Meet Your Advisor - Kate Bernas

This Week's Featured Advisor:    Kate Bernas


How many years have you worked in the University Advising Center?  How many years at WSU total?
I have worked at WSU for 19 years; the past 12 years have been in the UAC.


What is your educational background?
I received a BA in Anthropology from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI) in 1990. In 1997 I completed an MA in Guidance and Counseling from Wayne State University.


Do you work with any specialized student populations?
I work mainly with pre-med/dental/vet students at all levels (undergraduate as well as post-bachelor). As a member of the UAC's Reinstatement Committee, I also have a case-load each term of reinstatement students with whom I work closely.


What are you currently reading/watching?
I am a HUGE reader! At the moment I am reading "The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun" by Gretchen Rubin. I am also reading "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley for my book club.


Do you have a philosophy for Advising?
Call it Karma or the Golden Rule; I think an advisor's job is to be as thorough as possible, to anticipate the information that a student may need, and to listen equally hard for the areas where a student may be misinformed.


If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you HAVE to have?
Coffee, sunscreen (at least 30 spf), and my DVR.