July 5, 2022
Advisor Forum presents July Charlie Award
Submitted by Katelin Christianer-Donkers
The K-State Advisor Forum has selected April Darnell, English Language Program advising coordinator and instructor, for the July Charlie Award.
Darnell was nominated by Leena Chakrabarti for this award because "April does an excellent job holding the ELP advising program together and taking the initiative in all our major advising projects."
Darnell is praised for being "patient and kind while working with students to help them navigate the university system in a new country, culture, and language. Darnell supports each of our students who are having difficulties and introduces them to university resources, our Student Learning Center, and ELP tutoring. She is very empathetic to their needs and concerns and builds individual connections with them."
Darnell "has been responsible for training new advisors in the program. She has partnered with them and shown them how to help our students and informed them of all the university resources and how to contact the people that we work with. She coordinates all the major advising events in ELP, such as first-time enrollment for new students, part-time enrollment, and pre-enrollment for exit level students. She also works with the different colleges and departments to make sure that our part-time students are assigned academic advisors and have a smooth transition into the university."
Darnell was integral in assisting the international students during the pandemic, working with students in different time zones, or students who may have been isolated and scared because they could not get back to their home country. "When K-State classes went online due to the pandemic, we had to adapt in very creative ways to keep in touch with our students and help them make the transition to online classes. Some of our students were stuck in their dorm rooms or apartments, some of them had made the trip back to their home countries, and some did not have reliable connectivity to access Canvas or did not have laptops good enough for serious coursework. Working with Darnell in those trying times was very rewarding."
The forum thanks Darnell for her work with English Language Program students, and the advising community, and congratulates her on this award.
For more information on the Charlie Award, or to learn how to nominate someone, please review the Recognitions page on the Student Success website. Once your nomination is complete, it will remain an active nomination for one full academic year. Nominations can be completed at any time and can be submitted by anyone on campus. One award will be given out at the beginning of each month. The Advisor Forum Committee will make the decision and deliver awards.