As part of the 2023-2024 edition of Bresica NOW!, Admissions Counselor Dillon Schueler wrote a piece on being an admissions counselor as someone who didn’t get their undergraduate degree from Brescia. Below is his perspective on being a part of the Brescia family. To read the entire Brescia NOW!, click here.
Brescia is a strangely familiar place to me, although I have to admit – not overly familiar. I didn’t go here as a student. I didn’t grow up as a child of a parent who worked here. I didn’t walk the halls and corridors to go to classes. At most, I spent time here with friends while I attended Kentucky Wesleyan College. I may have attended the occasional Mass service at Brescia if I had someone to go with. I spent a couple of hours over four years at sporting events.
But truly, that was the extent of my experience with Brescia. My dad went here. I had other family that went here. My sister graduated from here. My grandma still donates to Brescia. But me, I just sort of hung out here.
I’ve had a couple of jobs in my 28 years of life – and I’ve definitely done a little bit of everything. From food service to youth ministry, graphic design to refereeing soccer – I’ve done a few things in my lifetime. My favorite thing is when I talk with my wife about a job and say “I’ve done that” and her common response at this point is “Of COURSE you have – what haven’t you done?” Well, up until the end of August, being a college Admissions Counselor was one job I’d never had, but one that I ALWAYS wondered – “How does someone get that kind of job?” Well – step one is to apply for it. Step two, and the most important step, is getting hired for it. And that’s how I ended up at Brescia. From the moment I stepped onto campus for my interview, I knew that Brescia University was somewhere I wanted to be. Chris Houk and Christy Rohner went out of their way to make me feel welcomed right out of the gate, and honestly, I can say it was the most comfortable interview that I’ve ever been a part of.
So, what is it like to work as an Admissions Counselor? Well for starters, no two days are exactly the same – like, at all. It’s such an interesting perspective in higher education where you truly do get to walk alongside potential students and help them discern what they want to do as they get ready for college. Now, when I say that, I don’t mean I’m the one making the decision on what major or program a student chooses to pursue – that all falls back on them. However, you truly get to speak out and represent the institution you work for and to help achieve what the foundational pillars of that institution represent. So for me, it’s truly a unique perspective because I didn’t go to Brescia, but in working here I’ve witnessed what the community and fellowship are about, and I get to help present that to our students. Now, it doesn’t just fall back on my shoulders. I’m truly blessed with wonderful coworkers, coaches, supervisors, faculty and staff, and students who really help bring to light what it means to be a part of Brescia University. I have a great team of Student Ambassadors who help guide and direct incoming students toward their goals and aspirations – and who have all played a pivotal part in helping me grow in my career. I’m part of an amazing admissions team that always strives to get things done and genuinely cares about each student who steps foot onto this campus.
To me, it’s truly the people here that make Brescia as special as it is. The community and comradery are truly second to none, and it’s so easy to look across the vastness of the campus and just see how truly connected people are with one another. That’s not something you see everywhere you work – and I’d truly venture to say it doesn’t exist anywhere else the same way it does in Brescia.
In my first two weeks of working at Brescia, I was talking with friends outside of Brescia about how much I enjoyed my job, and my wife Alyssa made a very good point: “There’s something to be said about working somewhere that Christ is the center of the work environment.” I believe that to be so innately true. Now that’s not to say that my short time here hasn’t been met with trials or difficulties; however, I truly feel like I’ve found my own community and network within Brescia, and that has made all the difference for me.