Former Transfer Student Ambassador Nicole Saez joins TSSC as full-time staff

Academic Services Officer Nicole Saez understands the challenges that can come with transitioning from one school to another. She began at Schoolcraft College before transferring to Wayne State in 2017 and becoming a Transfer Student Ambassador in the TSSC.

Now a proud WSU alum with a bachelor's in English and Spanish and a master's in Spanish, Saez has joined the Transfer Student Success Center as full-time staff. She'll be working largely with prospective and incoming transfer students.

"As someone who was a transfer student, it is important to me that students know that there is a support system and community for them at Wayne State," she says. "Many transfer students are considered non-traditional students or have a different experience from those who began at WSU as freshmen. They are an important part of what makes WSU so diverse and unique, and transfer students should feel just as at home as students who spend all of their college experience at WSU. I believe the TSSC helps facilitate that transition for students."

Saez says she is most excited about playing a role in helping the TSSC grow to have greater outreach and impact on transfer students.

"Transferring has become more commonplace in recent years and thus transferring should be as seamless as possible, but should also be a meaningful experience for the student once they transfer."

Saez meets with students to discuss how courses transfer, answer questions about the application process, help with next steps after admission and connect them with program advisors. She also will visit community college partner schools to meet prospective students, and work on projects to increase the TSSC's reach to students on campus and in surrounding communities.

Outside of work and school, Saez enjoys reading and writing creatively.

"I also like to study other languages and learn choreography to BTS songs," she says. "I enjoy golfing, playing board games, and attending trivia nights with my friends and family. Although 2020 was nothing short of eventful for everyone, it had a rather interesting start for me. In February 2020 I self-published a novel and subsequently went to Spain a few days into March. I then spent the next four months in quarantine in Spain. Fortunately, I was staying with family friends and it was a great chance to practice Spanish uninterruptedly!

"I enjoyed my time as part of the WSU community and I have always been interested in higher education, so I wanted to return to Wayne and explore higher ed in a different capacity than I had previously experienced. With my background as a transfer student and time working at the TSSC, this position is a great fit."

By Jacob Stocking, Educational Outreach communications associate

The Transfer Student Success Center is part of Educational Outreach, the point of entry for all off-campus programs and courses. We serve traditional students, transfer students and professionals seeking additional training, and the adult literacy needs of the Detroit community.