By Jess Clarke
Poole College of Management’s advising office is home to a team of talented, enthusiastic and engaged advisors who are committed to helping Poole students succeed – inside and outside the classroom. Get to know a bit about Jason Kelsey, one of our academic advisors.
Q&A with Jason Kelsey
Tell me about your role within Poole College’s office of undergraduate advising.
I help students with needs like scheduling advice, advice on how to excel in the classroom, a whole slew of things. I don’t think there’s any one thing we don’t do to assist the students with their needs…We’re there for them in their personal lives, too, as opposed to just being there for their academic success.
What really brings joy to myself and my colleagues…is their overall growth and being able to see a student approaching that finish line. It’s when they tell us, “I couldn’t have gotten here without you. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to help me with my growth.”
What are your top 5 CliftonStrengths?
Analytical, Consistency, Deliberative, Discipline, Responsibility
What brought you to Poole?
I had visited the Raleigh area a few times and really enjoyed the area. I was tired of being in New Jersey in the cold weather. I told myself when I finished graduate school, I would like to move. I graduated last June and two weeks later had an interview at Poole. It felt like it was the perfect fit for me. I can relate to the students and the courses they’re taking…It’s a great team. I’m happy to be in the role that I’m in.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a sports agent to represent professional athletes. I played sports most of my life through college: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track and field. I was most successful in track and field.
But that’s just not what my calling was. It was just life and life’s path that made me change careers…I never thought I would be here doing what I’m doing now, but I’m certainly happy with my decision.
What do you appreciate most about working with students?
They’re very driven students, first and foremost. It’s not as if we have to give them a jump-start to motivate them. That makes our job a bit easier because of the passion they have about what they’re trying to do in the upcoming years…And that makes the job much more satisfying because they have success stories, and their success is our success.
If you had to give a piece of advice to a student just starting out in Poole, what would you tell them?
This is a pivotal time in your life. Get involved. Meet new people. You’ll probably meet some of your lifelong friends…Explore new things. Open yourself up to new ideas. At NC State and also at Poole, there are a lot of great opportunities for you. Enjoy yourself because the time’s going to go by fast.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of Poole.
I always enjoy being outdoors. I love sports. I try to stay active. I just signed up to play on a softball league, and sometimes I play basketball…I’ve got a Boston terrier, and that definitely keeps me active.
What is something your colleagues or Poole students might not know about you?
I don’t really talk about my sports accolades because it was another life. I did pretty well in track and field. I made the All-State team the first year that I ran track, my junior year. In my senior year, I made the high school All-American team. In college, my team won the championship three of the four years I was there. I was a three-time All-East athlete in college.
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