Espresso Shot 29 with Joe Recio

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Burns, Jamie: Record.

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Burns, Jamie: Okay, you're recording y'all ready to go.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Alright. That's yes.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Welcome! Welcome! Welcome

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Hefti, Tracy: to espressor shots.

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Hefti, Tracy: Today we welcome Joe Recio.

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Hefti, Tracy: He is originally from Houston, Texas, graduated in 2,009 with A. BA. In sociology from Sam Houston, State. Originally he had planned to go into teaching at the junior college level. But after grad school

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Hefti, Tracy: didn't. Well oops, he went through a winding road

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Hefti, Tracy: of jobs in and out of Academia and joined the Bush School as our undergraduate recruiter on January second of this year, and celebrated 10 years within Texas. A. And M. University on January 30. First.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: welcome. Welcome. Yeah.

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Recio, Joe: thanks for having me.

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Hefti, Tracy: Yeah. So.

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Hefti, Tracy: or jump into our list of questions. What were you doing

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Hefti, Tracy: with A and M before? Were you in recruiting also.

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Recio, Joe: Not necessarily. The past 4 years before I'd come onto the bush school, I was an academic advisor in the department of Communication and journalism.

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Recio, Joe: It was my first chance as an academic advisor, but it was a great opportunity to be able to kinda help and serve those students. Be able to have that face to face interaction that I was kinda lacking in my time at A. And M before that.

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Recio, Joe: So before that I was working at in the office of the registrar, various positions starting out as an office associate, moving on as senior associate in the records so transcripts records, and then ultimately moving on to an academic certification specialist.

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Recio, Joe: Fancy word for being able to review somebody's progress and grades make sure they were eligible to compete.

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Recio, Joe: But what I really didn't like about that was, it was a lot of opportunities to see progress in a student's academic career, but not a lot of interaction. It was mostly looking at it on paper with numbers, and it was just it was something that wasn't quite fulfilling at that point, so I was glad to get moving on to the opportunity of advising. And now here's a recruiter

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Chrastecky, Sarah: awesome. So

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you know, Briell, right? Who works for us. Advisor. Okay, I was trying. I was like, Okay, it's definitely Briel.

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Recio, Joe: Yes, I absolutely was.

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Recio, Joe: And I'm surprised because that she had remembered me. It was one of those things where II never know as an academic advisor the kind of impacts that I have. I never know on these relationships and the conversations that we have to me it it's second nature. It's about having these conversations with students and getting to understand what their goals and interests are, and really being able to just try to provide them those kinds of opportunities throughout their academic career. But for me it was never

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Recio, Joe: something that that felt, you know, extraordinary. It was just something that was just something that I genuinely enjoyed liking to do.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Well, you definitely made an impression on her, because as soon as she saw you. she was like, I know who that is. That's Joe, and I was like, II don't.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: He's new. I don't know. I'm still trying. Familiarize myself with everybody within the college before Political science got here. So yeah, she walked right up to him after a meeting, went talk to him, and I was like, oh, wait for you out here.

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Hefti, Tracy: So your position within the Bush school undergraduate recruiter! What is that?

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Recio, Joe: It's a lot of things, you know. It's a part time recruiter, part time advisor, sometimes a tour guide kind of whatever the university or the college specifically needs for me here to be representing the bush school. So I take part in a lot of different kinds of programming. Normally, you'll find me on campus meeting with prospective students. Yeah, high school age students, junior high students having one on one meetings here in my office.

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Recio, Joe: It's a great opportunity to be able to connect with them, but also be getting involved with other programs across the university, really, just trying to connect and kind of spread the gospel of the bush school.

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Hefti, Tracy: I like that.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: That should be the mission statement.

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Hefti, Tracy: Yes.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: maybe Andy can look it into his presentation during new student conferences.

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Recio, Joe: There you go.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I like it.

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Recio, Joe: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's it's just one of those things like, II really love being able to talk with students and get to understand what their motivations are, what their interests are, and really being able to share with them the opportunities and experiences we have to offer here.

