Student Life Counselors

Kristina is thrilled to begin her seventh school year at the Indiana Academy. Kristina was born and raised in Watervliet, Michigan. She attended Spring Arbor University and majored in social work with a minor in psychology. She graduated with her Bachelors of Social Work in May 2012. During her last semester at Spring Arbor, Kristina completed her internship in Chicago. She worked with youth who had mental health concerns due to past trauma. She loved watching the improvements the children made throughout her time working with them. This sparked her passion to help young people reach their full potential and eventually led to her working at the Academy.

Kristina enjoys a variety of activities. She likes to travel, read, watch movies and TV shows, go to Lake Michigan, and spend quality time with family and friends. She especially enjoys spending time with her niece who was born in January 2017. Kristina loves new adventures. She hopes to one day explore the castles of Europe and the plantation houses of the South. Kristina is looking forward to working alongside the students as a Student Life Team Leader for another great year at the Academy.

After some time away, Nathan (Class of ’13) realized he couldn’t stay away from Wagoner for too long. He is back again for a second year on staff as the first floor Student Life Team Leader. As an Academy Alum, Nathan spent more than a few nights in the hallowed halls of our student housing. After graduating from the Academy, he set his sights on the big city to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Mental Health from Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. While he no longer lives there, you can still see a 10-foot image of him plastered along Congress Parkway on the side of his university—so a part of him never left Chicago. Nathan held many roles at his university and served as the 76th Student Body President of Roosevelt. He spent his free time working in the non-profit world as the Campaign Director for the Chicago fundraising office of the Human Rights Campaign. After graduating from Roosevelt, Nathan spent a year exploring a new field as a real estate agent in Chicago.

When he’s not modeling for a university marketing campaign or fighting for equality, Nathan enjoys reading some Hemingway or Stein and watching a documentary (or two…or three). He loves to spend time listening to stories and learning about new people so, as you can imagine, he’s looking forward to meeting all of the students and getting to know all about the passions and dreams. This year, Nathan will be running the Gaga Ball intramural.

Andrew is a legend from days gone by, returning to the Academy to take his rightful place as king. A self-made “thousandaire,” he graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s in Spanish. While there, he became both a published author and a decorated chicken wing eater. He plans to travel the entire world, except Barbados. His first love is astronomy, but his greatest love is games—board, card, and video alike. He has several other interests, including (but not limited to) reading, writing, playing guitar, comic strips, cracking wise, glowstringing, juggling, puzzles, biking, hiking, and vikings.

This is Andrew’s second year as an SLC. He is excited to meet the students and to provide them with only the best in residential life. He will be running capture-the-flag as an intramural and will be one of the SLCS in charge of Lil’ Sibs Weekend and the end-of-year Slideshow.

Rachel is so excited for her second year at the Indiana Academy. She was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana and has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She enjoys a wide variety of hobbies and activities including reading, writing, painting, and obsessing over the Enneagram. She’s also teaching herself to play the ukulele. Rachel has two nephews that are six and three years old, along with a four-month-old niece who she loves spending time with. Words are important to her and she’s always keeping an eye out for her next favorite quote or poem. Rachel has too many plants and is excited to continue to collect them this school year. She is always up for spontaneous dance parties, deep conversation, and time spent getting to know the students of the Academy!

Sarah is excited to begin her first school year at the Indiana Academy. Sarah grew up in Monroe, Indiana and graduated from Huntington University in May of 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in public relations. While at Huntington, Sarah worked toward building a community and a better campus in many different organizations including the Student Activities Board and the Student Government Association.

Sarah has many different passions and hobbies. She enjoys watching and playing basketball, softball, football, and most sports. She also likes to draw, play video games, and spend time in nature. Sarah works to spend as much time with her family as possible, especially her nieces and nephews. Sarah is excited to step into her new role as a Student Life Counselor and cannot wait for this school year to start!

Taylor is happy to return for her second year as an SLC at the Indiana Academy. She graduated from the IASMH in 2011 and continued her education across several states. She began her undergraduate study at the University of Rochester, continued at Indiana University Bloomington, and finished her degree at Northern Kentucky University. Taylor earned a B.S. in Biology along the Cellular, Molecular, and Organismal track in the spring of 2016. During her education, she worked as a laboratory assistant in a plant genetics lab and spent time as a sustainability intern focusing on the preservation and maintenance of old growth forests and the removal of invasive species. Taylor studied abroad in London during the winter of 2015-2016 with a focus on chemistry. Much of her free time was spent with her sorority or with the various clubs she participated in. Currently, Taylor is working on a second Bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Taylor has several non-academic interests, such as kayaking, soccer, baseball, ultimate frisbee, science fiction, music, and theater. She’s excited to meet and get to know all of the Academy students as well as fulfill her duties as Peer Assistant Advisor for the upcoming school year.

Taryn looks forward to her second year as an SLC. A 2013 graduate of the Academy, Taryn went on to study at Hanover College where she majored in Spanish and Theatre, with a focus in costuming. While there, Taryn had the opportunity to study abroad in both Spain and Mexico. She was also a member of the women’s lacrosse team and served as the costume shop manager for Hanover College Theatre. After graduating in 2017, Taryn spent a year in Newark, New Jersey serving with AmeriCorps as a tutor at Great Oaks Legacy Middle School before returning to the Academy in 2018.

