Drew Horner

Background

About Drew Horner

A mentor of mine once said,"The greatest teacher, failure is."Yes. My mentor is Yoda. And despite that he is fictional, I'm reminded of his lesson almost daily. It's a lesson I'm glad I get to share with students who often feel like they've failed at school and at life. As the Transfer Admissions Counselor, I see students who have bounced from one school to another because they've not found the proper fit or they've had real life responsibilities interrupt their coursework. Working with transfer students is rewarding because, a lifetime ago, I was also a transfer. What I needed at that point in life was someone to tell me that it was okay, that just because I had failed, I wasn't a failure. I needed to learn from that failure and use it as motivation to set lofty goals and achieve them. I get to be that person to my students!I use my experience as a transfer to build close, working relationships with area community college and adult education administrators and counselors so we can all work together to help students find their best college fit. Working with students allows me to get creative and curious as I constantly develop and refine new methods to meet them where they are and bring them to Union College. While my BA in English Literature and my time in college Speech and Debate helped develop my communication style, I've had to teach myself a few things, like Excel and InDesign, along the way to be a better and more engaging counselor.It's a constant learning environment as I continue to work with a variety of new student populations including Online, Veteran, and, most recently, International students. It never gets boring.When not at work, I enjoy reading a wide variety of books - from literary fiction (my favorite - East of Eden by Steinbeck) to comic books and graphic novels (Spider-Man's my favorite there), playing with my kids and introducing them to some of my favorite movies growing up like Back to the Future and Indiana Jones, and enjoying new episodes of Stranger Things and Sabrina or re-watching The Office and The Good Place with my better half.Gallup Top 5 Strengths:1. Intellection2. Input3. Learner4. Connectedness5. Empathy