Student Life Counselors

Kristina is thrilled to begin her sixth 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 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 the female Student Life Team Leader and is excited to watch the students enjoy another great year at the Academy.

Andrew is legend from days gone by, returning to the Academy to take his rightful place as king. A self-made thousandaire, he recently graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s in Spanish. While there, he became both a published author and a decorated chicken wing eater (trophy on display in Wagoner 472). 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 as well, including (but not limited to) reading, writing, playing guitar, comic strips, cracking wise, glowstringing, juggling, puzzles, biking, hiking, and vikings.

Andrew 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 SLC advisors for Lil’ Sibs weekend and the end-of-year slideshow.

Rachel cannot contain her excitement to start her first year at the Indiana Academy. She was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana and attended Taylor University where she just graduated this past May with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While at Taylor, she served on several cabinets engaging with different social justice issues.

Rachel enjoys a wide variety of hobbies and activities. She loves to read, write, paint, embroider, and spend time with friends. She also has two nephews that are 5 and 2 years old who she loves spending time with more than anyone else. Words are very important to her, and she’s always keeping an eye out for her next favorite quote or poem. She also has a growing collection of children’s books that make her tear up, even as an adult. Rachel is always up for spontaneous dance parties and deep conversation, and can’t wait to spend time getting to know the students this year.

Taylor is thrilled to begin her first year as an SLC at the Indiana Academy, though it’s not the first time she’s been a resident of Wagoner Hall. She graduated from the IASMH in 2011, along with her sister, and continued her education across several states. She began her undergraduate study at the University of Rochester before transferring to Indiana University Bloomington, and finishing 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 as well as spent time as a sustainability intern focusing on the preservation and maintenance of old growth forests and the removal of invasive species. She also studied abroad in London during the winter of 2015-2016 studying chemistry. Much of her free time was spent with her sorority or with the various clubs she participated in.

Taylor has several non-academic interests, such as kayaking, soccer, baseball, science fiction, music, and theater. She’s excited to meet and get to know all of the Academy students, as well as help coordinate Lil’ Sibs Weekend and the Academy Slideshow.

An alumna of the Academy, Taryn Mayer is returning to the school for her first year as an SLC. After graduating in 2013, Taryn went to Hanover College where she majored in Spanish and Theatre, with a focus in costuming. While there, Taryn had the opportunity to study for a month in Spain as a freshman and then an entire semester in Mexico as a junior. She also was on the leadership team of multiple clubs across campus, a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and a defensive player on the varsity women’s lacrosse team. Taryn’s most proud accomplishment in college, however, was her position of Costume Shop Manager with Hanover College Theatre. After graduating with honors from Hanover in 2017, Taryn moved to Newark, New Jersey to serve with AmeriCorps as a member of Great Oaks Tutor Corps VII. During this year of service, Taryn tutored small groups of middle school student in English Language Arts and Math, as well as leading clubs and serving as a Teacher’s Assistant for the Theatre instructor.

In her spare time, Taryn enjoys crafting and cross stitching while listening to podcasts. She continues to study Spanish and travel, and is currently planning her second trip to Chile for this winter break. She hasn’t gotten to play lacrosse in a while, but would love to pass a ball around, and is excited to get some laps in as the sponsor of the roller skating intramural. Taryn’s theatrical and international experience will be put to use this year as she also will be serving as adviser for Club Fair, Lip Sync and International Committees.

Lauren is eager to begin her first semester as an SLC at the Indiana Academy. 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 enriched Lauren’s life; she enjoys hearing new perspectives and supporting them.

Outside of school, Lauren has a variety of interests. She loves to travel and has been on mission trips to the Appalachian Mountains and Fiji. 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. Lauren adores being outdoors with her family’s three dogs and visiting Monroe Lake. She is looking forward to spending time with students and co-coordinating the 2019 Academy Prom.

Chris is excited to be in his third 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 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!

Along with Rachel Campbell, Chris will serve as a liaison and staff resource for the Indiana Academy Parent Organization (IAPO) 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 second 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. She graduated cum laude in the Spring of 2015. During her years at Ball State, Katie designed pages for the Ball State Daily News, Ball Bearings magazine, and worked on various design projects with Cardinal Communications. She also was a part of the Excellence in leadership program, where she learned about different leadership styles and how to use them in her daily life. After graduating college, Katie spent the next two years working as a freelance graphic designer and as a newspaper page designer for Community Newspapers Holdings Inc., in Anderson, Indiana. This year, she will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at Ball State.

Katie is looking forward to getting to know the students and planning fun and educational programs for them. She will also be in charge co-coordinating Prom. Katie spends her free time listening to music, reading books, drawing, working out, playing video games, and making crafts.

Mitch is a Chicago IL native and is excited to be returning for a second 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 two degrees, (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 such as; President of the Black Student Union, Social Affairs/Event Program coordinator of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Community Service chair for NAACP, just to name a few. In addition, Mitch has won second place in both the Mr. EIU bodybuilding competition and Mr. Essence of a man scholarship pageant. Mitch is currently working on his 3rd degree in creative writing.

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 watch (once watched 12 seasons of supernatural in 7 weeks.)
Mitch believes he has superpowers (when you see him, just ask.)
Oldest of 13 siblings.
Hates cheese (however, he will have your occasional cheese burger.)

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

Clare Pratt is very excited to begin her second 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 Gamma Phi Beta sorority house at the University of South Carolina, and has had a variety of employment opportunities during her time getting her education, 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, going to the beach, travel, photography, hiking, camping, kayaking, art, and collecting odds and ends she has found at antique malls and mom and pop stores. Clare will be working with fellow SLC Nathan Stoll on two special events this year, Carnival and Academy Awards. She is looking forward to another great year at Indiana Academy, and getting to know its amazing students even more!

After some time away Nathan realized he couldn’t stay away from Wagoner for too long. As an Academy Alum from the class of 2013, he’s spent more than a few nights in the hallowed halls of our student housing. He’s beyond excited to come back home for his first year as an SLC. After graduating from the academy, Nathan 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 in the city, you can still see a 10 foot image of him plastered along Congress Parkway in city on the side of his university, so there’s still a part of him that never left. During his time in Chicago, he held many roles at his university and served as the 76th Student Body President of Roosevelt. He also 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, he 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 Hemmingway 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 he will also be working on our Carnival and the Academy Awards and heading up the volleyball intramural.

Kelsey is no stranger to Wagoner Hall as an Academy graduate of the class of 2009, but is very excited to be starting her fifth 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. 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!