ETSU graduate Hannah Tate Gulley found belonging through student advocacy and now returns to pursue a Master of Social Work while supporting others.    

Hannah Tate Gulley discovered a secret to finding the feeling of belonging in college – you’ve got to “go all in.”

The Rogersville native went to Walters State Community College, where she earned her associate degree in philosophy. While at WSCC, she did the right things – she went to class, did her homework and focused on getting good grades. But looking back, she realized she didn’t make the most of the community college experience. She kept her head down, not talking very much to the people around her.

That changed quickly when she transferred to East Tennessee State University to complete her four-year degree.

A transfer student’s path to belonging at ETSU

In her first semester as a psychology student, she “jumped in” by responding to an email soliciting students to serve as academic coaches for their peers. She soon found herself interviewing for that role at the Center for Academic Achievement, which offers free academic support for students through individual tutoring, academic coaching and Supplemental Instruction (SI). She was impressed when CFAA Director Jake Alspaugh went beyond basic interview questions to ask questions about her well-being as a person and how her classes were going.

“I got to see the personable side of ETSU very quickly,” she said.

Helping students succeed through peer support

Gulley began her work at the CFAA providing one-on-one instruction and fell in love with the center’s concept of students supporting students.

“I saw that even as workers, we’re student workers supporting student workers,” she said. “So, I threw this idea out to our assistant director, Janice Levasseur, asking, ‘What if we had leads? What if we had students providing help to the students helping students?’ Next thing you know, I’m an academic coaching lead.”

Under Gulley’s leadership, the academic coaching lead concept grew, but she never wanted to completely leave her one-on-one tutoring work with students. Her role grew to that of an academic student assistant coordinator, allowing her to work with student staff during training sessions while continuing to work as an academic coach for individual students.

In addition, Gulley trained as an SI mentor. While serving in that role, she and Preston Hall, the CFAA’s SI student assistant coordinator, created a new collaborative learning technique that was published through the International Center for Supplemental Instruction.

From academic coach to graduate assistant

Gulley graduated in May with her bachelor’s degree in psychology, and because she enjoyed her work so much, she is returning to ETSU this fall as a graduate assistant in the CFAA as she pursues a Master of Social Work degree.

“It’s like this whole new role where everything’s coming together,” she said. “I get to step outside of just coaching and Supplemental Instruction. I’ll be involved with our front desk and our tutors. I’ll still get to see that one-on-one student support occurring and still get to provide that help to our student staff. I’ll be doing what I’ve been doing in a whole new way and will be able to engage a lot more of our student staff. I’m really excited about this venture.”

Self-advocacy inspires a career in social work

Her work in the CFAA – and learning about self-advocacy through that work – led her to the field of social work and the desire to establish a career in counseling in a university setting.

Reflecting on her own community college experience, she said, “I thought that everything would come to me, that I didn’t need to seek things. And all that did was leave me wondering what was going wrong. Why was college not the thing it’s supposed to be?

“That and my interview with Jake, where he asked me about me and I had to tell him, made me see how self-advocacy alone can work in higher education. If you ask for help and search for the right people, they do want to help you. A lot of students come in scared to seek help and are afraid of rejection. But that’s actually not going to happen a lot.”

Gulley encourages the students she works with to advocate for themselves and guides them in taking advantage of the resources available on campus.

“If someone says, ‘I’m really stressed about my finances,’ I can’t help them with their finances,” she said, “but I am able to help them set up an appointment with Financial Aid and get them to the people who want to help.”

As a first-generation student, Gulley had the full support of her family in going to college. But she knows from experience the pressures and concerns that first-generation students face, and she empathizes with other first-gen students in the CFAA.

“Getting to do that work really puts it in perspective for me that I love advocacy. I love it so much in all its different forms. And so, in order to stay in advocacy in higher education, I knew that a master’s in social work was the right choice for me.”

Are you a student with questions or concerns? Follow Hannah Tate Gulley’s lead and advocate for yourself. ETSU’s Mary V. Jordan Center is your first stop to find answers to many of your questions. Not only can they link you to the Center for Academic Achievement, but they can also connect you with resources in areas like academic advisement, study skills, housing needs, childcare, mental health, tech support, career advice and much more.

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