In her spare time, Taryn enjoys crafting and cross-stitching while listening to podcasts. She continues to study Spanish and is passionate about travelling. Taryn is excited to facilitate the Indiana Academy Talent Show & Lip Sync and step in to a new role as the SLC coordinator for the Indiana Academy Parent Organization.

Lauren is eager to begin her first full year as an SLC at the Indiana Academy after starting in December of last year. She was born just outside of Boulder, CO and moved to Bloomington, IN at the age of four. In May of 2018, Lauren completed her B.S. in Education with a minor in Educational and Public Policy at Indiana University. While at IU, Lauren became a member of Sigma Alpha Pi honor society. She also volunteered with schools around Indiana, Wonderlab, and the Boys & Girls Club. In the summer of 2017, Lauren interned as a Supplemental Instructor at Ivy Tech Bloomington for a freshman level composition class in the ASAP program and helped with data input for the school’s literary book. Working alongside adolescents has continued to enrich Lauren’s life—she enjoys hearing their perspectives and supporting them.

Outside of school, Lauren has a variety of interests. She loves to travel and has been to Fiji and all around the Virgin Islands. In high school, she received the 2011 Be More Energized Award from the mayor/city of Bloomington for her volunteering efforts. She reads (and collects) books, listens to just about every genre of music (as evidenced by her growing vinyl collection), writes poetry, and appreciates a lively game of billiards or a great kayaking adventure. Lauren also loves being with her family’s two dogs. She is looking forward to connecting with students and co-coordinating another marvelous Academy Prom with Katie Miller in April.

Chris is excited to be in his fourth year as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy! He grew up in Pendleton, Indiana and attended Pendleton Heights High School. He went on to attend college at Ball State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications with a focus in Video Production. While a student, Chris served as a resident assistant for five semesters in BSU’s residence halls. Since graduation, Chris has worked as a freelance video producer and as a substitute teacher. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Executive Development for Public Service.

In his spare time, Chris has been known to play video games, build Lego sets, watch anything to do with Star Wars, and even serve as tech support for his grandparents. He is excited to be working with students at the Academy and see their continued development this year!

If you would like to contact Chris with any questions or comments, please reference the information above. If you have a pressing concern and Chris is unavailable, please call the Academy’s front desk at 765-285-8125.

Katie is excited to start her third year working as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy. She is from Pendleton, Indiana, and graduated from Pendleton Heights High School in 2011. After high school, she went to Ball State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, with a focus in Graphics, and a minor in Leadership Studies in 2015. During her years at Ball State, Katie designed pages and worked on projects for the Ball State Daily News, Ball Bearings magazine, and Cardinal Communications. Katie was part of the Excellence in Leadership program, where she learned about different leadership styles and how to use them in daily life. After graduating college, Katie spent the next two years working as a freelance graphic designer and newspaper page designer for Community Newspapers Holdings Inc., in Anderson, Indiana. Currently, she is working on a Master’s degree with the Department of Environment, Geology, and Natural Resources at Ball State, in hopes of becoming an interpretive naturalist in the future.

Katie spends her free time listening to music, reading books, drawing, working out, playing video games, and making crafts. She also likes traveling, especially to U.S. State and National Parks. Katie is looking forward to getting to know the students and planning fun, educational programs for them! This year, Katie will be co-coordinating the 2020 Indiana Academy Prom with Lauren Means.

Mitch, a Chicago, IL native, is excited to be returning for a third year as a Student Life Counselor. Mitch attended Thornton Township High School where he was a 3-sport athlete in cross country, wrestling, and track & field. Following his graduation in 2009, Mitch went on to earn two degrees from Eastern Illinois University: Bachelor’s in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Public Relations in 2014; Master’s in Technology with an emphasis on Training and Development in 2016. While as a student at Eastern, Mitch was highly involved in campus life and served with several student organizations: Black Student Union (President), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Social Affairs/Event Program Coordinator), and NAACP (Community Service Chair) to name a few. In addition, Mitch won second place in both the Mr. EIU bodybuilding competition and Mr. Essence of a Man scholarship pageant.

Fun facts about Mitch:
Enjoys long walks around the block; Loves singing (but only in a mirror with headphones or a really large speaker); Professional Hulu/Netflix binge watcher (once watched 12 seasons of supernatural in 7 weeks); Believes he has superpowers (Just Ask Him!); Oldest of 13 siblings; Hates Cheese.

One of his favorite quotes is:
“The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.” – Jim Carrey

Daniel is ecstatic to be entering his first year as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy. He moved to Muncie from Clayton, IN in the fall of 2014 to attend Ball State University, graduating in May 2018 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and minors in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Women’s and Gender Studies. During his time at Ball State, he served on the executive board for BSU Spectrum, which ignited his passion for working with marginalized communities. Throughout his last semester at Ball State, Daniel conducted groundbreaking research on the intersection between human sexuality and ASD, which led to the creation of an online class that is now accessible to students all over the world. This research led to his decision to obtain his Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification, allowing him the opportunity to spend the past year working as a therapist for children with autism.

During his free time, Daniel enjoys watching sports and horror movies, making music, traveling, and learning American Sign Language (ASL). His favorite thing to do, however, is spend quality time with his niece who was born in December 2018. In the future, he plans to obtain a Master’s degree in either Student Affairs or Education, with the goal of eventually teaching at the collegiate level. Daniel is looking forward to getting to know all of the new and returning Academy students and watching them grow both personally and professionally throughout the 2019-2020 school year.