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Hefti, Tracy: There's a lot.

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Hefti, Tracy: So you've worked here since January second.

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Hefti, Tracy: 2023. So you're coming up on your anniversary for being here at the Bush school.

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Hefti, Tracy: has it? Only felt like a year.

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Recio, Joe: you know, so it's so much going on. It feels like such a grassroots effort here in our undergraduate programs and advising office. It's really, you know, trying to build things up and being the first undergraduate recruiter here for the bush school. It's very much understanding. Okay, where? Where do I need to make my impacts? What do I need to get started on what? What kind of program? Everything, all at once.

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Recio, Joe: And so for me, this year's really gone by in a whirlwind. It really has. But it it's a good thing, too. It's kept me busy. It's kept me focused. You know. I'm looking forward to that one year anniversary, but

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Recio, Joe: I'd be lying to you. If I said I'd be I was keeping track of it. It's just one of those things. When that day comes it comes.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Yup, absolutely.

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Hefti, Tracy: That's kind of awesome you get to be in, essentially like the ground floor of recruiting and kind of make it

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Hefti, Tracy: fill it the way you

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Recio, Joe: feel the need to. Sorry. Oh, we're no, no, no, you're good, but that's absolutely it. And I think that's what really interested me in coming over to the bush school with this position is II wanted to have those impacts on recruiting, but I appreciated some of the help that I had along my way. Being a first generation college student. A lot of the support that I got was, go to college, go do something.

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Recio, Joe: But it really wasn't too direct in terms of what direction should I go? How should I follow my interest? What are the ways that that can help me and guide me along the way? And I appreciated the help and the effort, and even the support that I got along the way, you know, with my mom, she she told me. She says I don't care where you go to college. I don't care what you do.

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Recio, Joe: but I want you to go.

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Recio, Joe: And so, being able to cultivate that interest and finding out for me. It was sociology, and being able to continue on with that, and getting those kinds of advisors and instructors along the way that really just help pushing me along and providing these opportunities, really exposing me to, you know, just over unique

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Recio, Joe: set of opportunities specifically within that major. That's what really encouraged me. And that's that's what helped me as an advisor. I wanted to continue on with that same kind of support system for students. And that's what really helps me here as a recruiter, especially starting out, being able to say, this is the kind of impact I wanna have on potential students. This is the kind of support I wanna be able to show them really have that genuine connection with them.

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Hefti, Tracy: That's wonderful need. More people with that kind of incentive.

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Hefti, Tracy: It's nice. Well, I mean, okay. So you go from like.

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Hefti, Tracy: potentially wanting to be a teacher junior level, not little kids.

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Hefti, Tracy: Because that's

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Hefti, Tracy: we're.

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Hefti, Tracy: I would say, quite a few kids need the guidance they need that, you know.

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Hefti, Tracy: What are we gonna do?

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Hefti, Tracy: What am I gonna do with the rest of my life, you know, and it's I feel like it's starting sooner and sooner with kids. Or I'm like, calm down like you're a child like you don't have to have life figured out yet.

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Recio, Joe: No, absolutely switching, Ted.

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Hefti, Tracy: you know, academic advising and recruiting, and that sort of thing. I mean

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Hefti, Tracy: to me. They almost go hand in hand because you're you're taking that. You're guiding people.

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Hefti, Tracy: You know, we try to do that here with our student workers like, okay, like, is that really what you wanna do cause you seem to be really good at this particular thing. You know. Sarah's really good about.

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Hefti, Tracy: you know, directing and guiding and kind of, you know, flourishing some of the student workers that are on the

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Hefti, Tracy: teetering on the edge of

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Hefti, Tracy: you know my parents want me to do this, but I really enjoy doing this.

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Recio, Joe: I think that's what ultimately took me on this winding road, too. is just that yeah, for me.

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Recio, Joe: II had gone on to my undergraduate career sociology over at Sam. And it it was great. It was great interest. It was something that I wanted to do with something that I enjoyed, and having that impact on college students in their first semester with that intro to sociology, I was thinking to myself, I'm going to be the big man on campus. With that. It's it's gonna be great. But

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Recio, Joe: it didn't work out that way, you know. I think graduate school was very humbling to me, and in terms of how prepared I was and how prepared I felt.

