Jill Filice

I just think so much of our department. I really fell in the right place. All the groups at Stanford are awesome but it’s truly amazing to find one you click with so well.

I loved my college experience and now I love working in academia supporting students. As part of Student Services, I help students with their degree progress. This means anything – from navigating the complex university system to changing their academic status, or making sure they have everything squared away for degree conferral. I also assist with course records and scheduling for faculty as well. Every day there’s a new thing and – between the students and the faculty – I’m never bored.

The pandemic was really rough for students, so I tried to bring extra empathy to my role. We worked very hard to get them the resources they needed, whether it was answering questions about remote learning or assisting them in taking a leave of absence if they were struggling to adapt. It was so gratifying to see students find ways to do their best. I worked with one student who was really suffering from the separation from their peers but was able to pull through it, which I was so happy to see. Another student was very challenged by family responsibilities and extreme technology issues plus the demands of a top-notch university. But they still persevered. Seeing that really makes you feel like rejoicing with them.

Pandemic or not, I’ve always seen my job as making the experience with our department a positive one and enjoying the interaction with students. It’s kind of like magic for me.