Student Life Counselors

Nick Bauer is from Vincennes, located in southwest Indiana. He has been involved with Residential Life for 5 years collectively and will begin his first year with the Indiana Academy as his 6th consecutive with Student Affairs. He graduated from Oakland City University Fall 2013 with a bachelors degree in Biblical Studies. Nick has been working/involved with youth in various capacities for little under 9 years and his spectrum of experience spans across K-12 as well as college aged students. Nick is passionate about and enjoys investing time and development in middle and high school students. Additionally, Nick will be assisting Brandy Reichle, International Program Director, with the Academy International students this year and looks forward to connecting with all of them!

Some of Nick’s hobbies include, watching movies, painting, drawing, and spending time with friends. Students may observe Nick challenging my peers and students in a healthy and constructive manner. Nick believes we can help one another grow through challenge so long as we come from a pace of caring. Nick is looking forward to a great year.

Kristina is thrilled to start her fifth 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 of those kids. This sparked her passion to help young people reach their full potential.

Kristina enjoys a variety of activities. She likes to read, watch movies, 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 the female Student Life Team Leader and is excited to watch the students enjoy another great year at the Academy.

Joe is very excited to begin another year as the First Floor Student Life Counselor – Team Leader. After working at the Academy in 2012-2013 as a Student Life Counselor, Joe got married to his wonderful wife, Kelsey, and spent a year enjoying married life and pursuing other interests in his home town of Grand Rapids, MI. He then returned in 2014 to take on the role of Team Leader. In February of 2016, Joe welcomed his daughter Sadie to the family.

Joe graduated Summa Cum Laude from Huntington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Religious Studies, minoring in Biblical Languages. While attending Huntington University he was able to take part in a variety of recreational and educational activities including intramurals and two trips to the Middle East. He is an avid sports fan, reader, writer, and hiker. He loves working with kids and plans to stay in Student Affairs and non-profit work for the rest of his life. He recently completed a graduate certificate in Business from Ball State University. He is also finishing his Master’s degree in Executive Development for Public Service and Adult and Community Education. He hopes to not only be a good role model and influence for the already gifted Academites, but to also teach them to be leaders in their own right.

Shane Crider grew up in Northwest Indiana, he is number two of somewhere between 6 and 8 kids. He graduated from the Indiana Academy in 2003 and had siblings graduate the Academy in 2001 and 2005. From Muncie he went on to Illinois College where he spent a year in the farm fields of west central Illinois before transferring to Indiana University-Bloomington, where three years later he graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology. While at IU he made multiple trips to the Gulf Coast Area to help clean up efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Shane enjoys most team sports and has a strong interest in automobiles and motorcycling. He is a big fan of road trips and travel, since becoming an SLC he’s made it to Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Mile 0 in the Keys, and through the American West. Shane struggles to count beyond the number 5, but he’s completed 6 years as a Student Life Counselor, or at least that’s what the math teachers tell him comes after number 5. He also enjoys puns. He is currently working on a Master’s in Natural Resource and Environmental Management through Ball State because he believes he will be able to command nature like Radagast the Brown.

Kelsey is no stranger to Wagoner Hall as an Academy graduate of the class of 2009, but is very excited to be starting her fourth year as an SLC. She started college at Valparaiso University, but after her first year transferred to Indiana University-Bloomington where she graduated in May 2014 with a degree in English Education. Before coming to the academy she taught in an adult education program helping her students to earn their high school equivalency diploma. She spent this summer in her hometown of Rensselaer while starting online classes for her Master’s degree in Secondary Education. When she isn’t working, Kelsey likes to read, watch documentaries and musicals, cook, play with cats, and sing. She has never been that gifted in playing sports or video games, but definitely enjoys watching both and will be sponsoring the Quidditch intermural this school year. Kelsey is looking forward to putting her talents of teaching and lesson planning to good use in planning programming this year, and is looking forward to serving as one of the PA advisors this year!

Will Kerch is eager to begin his fourth year as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy. Will graduated from Purdue University in 2014 with majors in Psychology, and Law and Society. While attending Purdue, Will was involved with the resident halls for four years, two of which he worked as a Resident Assistant and a Student Office Worker. Will was also involved with several on-campus clubs and activities including clubs that were directly involved with the student government association on Purdue’s campus. Will is excited to build a strong community and gain further experience working in a residential life atmosphere.

Will is looking forward to designing programs for the students that are both educational and fun. Will’s interests include listening to music (the more unknown the better) as well as playing guitar. Will is also a huge fan of movies and TV shows. When Will is not hanging out with friends and coworkers, he likes to play video games as well as board and card games. Will has aspirations to one day attain a graduate degree and eventually work as a student life administrator, preferably on a college campus. Will believes that the Indiana Academy provides children with an excellent environment to learn and grow into adults and at the same time have fun participating academically and socially.