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Recio, Joe: maybe where I was kind of lacking with that. And so when I got away from Academia. It was a long, winding road, working in different kinds of stores, working as a delivery driver for liquor, and and doing all sorts of things that really just.

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Recio, Joe: They were jobs. They were ends meet, but they weren't necessarily fulfilling. And my wife, who was then my girlfriend. At the time she was very supportive of me. And she said, You need to get into A and M, you need to get started. You need to. You really join and and just really focus on what your career goals are.

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Recio, Joe: And slowly but surely, just developing my way into this areas of advising and recruiting. I really started to see. Yeah, it's it's that same kind of impact that you can have. It's not necessarily an instructor. It's not a professor, but you can still have an impact on a student's academic career and being able to support them and guide them and really have that relationship you can have with them to be able to make those meaningful impressions and meaningful impacts.

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Hefti, Tracy: That's awesome.

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Hefti, Tracy: I definitely heard some horror stories from student workers about like their academic advisors, just kinda like, you know, almost like they're half in, half out, just like.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I think the problem with that comes with the amount of advisors in comparison with students. I think, probably, for some of those there's not enough advisors to accommodate all the students to have those more meaningful conversations. I think that's kind of been the recurring issue with some of the students that we have, because I mean.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: some departments have a lot, and it's great, some just they don't, they don't. I don't. I don't understand it. I mean, it's the same thing with, you know, Professor, to student teaching ratio like

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you wanna have the smaller classes, not always the larger classes. But it's not always feasible. They can't get enough staff to actually do those jobs. So I think that's part of where that problem comes from. It's nice to see that we have such a large advising team within the bush school.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I mean, heck, you guys got your own suite

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Recio, Joe: absolutely. You know it's it's something that

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Recio, Joe: when you know what good advising looks like when you see it. You know what bad advising looks like when you see it. But you know, being able to see that we have a fully staffed office here for academic advisors, and making themselves readily available and accessible for our students here being able to have these resources readily available for students coming into the Allen Building in the Bush School at large.

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That that's what I really appreciate is that there is a lot of time and effort put consciously into being able to

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Recio, Joe: having those interactions and the engagements with our students, with our undergraduate students here, no matter how large they they grow to be, that we want to make ourselves readily available, for whenever students have those questions and concerns, because I've heard those same kinds of horror stories, too.

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Recio, Joe: where students will email an advisor get a response back a couple of weeks later. Or if you wanna make an advising appointment. It's gonna be X amount of time in advance. And if that doesn't work, if that doesn't help you immediately, when you have those questions and concerns. You know, you're kinda left floundering, and that can really put a bad taste in people's mouths for advising. And that's that's definitely something I'm proponent against. I wanna make myself readily available and accessible.

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Recio, Joe: Whether I'm having my opportunities in advising or even here as a recruiter, I wanna be able to have that constant availability for our students to have that engagement. Because I think that's what really goes into service is having availability having accessibility. Those are great parts in service that if you'd lack those, it's gonna be very noticeable and gonna be got something hard to overcome.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: So what is recruitment? Look like for y'all cause we've definitely talked with. You know, the graduate program recruiters like, what does that look like for y'all like when

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you know, do you guys want certain trips, conferences, or, you know, recruitment fares, or whatever the cases I know terms that they use? There's a lot.

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Recio, Joe: I think, right now, it's kind of just in establishing a lot of the relationships across campus and making sure that we're taking advantage of some of the programming that's already set by the University and our admissions office

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Recio, Joe: as well as our visitors center, and then other areas of their offices across campus where they will bring in students that are interested into your programs. But it's about you having that representation and being able to meet them where they are wherever they're asked to be. Sometimes it's being, you know, meeting in in an area in the Msc. Or

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Recio, Joe: meeting with them in different offices across campus. Sometimes it's going out to Corpus Christi and meeting with them and that population there sometimes it's making those drives and those treks on weekends to be able to meet with them.

