much that I will go to a movie by myself is there’s no one else who can go with me.” Joe can be reached by emailing orozco.5@osu.edu or calling (614) 688-3772. His office is located in 150 Parks Hall.
Julie Miller, Program Manager
Julie is responsible for event planning, including PharmD orientation, the white coat ceremony, Dean’s lunches, and the hooding ceremony. She also develops and leads study abroad trips (Switzerland 2016!), assists with strategic planning for the office, and coordinates annual student, faculty and staff awards in the college, along with “other duties as assigned.” Julie has been part of the Office of Student Affairs for eight years, and is the mom of two teenage boys who hope to be Buckeyes one day. Julie says that she feels lucky to spend her days with “great people who truly care about our students,: and notes that, “Our students are extraordinary…whether it’s visiting a new country on a study abroad trip or planning a college event, I always enjoy interacting with them and am honored to be a small part of their overall experience here at the college.” To contact Julie, email miller.4325@osu.edu or call (614) 292-3813. Her office is located in 150 Parks Hall.
Leigh Eskin Mascolino, Manager of Career Services
Leigh leads career advising initiatives in the college, including meeting individually with BSPS, PharmD, graduate students and alumni, teaching career development courses, and organizing college events like the APhA Pharmacy Career Fair. She also delivers lectures and workshop presentations. Leigh joined the Office of Student Affairs just this summer, and notes that she loves the small college environment in Pharmacy. “I hope to truly build relationships with individual students, and see them many times,” says Leigh. When asked for a fun fact to share for this post, Leigh told us that she has been able to successfully hypnotize people. We’re not sure if this is true, but we are finding ourselves very, very sleepy right now. Leigh’s office is located in 131 Parks Hall. She can be reached via email at mascolino.7@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 292-1365.
Andria Stragisher, Career Advisor
Andria joined the staff just this month, and is responsible for meeting individually with BSPS, PharmD, graduate students and alumni to provide resume/cover letter reviews, mock interviews, and career exploration. She leads the Grad Pad series and keeps students updated with job blasts and event updates. She also helps with college events, delivers lectures and workshop presentations. Andria has already hit the ground running in the College of Pharmacy, and tells us that she “loves the ambition and motivation students have in working toward furthering their education and building a rewarding career.” Outside of the office, Andria owns two rescue dogs who are her “everything.” Andria’s office is located in 131 Parks Hall. She can be reached by email at stragisher.5@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 292-6527.
Kelly Crum, Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid
Kelly oversees PharmD admissions and financial aid and the PharmD mentoring program, and advises Pharmacy Club. Her favorite part about working with students in the College of Pharmacy is “advising our amazing students!” She points out, “We have the unique ability to see students grow and develop from BSPS students to PharmD and beyond.” An accomplished saxophonist, Kelly has played with the Clintonville Community Band for five years. Her office is located in 150 Parks Hall, and she can be reached by email at crum.159@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 292-7255.
Zayd Abukar, Academic Counselor
Katie Watkins, Academic Counselor
Zayd and Katie both advise Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences students in the College of Pharmacy. Additionally, they both serve on the BSPS Program Committee and conduct summer orientation programs for incoming undergraduates. Zayd manages the Choose Ohio First scholarship program, teaches Pharmacy 1100: Pharmaceutical Sciences Survey, and coordinates the College of Pharmacy Buck-I-Serv service trips. Katie manages the Early Admissions Pathway program and partners with the Office of Residence Life to provide programs and community building for our Pharmacy House learning community.
Thinking about why they like working in the College of Pharmacy’s Office of Student Affairs, Zayd comments that what he likes most about working with BSPS students is that “they’re hard-working, proactive, and passionate about the field. The energy that I get from students when I hear them talk about their goals or future plans motivates me to do as much as I can to help them. Working in a smaller program also affords me the opportunity to get to know students better and work with them in different capacities. I feel like I have been able to build relationships that would have been difficult to build if I advised in a much larger program.”
“Since our college is small, advisors have the opportunity to get to know our students on a deeper level,” says Katie. “Our students are so bright! I love hearing about their aspirations and goals, and helping them along the way when they need it. I especially enjoy the different ways I get to be involved with students in my role. I can spend the day advising students one-on-one, meeting with a prospective student and their family, attending a committee meeting and then end the day with a program in Pharmacy House. It’s a very fun job!”
Fun facts about Zayd and Katie? Zayd knows his way around a basketball court, having set and broken multiple records at his high school in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally from Montreal, he also speaks French “pretty well.” Katie and her husband are members of an indie rock band called the Halamays. Katie plays keyboards and sings, and she and her husband write and perform all-original music.
Zayd and Katie both have offices in 150 Parks Hall. Zayd can be reached by email at abukar.3@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 688-2303. Katie’s email is watkins.541@osu.edu. Her phone is (614) 247-1599.
Beth Stiles, College Registrar
Joshua Roush, Coordinator of Recruitment
Both Beth and Joshua joined the Office of Student Affairs just last month. Beth oversees many of the functions that help the college offer great courses, including managing student education records, maintaining and updating databases for pharmacy courses, overseeing the master schedule, scheduling final exams and classrooms, student registration, and providing technical and strategic advice to aid college administrators in decision making. Joshua is responsible for BSPS and PharmD recruitment, interacting with prospective students and families, serving as an external liaison to community and on-campus partners, establishing student pipelines, overseeing the student ambassador program, and assisting with planning and implementing admissions processes.
Although both Beth and Joshua are somewhat new to the college, they both say that what they like best about working in the Office of Student Affairs is the environment. Beth notes that, “The Office of Student Affairs is a welcoming and helpful environment. Everyone is willing to answer all of my questions.” Joshua says that what he likes best is “the people!” He goes on to say that in the Office of Student Affairs, “There is clear and consistent dedication to acting in students’ best interest, and working hard to provide the highest level of service and education.” Beth and Joshua both have offices in 150 Parks Hall. Beth can be reached via email at stiles.96@osu.edu and by phone at (614) 688-4235, while Joshua can be reached at roush.136@osu.edu and (614) 292-1662.
Outside of the office, Joshua is a self-professed “huge sci-fi fan,” having seen all three Stargate shows and movies multiple times. An animal lover, Beth tells us that she loves frogs and toads, and once owned multiple fire-bellied toads.
Kelsi Escobar
Becca Makii
Victoria Williams
Student Assistants
In addition to the full-time professional staff in the Office of Student Affairs, three student employees also help keep things running smoothly. Kelsi (a second-year BSPS student), Becca (a fourth-year BSPS student), and Victoria (PharmD Class of 2019) all assist with intake duties in 150 Parks Hall and help with college events, programs and related tasks. Becca notes that she likes “getting to know everyone that comes into our office,” while Kelsi says, “Everyone I work with is so fantastic!” Like several of their co-workers, both Becca and Kelsi love animals. Kelsi admits that she is “obsessed with elephants” and “would love to be able to ride on the back of one” one day, while Becca has an interest is somewhat smaller animals, namely her pet hedgehog, “Bucky.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the staff members in the Office of Student Affairs, and now have a better understanding of some of the services they provide to students, faculty and staff in the College of Pharmacy.
Thank you to Joe, Julie, Leigh, Andrea, Kelly, Zayd, Katie, Beth, Joshua, Kelsi, Becca and Victoria for all that you do on behalf of our students!
Best regards,
Katherine Kelley