Profile for

Michelle Rist

Academic Advising Specialist

Michelle Rist serves as an Academic Advising Specialist for the College of Innovation and Design. Michelle Rist is passionate about helping students navigate their academic journeys, achieve their educational goals and is committed to creating supportive environments where students feel empowered to grow and succeed. Michelle believes that every student has the ability to be successful and enjoys helping students discover their strengths, overcome challenges, and find meaningful pathways toward their goals.

A conversation with Misty

What inspired you to pursue your career, and what continues to excite you about your discipline?

I originally was an Algebra I teacher. However, I quickly found out that while I loved teaching Mathematics, really only cared about the students sitting in front of me. I created an anonymous “Questions about Life” jar in my classroom where students were able to drop in their questions about college, life advice, or anything else they wanted to know about. What was supposed to be a “Every Friday” occasion to read these questions turned into an “Every DAY” occurrence. That's when I knew that I wanted to be more of a mentor and help guide students to the best of my ability. I knew I picked the right career when on my first day, I loved what I was doing. I haven't stopped loving it either!

What's an accomplishment that you're especially proud of, and why?

I ran the Brooklyn NY Half Marathon about a year ago. It was my first ever half marathon that I ran, and the longest that I had run at that point. I had trained for this event for almost a year until I was confident that I could cross the finish line. It was HARD, but I am so proud of myself for sticking it out and finishing. I didn't get my best time, but I will always remember the feeling of completing a goal that I thought was going to be impossible.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I love building keyboards, so I am always hunting for the best deals on which new keycaps or switches to buy! I go on runs whenever I can, and I love exploring new places with my adventurous husband.

Educational background

• M.Ed., Higher Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 2022
• B.S., Mathematics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2019