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But for me because I appreciate the accessibility. II wanna make sure to make myself available for that student population wherever they are, however big they are.

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Recio, Joe: It's not concerning to me in terms of you know how many students am I gonna meet? If I go down to San Antonio for this particular event for me, it's about if their student engagement opportunities. If they're students that are genuinely interested in our programs, I wanna be able to talk with them. I wanna be able to have that connection honestly with them.

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because

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Recio, Joe: they may not have that opportunity to come down here to the bush school. They may not have that opportunity to be able to meet through zoom for whatever availability they have. And so for me, I wanna make sure if you're gonna make those concerted efforts throughout the university. I wanna be there.

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Recio, Joe: And so that's a lot of my recruiting on a week to beat week basis is being able to meet any scheduled events that the University has provided great opportunities to meet with students that have been bused in or brought in from around the State, not around the country as well.

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Recio, Joe: But aside from that. I think a lot of my one on one. Meetings are what really dominate the kind of the week schedule is having those times to be able to meet with our transfer students meet with students, whether they're coming out of high school or just wherever they might be in their point, in their in their lives and their careers.

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Recio, Joe: and having those one on one meetings here in my office, I invite them down here. I asked them to come down whether they wanna be in person or through zoom. But having those one on one conversations is a great way to really feel that connection really get to understand those student motivations, their interest, their goals, and really be explicit about particular opportunities, skills, experiences that they are looking for to be able to connect with them. And that's that's a that's something that was purposefully done from the very beginning.

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And that's something I want to continue to strive with is having those connections one on one.

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Recio, Joe: I think the general large population kind of meetings and presentations they can be helpful. You can reach a larger audience in those ways.

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Recio, Joe: But for me, having these one on one meetings having these connections, I think it's a great way to be able to show students that you're invested in them from the very beginning, from very start, and letting them know what can be available, but also to have honest and transparent conversations with them. Let them know. Hey, this is the bush school. This is who we are. This is what we offer. This is exactly what you can expect if you come here.

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Recio, Joe: And for some students, if they're not interested in that, that's okay. I'm still an advocate of students going to where they want to be. But if students do have that interest, do have that passion. Do you wanna know more about okay? What? What is the bush school? And what do you have to offer for me? What what kinds of careers could I pursue?

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Recio, Joe: Really having that kind of engagement really having those deeper discussions with them, and really letting them know that I'm having that connection with them specifically as opposed to a larger group or a general population, but really being able to say, if this is something that you want to do, this is something we can help you accomplish, not just because one person did it one time.

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Recio, Joe: not just because it's something that's a very exclusive group that sometimes may happen, but rather, if the opportunities that I present to you, or something that really do speak to you right? That's exactly what we're gonna accomplish here.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: So

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you mentioned this a couple of times. But so political science obviously joined the bush pool.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: but over a year ago. Now,

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Has that changed any of y'all's focus on recruitment like as far as incorporating what the bush goal is into political science and how to make like, how do you all make that connection for students when you all are doing recruitment?

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Recio, Joe: I think it's a lot of understanding definitely what has previously gone on in the bush school when there wasn't undergraduate programs here. really trying to establish and and continue to build on these relationships that have existed here, not only with our students, but even our staff members here at the Bush school, really trying to understand what has been accomplished and really see how our undergraduate programs can really play a part in accentuating those graduate programs and building those relationships, building those bridges from our undergraduate programs to our grad programs.

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Recio, Joe: A lot of it is just understanding kind of the foundations of these specific subjects, whether it's international relations. Previously, international studies. And our political science degrees.

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Recio, Joe: but really just finding ways to be able to tie in those connections all around, through our staff members, through our student populations, really just getting that connection and and really being able to understand ways, how our degree programs, whether it's in international affairs or political science, they can still have those meaningful impacts that we preach here at the Bush school with public service being a noble calling, really instilling from the very first semester

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Recio, Joe: how they're major, and how those experiences and those skills within their major can really have long, lasting impacts in supporting them

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Recio, Joe: with relationships with connections later on in their careers after graduation.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Yeah, it's a it's a I know. It's been a a big transition as far as like shifting for you all the mindset of how to wrap it all around into one. And then I know eventually there'll be another undergraduate program that you're gonna have to recruit for as well.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: So you guys got a lot on your plate for sure.

