Staff Spotlight: Stephanie Jares

Stephanie Jares is the administrative support associate for the Office of Undergraduate Programs and has been with the Poole College of Management for the past four years. Jares earned a master of arts in liberal studies from NC State in 2018 and brings 19 years of higher education experience to her role.

As the administrative support associate, Jares supports all of the academic units in Poole including admissions, advising, global, diversity and inclusion, and career and the associate dean of undergraduate programs.  She is the first point of contact for all students, staff, and visitors when they come into the Office of Undergraduate Programs.

Work at Poole College

What have you enjoyed most about your experience at Poole College?

I love working with Poole students. I learn something from them every day and enjoy working with them.

What do you see as the greatest strengths of Poole College?

Every staff member of Poole College truly is here for the students. From the minute they inquire about attending Poole and work with Poole admissions to when they decide to come to Poole and are assisted by the advising team, each member of the Poole team is here for the student through every step of their educational career.

What advice would you give a staff member who has recently joined Poole College?

Get to know the students. You will be amazed by how hard they work and what they are achieving.  The students are the reason you are here and never forget that.

Professional Accomplishments

What project that you completed at Poole you are most proud of? 

I designed and completed the Front Desk Resource Guide with Bonnie Yarboro and I also am proud of the PEP interns that I have supervised for the last three semesters at the front desk.

What do you believe is your most interesting accomplishment as a staff member? 

I started my master’s degree at NC State less than two months after I started to work at Poole College and graduated in the fall of 2018.

What professional organizations are you currently a member of?

I am currently a member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP), the Golden Key Honors Society, and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society.

If you are involved in professional organizations, do you hold any leadership positions there or have you presented at professional conferences? Are there any other accomplishments you’d like to share with us?

I am a 2019 graduate of the Academic Advisor Development Institute at NC State. I am presenting my research on the impact of the dissolution of DACA on higher education at the national AGLSP Conference in Washington DC this October. I also presented my research at the NC State Graduate Research Symposium in April 2019. I graduated with honors from the NC State Masters of Arts of Liberal Studies program with concentrations in higher education and history in the fall of 2018.  

If you have been nominated or received any professional awards, please list them below.

I have won the Poole College Of Management Pride of the Wolfpack Award in 2015 and the Poole College of Management Award for Excellence in 2018, and have been nominated NC State Award for Excellence in 2018.

Life Outside of Poole

Where were you born and what countries/state/cities did you live it?

I was born in Los Angeles, California and lived there the majority of my life until I picked a state to move to on a cross country road trip, which ended up being Virginia. I have also lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, San Antonio, Texas, Greenville, North Carolina, and now Raleigh.

When you are not at Poole College, what do you enjoy doing for fun? Share with us your hobbies and other non-work related activities or projects. Add links if applicable!

I enjoy spending time with my family which includes my husband, Dan, my 14-year-old daughter, Katelynn, and our year and a half old Jack Russell/Beagle/Rat Terrier rescue dog, Bella. I love history, museums, movies, and I am a huge baseball fan. 

What do you consider as your greatest accomplishment outside of work?

Outside of work I am proud of my working full-time, being a mom, and going to graduate school at NC State all at the same time. I have continued my education and started a second master of education in higher education with a focus in adult education at NC State in January 2019. I am also a 14-year stage four breast cancer survivor.