Carly McDonald is excited about her 3rd year as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy. Carly was born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana, alongside her triplet sisters. After graduating from Terre Haute South Vigo High School in 2011, Carly attended Indiana State University on a full-ride scholarship. At ISU Carly studied pre-medicine while double-majoring in Biology and English; she graduated summa cum laude in May 2015. During college, Carly worked as a research fellow, a writing tutor, and a summer camp counselor. Carly also spent four years planning events through ISU’s programming board. This is Carly’s 2nd year as a Prom advisor. She’s looking forward to another great year!

Chris is excited to be in his second 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 at a resident assistant for five semesters. Since graduation, Chris as worked as a freelance video producer and as a substitute teacher. He plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Secondary Education.

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 grand-parents. He is excited to be working with students at the Academy and see their continued development this year!

David Mitchell is a native of Chicago IL and is excited to join the team this year as a Student Life Counselor. Relocating to Harvey IL at the age of 14, he attended Thornton Township High School where he was a 3 sport athlete in cross country, wrestling and track & field. Following his graduation in 2009, David went on to attend college in the fall at Eastern Illinois University where he earned both his Bachelors degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Public Relations in 2014 and his Masters degree in Technology with an emphasis on Training and Development in 2016. While as a student at Eastern, he was highly involved in campus life and join several student organizations, a fraternity and competed in both a scholarship pageant and body building competition.

A fun fact about David is he likes to be called Mitch, as it was nickname given to him by his high school track & field coach. He says that Mitch is his alter ego that brings out his competitive edge, creativity and overall makes David a better person. Mitch spends he his free time listening to all genres of music, lifting weights, writing short stories and attempting to film them. This year he will be in charge of co-coordinating Lil’ Sibs. Mitch is looking forward to working with all of the students at the Academy and can’t wait to watch them shine this year! One quote he would like to leave with everyone is “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi

Lauren Poindexter is from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. She joins us for her second year as a Student Life Counselor, and is thrilled to be back this school year as a part of the team. Lauren graduated from the Indiana Academy in 2012, and is returning to the halls of Wagoner Complex hoping to give back to the community that gave her every opportunity for success. Lauren graduated from Cornell University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and a minor in Business. She previously worked as a food safety and technical consultant to homesteaders in her community and as a resource to college bound seniors.

In her free time Lauren likes to cook, bake, and experiment making fermented and preserved foods like bacon and cheese (she specialized in cheesemaking during college). She also enjoys walking meditation, hiking, visiting farmers markets, and fishing. Lauren looks forward to working as an SLC to all students at the Indiana Academy. She hopes to encourage a welcoming community where any student can embrace their unique self and find success. This year Lauren will be co-coordinating the school trip to Kings Island and the Winter Dance. Additionally she will be working closely throughout the year with the Indiana Academy Parents Organization (IAPO).

Elyssa Pozorski is excited to be starting her second year as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy. Elyssa is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana where she graduated from Homestead High School in 2012. After high school she attended Ball State University where she studied Hospitality Management and Travel and Tourism. She graduated cum laude in the Spring of 2016. While at Ball State, Elyssa was a Program Director for University Program Board where she put on programs for the entire campus. She also interned for Wyndham Vacation Rentals in Panama City Beach, FL for a summer where she ran a recreation program at two different resorts. Some of Elyssa’s interests include traveling, planning events, and spending time with her family, especially her 2 year old nephew. Elyssa is excited to help plan Prom for the second year in a row, and she looks forward to another great year at the Academy!

Clare Pratt is very excited to begin her first year working at the Indiana Academy! She is originally from Greensburg Indiana, and has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern Indiana, and a Master’s degree in Student Affairs from Western Kentucky University. She was previously a Property Manager at a sorority house at the University of South Carolina, and has had a variety of employment opportunities, everything from sports writing to running a high school drama club.

In her spare time, Clare enjoys playing tennis, watching (and discussing) movies, reading, writing, dancing (poorly), going to the beach, travel, photography, hiking, camping, kayaking, dancing, and collecting odds and ends she has found at antique malls and mom and pop stores. Clare will be working with fellow SLC Chris Miller on two special events this year, Carnival and Academy Awards. She is looking forward to getting to know the students at Indiana Academy, and learning from them, as well as teaching them lessons that she has picked up over the years.

Jamie Trost is excited to return for her second year as a Student Life Counselor. A 2011 Indiana Academy alum, Jamie loves working in the environment and school that made such an impact on her life. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2015 with degrees in Psychology and German, Jamie moved shortly abroad to work with international college students in Heidelberg, Germany. Returning home, she spent the next year working as a Rehabilitative Services Provider for children and adults with mental health diagnoses before accepting her job as an SLC at the Academy.

Jamie spends her free time collecting insects and spending copious amounts of time with her cat. She loves working with others and looks forward to another year of being an SLC to such amazing, talented, and driven students. She already has found so much support within her team and fellow staff members, and cannot wait to get to know the individual strengths and interests of the incoming Juniors and Seniors. This year, she will be in charge of co-coordinating IAPO, Winter Dance, and the King’s Island Trip.