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Recio, Joe: Absolutely it. It's it's not something that I feel like, you know is necessarily gonna come easily. But there's a lot of great resources that are already here in the bush school, and to be able to utilize those and

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Recio, Joe: really help in supporting those with our student populations. I think it really helps naturally in the flow of our conversations. When students talk about their career goals and government organizations, non-government organizations, philanthropy. What have you that we can be able to showcase a variety of ways that students can be able to accomplish those necessary experiences, those skills that they're looking for to help prepare them in a wide variety of careers and arenas.

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Recio, Joe: and I think with that, taking advantage of the resources, including a lot of the connections that we have here at the Bush school. I think that's what really surprised me and helped me out here in our first semester in the spring, seeing the kinds of guest speakers that we have here, seeing that they come from a variety of backgrounds, and really being able to

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Recio, Joe: kind of just support this, and showing students and perspectives, and saying, Hey, this is the opportunities that are available. From here you get a wonderful, great insight from people that are live in their respective fields. It's one thing to hear about it from your instructors and your academic advisors. Well intentioned, well meaning and very well experiences they may be.

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Recio, Joe: but having it, somebody from a director of the FBI having it from somebody, from lieutenant governors across the State sisters and nunneries. That's the kind of perspective that's very uniquely brought in from our connection with the bush school. And that's something I absolutely want to share with our undergraduates here.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: That's awesome. Yeah, we always think that sometimes the graduate students have

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Chrastecky, Sarah: too much going on. And then, I wonder, are they just not utilizing their time wisely?

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I'm like, I did not even have my life together until these kids already know what they want to do. And I'm still trying to figure that out.

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Hefti, Tracy: So what was your main draw to the bush school. or was there one?

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Recio, Joe: Yeah, I think some of it was trying to branch out past academic advising and seeing what kind of impacts I could have on student populations. When I was an academic advisor in the Department of Communication.

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Recio, Joe: I was, I would say, probably about 10% of my job was an actual recruiting, being able to have these kinds of one-on-one meetings that I enjoy.

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And really the the opportunity was presented itself like, why don't you come and do this 100% of the time? Why don't you focus on this as your primary responsibility being able to do that.

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Recio, Joe: and I really enjoy it. That's something that II really am passionate about. And having these conversations because I think that's critical. You want perspective, you want ideas as an undergraduate, as a as a recruited student.

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Recio, Joe: But you kind of want some of those assurances, and you know, I've really noticed with this specific generation. They want honesty, they want transparency. They want to know more details about how are they going to be able to accomplish what they want to do

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Recio, Joe: by coming to your university, by coming to your college and your major.

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and really not being afraid to have those conversations with students. That's that's what you know. II really embrace.

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Recio, Joe: It's always exhausting having these kind of conversations. Yeah, we have a 1 h conversation that's normally me dominating it, telling them about all sorts of facts and insight and anything I can share.

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Recio, Joe: But it's something I truly embrace, because I think that's where I feel I can have my best impact right now in my careers is letting students know

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Recio, Joe: these are the opportunities available to you. This is exactly what you can expect. And if this isn't it, continue on that search. Be that proponent for students going on into college, find your way, find out, and asking these hard questions from anybody you're interested in. So that way you can get better prepared for those opportunities and get more assurances of going in that right path wherever it may be.

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Hefti, Tracy: I answers my next question about what your favorite part about your position is. I was thinking the same thing like he's got a down. He's done these before. Yeah.

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Recio, Joe: no, no, I believe it or not. I am not a public speaker. II do not see myself as a public speaker have never been, even in my times as an academic advisor. II just feel like some of this is is what comes naturally from from my own thoughts, my own experiences. I want the best for students, and how can I be able to accomplish that? If it's non teaching? Well, then, it's an encouragement. It's in support.

