Title: L&S College Adviser
Neighborhood:
Math and Physical Sciences
Make an appointment:
To make a virtual appointment with this adviser, book here.
About Torey
Joined the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising in:
September 2005
Education:
MS, Counseling, San Francisco State University, 2000
BA, Art and Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 1994
What is your approach to advising?
My number one goal is to listen to you. Every student is different! I love hearing each individual story and then putting together advising plans that will work for YOU. I want your time in our office to be a personal, welcoming, and satisfying experience.
How did you get here?
As a student, I was an RA in Putnam Hall in Unit One and I loooooved my job! I asked my supervisor how I could keep doing this work I love forever, and he said "get a master's degree in College Counseling."
My family wasn't excited about my career path at first (so I definitely have empathy for you if your family is pressuring you to do something different than you want to!) but eventually I found my path and I got that degree in 2000 from SF State. On my way I worked at all sorts of different schools to gain experience: USF, City College of San Francisco, and SF State. Finally, right before I came to Cal, I worked for five great years at UC Davis.
In the end, there is definitely no place like home! I'm so happy to be back at Cal in the job I've always wanted.
What's your favorite part of your job?
There are so many! I love: making a difference for a student in need; connecting with all the different kinds of people that make up this incredibly diverse campus; making advising fun; introducing a student to something new, like study abroad or UC Berkeley in Washington, DC.
Most unusual job you ever had?
I was a singing telegram in a flying toaster costume. Good times.
What's the best class you've ever taken?
I think my favorites were either my classes on psycholinguistics in the psych department or the figure drawing classes I got to take in the Design School at the University of Bordeaux when I studied abroad.
What advice do you have for L&S students in general?
You belong here. Make Cal your home and have a blast!
Make sure that your schedule includes some courses that are outside of your comfort zone! We HIGHLY recommend that you try a Letters & Science Discovery Course(link is external), or a first-year seminar, on a topic you've never heard of – these courses are some of the best we offer, taught by our best and most entertaining professors. Stretch your horizons!
Remember: here at Cal, your major does NOT equal your career. Major in what you LOVE and will do well in, AND go to the Career Center to get internships and build your resume for your future. These are two separate steps!
Ever feel like you don't belong here at Cal? A lot of people feel that way every once in a while! Remember: you got in and you can graduate. The trick is to make wise choices while you're here. Be sure to see an advisor when you need some assistance or advice with those choices
About me
Best part of my experience as a Cal student: My upper-division small seminar courses
Next best part: Studying abroad for a year
Book I'm reading right now: "California's Gold: Claiming the Promise of Diversity in Our Community Colleges."
Secret passion: singing in French and Spanish
Not-secret passions: bicycling, and my two children.
Note: trained in Undocu-Ally about current policies, laws, historical context, challenges for undocumented students
