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Faculty and Staff

Poole Staff Spotlight: Meet Melusian Wright

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 Melusian Wright, Director of Advising Programs.

Q&A with Melusian Wright

Tell me about your role within Poole College’s office of undergraduate advising. 

I was recently promoted to be director. I have seven full-time staff, one part-time worker and a graduate assistant…I was in the role of associate director of advising programs. I’m still serving in that role. I haven’t found a replacement. I see students on a daily basis. I’m on several university and college-wide committees, and I oversee a number of advising programs.

I like working with students. Watching them grow and develop is great…We have a relatively new team at the college, but they are wonderful. I could not ask for a better group of colleagues to work with. They really give me life. They have great ideas, and they’re very student-friendly.

What are your top 5 CliftonStrengths?

Connectedness, Strategic, Individualism, Ideation, Intellection

What brought you to Poole? 

Working in academic advising at Poole was a way to give back to the community that gave so much to me. I studied higher education administration in graduate school at NC State. I had an amazing graduate school experience. When the position came open at Poole…I knew I was familiar with the student body and intrigued to know a different student population. I worked with nursing students as an academic adviser at North Carolina Central University before I came to Poole.

Before that, I was a funk and reggae musician for 15 years. I ran my own business. It’s a nice change to see these students figure out what they want to do…I miss playing music. I don’t miss running a band.

What did you want to be growing up? 

I first wanted to be a veterinarian, but in my senior year of high school, I took physics, calculus and music theory. I didn’t care for physics and calculus, but I loved music theory. My mother said anyone who loves music theory should think about doing it for a living.

What do you appreciate most about working with students? 

I really appreciate their energy, their zest for life. It energizes me when I’m meeting with a student and see a lightbulb go off in their head — seeing how excited they are about what they’re studying and things they’re going to do in life.

If you had to give a piece of advice to a student just starting out in Poole, what would you tell them? 

Don’t be afraid to know the people around you. Get to know people who aren’t just like you. You never know what you could learn. It helps broaden your horizons…The more you know about people, the better businessperson you can be regardless ] of what business field you go into.

Tell us a bit about your life outside of Poole. 

I have a lovely dog named Indigo who’s 10 years old. She’s the light of my life. My parents and my brother, his wife and son live in Charlotte. I’m really a homebody. I like to cook, listen to music. I still play my guitar now and then for my dog and hang out with friends.

What is something your colleagues or Poole students might not know about you? 

I’m pretty much an open book. I sew, and I used to make most things I wore on stage, mainly skirts, dresses and shirts. During my set breaks, the reggae band sold the knitted and crocheted hats I’d made…And I love to travel. I want to go to Ghana…I convinced my mom to go to Morocco once. That was amazing.