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It's in being able to kind of outline ways that can really help students giving them that guidance and support wherever they may be.

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Recio, Joe: And I realize, even with first Gen. College students, not every first gen college students gonna be the same. Everyone's from their own backgrounds. Everyone comes from different perspectives. And so it's really about, okay. Well, let me just be informative. Let me just be insightful. Let me just give you all the information and share with you these opportunities, share with you what I can.

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Recio, Joe: and let's see if we can reconcile, see if we can make the most sense of it for you and what you want to accomplish, and and just having that genuine connection with them. That's where I really want to be.

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Recio, Joe: But I I'm not a conversationalist in those ways. II you know, if you try to talk to me outside of that, I I'm I'm more about. Okay. Well, let me talk about my daughter. Let me talk about something else. I I'm never into my, you know, discussing my hobbies or my other interest. It's like when I'm at here at work. Let's talk about the bush school. Let's talk about this in meaningful ways. When I'm outside of it. I'm a completely different person, though.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: We found any method to separating the 2. I

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Recio, Joe: it's important, it's critical, you know. III find myself especially before I had my daughter, but even when I had my daughter. Yeah, I've gotta be able to turn it off. I've gotta be able to focus on other things when I leave here. But when I come in every morning, I'm thinking to myself. I put on this lanyard. I put on my name Tag. I'm here for the students. I'm here. I'm here until 5. By all means find me. Ask for help, ask for support.

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Recio, Joe: I'm all about it. But when I'm out that's exactly it.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Yes, definitely how it should be.

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Hefti, Tracy: I don't.

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Hefti, Tracy: I don't know how to do that. Also do like 4 different jobs.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: me, or wear 4 different hats, maybe.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Yeah. So the same hat. It's just one hat.

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Hefti, Tracy: I'll do the same hat tilted in a different direction.

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Hefti, Tracy: Yes, yes.

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Hefti, Tracy: Well, it sounds like you've got it pretty good pretty down pretty good. Got it down pretty good.

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Recio, Joe: I feel like talking and having to keep that many like.

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Hefti, Tracy: I guess, hats going.

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Hefti, Tracy:  That seems stressful for me. I think.

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Hefti, Tracy: like

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Hefti, Tracy: I just don't feel like that's, you know, like me personally, just like it's stressful having a recruit. These students like you have all this information that you want to share, and you do, and you do it well. But there's just so many of them.

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Hefti, Tracy: you know, like, how do you keep them all straight.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you know, like remembering Brielle like. Well, think about our intern. I I'm speaking for you, Joe, but I'm I would think, cause for my situation with our internship.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: There. It's it's 2 Way Street. They make an impact on you as much as you make an impact on them. So I would think that's the easiest way that you are able to remember them, good or bad.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: you know, lot of people tend to only remember the

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Chrastecky, Sarah: the bad ones. Well, that's good. A lot of people are the opposite. But yeah, I mean, II like, I said, I can't speak for you, Joe, but that would just be my first inclination would be that it's it's an impact for relationship on both sides.

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Recio, Joe: Yeah, for sure it it. It's definitely something that you. You feel that sense of investment, especially as an academic advisor. When you meet with students enough times, you really get to understand. Okay, they're interested in these fields. They're interested in these opportunities. They're they're really going through those ways and really.

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Recio, Joe: seeing that they are following your advice, that they are following through and continuing to, you know, really want to have those engagements with you that that's what really helps in that relationship. It shows there's a commitment level from the students that

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Recio, Joe: appreciates what you're what you're trying to offer to them. But it's also something that yeah, you wanna be mindful of how you're making these impressions with students. You wanna make sure that you're having the best support and opportunities for impact on them.

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And

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Recio, Joe: yeah, there there may be, you know, one of me and and several 100 students that come through. But it's it's a lot of those.

