Title: Associate Director of Communications & Training
About Meaghan
Joined the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising in:
February 2025
Education:
M.A., International Education with a specialization in Multicultural Curriculum, New York University
B.S., Social Studies Education, New York University
How did you get here?
I grew up in the Central Valley wanting to teach, following in the footsteps of my beloved Aunty Dorothy and many wonderful K-12 teachers I had along the way. When applying to colleges, I fell in love with New York City and completed both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Studies Education and International Education at NYU, which prepared me to teach middle school and high school history. I loved being a student (and nanny) in New York, but knew that I didn’t necessarily want to be a real grown up there. My New York state credential coursework was good in 48 of the 50 states (guess where California fell in that breakdown?) so as I was finishing up remaining requirements in California, I started working at UC Berkeley Extension, supporting adult learners working on their Teaching English as a Second Language preparation. I realized that I really liked this higher education thing and never left! I have had the opportunity to support adult learners, first year students, RCNR undergraduates, and now the fabulous L&S undergraduate crew.
What is your approach to advising?
I love learning about students. I love to know what interests them, what their goals are, what parts of their lived experience and identity they want to bring to campus and to our advising spaces, places they want to see in the world, contributions they want to make, what brings them joy. So much! I come to my advising work with deep curiosity and joy, hoping to celebrate successes and support through challenges, and feeling deeply grateful to get to be one small part of a student’s success at Berkeley and beyond.
What advice do you have for L&S students in general?
UC Berkeley is so lucky that you’re here! And it is not a mistake. You are bright, capable, and strong, and you bring something to our campus community that no one else can. Take advantage of the many things you’re afforded as a Berkeley student - the office hours, the free lectures, whatever campus events might spark your interest. You never know what or who you might discover in those spaces. And in the windows in between, make room for connection and friendship, joy and rest. You can only be your best self as a student if we can help take care of your best self as a human.
Most unusual job you ever had?
When I was a kid, my dad always worked in grocery distribution. One summer, I got a job at the distribution center where he worked, counting pallets of produce and frozen goods in huge warehouses. It was summer in the Central Valley, 100 degrees outside, and I was inside from 4am-12:30pm dressed in a parka and steel-toed boots, looking up into the rafters to see if a pallet was in the racks while I tried to stay out of the way of the forklifts and pallet jacks speeding around me. It was an adventure!
About me:
I was born in the Pacific Northwest where most of my extended family remains, but most of my childhood and the rest of my life have been spent in Northern California. I love to run, read, podcast (listen to them, not create them), drink hot chocolate, and travel with my family…even more so when my kids choose to get along :)
