Student Life Counselors

Taylor is happy to return for her third year 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. Currently, Taylor is continuing her education in educational psychology.

Taylor has several non-academic interests, such as kayaking, soccer, baseball, ultimate frisbee, science fiction, music, and theater. Dogs, soft pretzels, and board games always make her smile and she can’t wait to get to know our Academy students both new and returning in this new year.

Daniel is elated to be returning to his second year at IASMH as a Student Life Team Leader. He graduated from Ball State University in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, as well as 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. He obtained his Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification in the fall of 2018, which allowed him the opportunity to spend a year working as a therapist for children with autism.

During his free time, Daniel enjoys watching sports, making music, and traveling. His favorite thing to do, however, is spend quality time with his one-year-old niece. In the future, he plans to obtain a master’s degree in student affairs and eventually travel the country in a renovated school bus. Daniel is looking forward to helping all of the new and returning Academy students grow both personally and professionally throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

Rachel is pumped for her third 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, neuroscience, and psychology. She’s also teaching herself to play the ukulele and to skateboard (not at the same time). Rachel has two nephews that are seven and four years old, along with a one year old niece who she loves spending time with. She also has a cat named Sprout. 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 books and is excited to continue to collect more this school year. She is always up for spontaneous dance parties, deep conversation, and time spent getting to know the students of the Academy!

This year marks Chris’s fifth 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 working toward his Master’s degree in Executive Development for Public Service and plans to pursue a career in residential student affairs.

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 fourth year working as a Student Life Counselor at the Indiana Academy! She grew up in Pendleton, Indiana, and went to Pendleton Heights High School. After graduating from 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 also part of the Excellence in Leadership program, where she learned about different leadership styles and how to incorporate 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/park 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 2021 Indiana Academy Prom with Lauren Means.