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Recio, Joe: It's. It's a lot of understanding like they. These conversations like, yeah, yeah, we wanna help. Okay, let's let's find those ways. Let's let's really do so. And you know, I can remember a very vivid experience where my first semester as an advisor, I was meeting with the graduating singer right outside of the career, fair

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Recio, Joe: and like. I said, he was graduating senior, so not too much interaction with him before. Not too much opportunity for that. A, and really not much of an opportunity to have an impact on him at that point in his academic career.

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Recio, Joe: But he had told me, Joe, I'm not ready to graduate having my time here in Academia, I'm thinking to myself. Where is it, you know? Are you trying to find a job? What? What, exactly is it? And he tells me no.

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Recio, Joe: it's

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Recio, Joe: I don't feel that this degree has prepared me enough for any career that I want to pursue.

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Recio, Joe: And I took that really, personally, I took that to heart because I thought to myself. That's the kind of thing the attitude that I really need to change from students. I wanna make sure that they feel they're getting that support. They're getting the preparation, those skills, those experiences that they're truly seeking so that they can feel more confident when they go to graduate. There's always gonna be that level of concern. Am I ready? Am I? Am I good enough? Am I? Am I? Gonna find where I wanna be?

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Recio, Joe: But I wanna make sure to provide them those opportunities throughout their academic career where they can take advantage of it, and it's on them to take advantage of it to say, you know what? I'm not sure if I'm ready.

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Recio, Joe: but I know I've got the skill set for it, whatever it may be.

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Recio, Joe: A. And that's just kind of the the mentality I've had in this time and in my careers

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Recio, Joe: prepare students for those opportunities really have that connection, have that impact and and genuinely feel connected to it. And when interest change, when students want to develop into new areas, you know, find out with that grow with that being able to understand. Okay, our students may be wanting to go in a different direction. Okay, let's let's find out more about that. Let's connect with them. So that way, we're not behind on those times when students have those interesting, new and emerging career opportunities.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I wish I was more.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: We're prepared.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: I was definitely not prepared for graduation, but my degree also didn't really get me anywhere

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Chrastecky, Sarah: except a foot in the door, I suppose. No, I know, but that's part of it, like I went from one college to a second college graduating from the second one, and

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Chrastecky, Sarah: it was smaller, small Liberal Arts school, and so

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Chrastecky, Sarah: the advisors, a lot of times are the professors.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: They're also department heads and advisors and professors. So it's, you know, and they don't really know. I mean, yeah, they're involved in in creating the curriculum, or, like, you know, the academic plan for graduation. But it's

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Chrastecky, Sarah: yeah. It was a struggle, cause I didn't, really. They really know. And there wasn't really ever time I had to meet with my pro lot, where my professor slash my academic advisor, to sign off on the schedule that I registered for classes so I could graduate my last semester, and he was like, you. Sure you got it right? I'm like, I don't know. That's what you're for.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: So like that was, that was an experience itself.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: But

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Chrastecky, Sarah: yeah, I mean, I

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Chrastecky, Sarah: II envy some of these students who actually make the time and have the the advisors. They need to be able to graduate feeling confident.

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Recio, Joe: And I'm glad our office has those opportunities to be able to to to really be able to connect those students, you know, having that kind of availability every week where we can really be able to meet with students spring, summer, and fall drop-ins appointments. That that kind of

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Recio, Joe: resource is something that you know it. It can't be understated. And and for me, I wanna make sure to be a proponent of it. I've always thought the academic advisors are your liaisons to the rest of the university of a student doesn't know where to go to, where to turn to whenever they're in need of resources, with the career center and job opportunities, with tutoring, even with something like mental health services or Aggie food pantry for the food shortage concerns

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Recio, Joe: an academic advisor should be able to make those connections and really guide students along the way throughout their academic career, whether it's academic, related or not.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. That'd be awesome.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Maybe we should be advisors. Life, you know, some great life coaches, I was. Gonna say, I think I think they're called life coaches outside of Academia.

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Hefti, Tracy: I've lots of great stories on that. We're gonna leave alone. Is there anything you'd like to share for anyone considering the bush school, whether it's faculty, staff or student.

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Recio, Joe: I think, for faculty and staff, and specifically, I'll speak on staff.

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Recio, Joe: There was this since when I first came over here where you know the bush school is growing, the bush schools expanding, and we don't wanna lose that familiar feel that we have with our staff members. And I've really seen with a lot of people. And III definitely don't wanna start naming names because I know I'm gonna forget plenty of.

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Recio, Joe: But there were. There have been a lot of people that have had a great impact on me that really show that genuine interest, that genuine care

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Recio, Joe: of me as a staff member, but also as a person. And so

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I really do see and appreciate that coming in from different offices, different areas departments across campus. There really is that genuine connection felt with our staff members here, whether it's in the Dean's office and graduate admissions through our graduate programs. I've I've really.

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Recio, Joe: you know, gotten a chance to meet a lot of people and really see that they are wanting to connect. They are wanting to say, Hi! They are wanting to know how I'm genuinely doing. Sometimes you get asked, how's your day going? And you think, well, you know, they're just looking for generic answer. They just want you to say, Yeah, it's fine.

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Recio, Joe: But there's a lot of people here that I've really noticed that have that that really meaningful conversations, and do want to know. Do you want to get to know? You do really want to be supportive in that? So?

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Recio, Joe: And that familiar feel? That is something that is absolutely true here, and I'm glad that that's something that still continued on in our growth here at the Bush school

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for our students here.

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Recio, Joe: There's a lot of opportunities here. There's a lot of opportunities with our programs with our degrees. And it's something that for me, I wanna make sure to be a proponent of. If you wanna work in a government agency, we're gonna give you those opportunities. You wanna work in non-government. You wanna work in philanthropy and leadership and other areas. We wanna give you those opportunities

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Recio, Joe: and talk about the impacts of academic advisors. And in specific majors.

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Recio, Joe: people are gonna go into a variety of career paths with a variety of backgrounds in their majors. So what are some of the ways that you can really help in supporting them for the here. And now, if you want to go and work for the FBI today, okay, what are some of the things we can do?

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Recio, Joe: But then, after you graduate, if you decide well, maybe the FBI and all that altogether is not something I wanted to. Okay, what did we provide to you through our degrees, through our department, through our programming. What did we provide to you that can still translate and be applicable and show you that you can be a successful person in other arenas as something that II wanna make sure to showcase to our students.

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Recio, Joe: You don't necessarily have to work in the government if you don't want to, we wanna make sure that we provide strong foundational backgrounds for informed citizens and leaders. That's exactly what we want to accomplish. Then those other skills and experiences. Let's tailor them to what you want to accomplish.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: That's awesome.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Fill them up.

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Recio, Joe: I think they got the right guy in the position.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Great motivational speaker.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: No, he's not a public speaker. He he has the ability to be. There's some characteristics there that I think he would do. Great.

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Hefti, Tracy: I appreciate that. Thank you both. Yes, I love it well, thank you so much for joining us

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Hefti, Tracy: hopefully. It was a good little break from whatever your cold Monday entailed.

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Recio, Joe: for sure, for sure, absolutely. And there was a great opportunity for me. When when I saw this come into my inbox, I thought to myself, I'm not a public speaker. I've I've never done these kinds of interviews, but

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Recio, Joe: I wanna be accessible. I want people to get to know me and not just the people here at the Bush school. Not just my students. But I want people to be able to have an opportunity to see okay, what what is it like in the life of a recruiter? Is it just a salesman? Is it? Just? What, exactly is it? And and to be able to show that. Yeah, there's different aspects of me definitely human. But

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Chrastecky, Sarah: believe in what you're doing, you know. Like, yeah, that passion. You can't. You can't make that up

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Recio, Joe: 100. We love it well, thank you so much for being a part of the bush school and for doing

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Hefti, Tracy: our espresso shots with us. I'm sure we will see you around the Allen Building. When we venture over there.

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Recio, Joe: You could always stop by here.

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Hefti, Tracy: Maybe not today. It's cold.

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Chrastecky, Sarah: Thank you all very much for your time. Thank you.

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Hefti, Tracy: Bye.