By: Kaylie Morales
The Honors College is excited to welcome Avery Martin in her new role as a front office student worker beginning January 2025. Martin is double majoring in anthropology and applied and public history. She joined App State and the Honors College in the Fall 2023 semester and plans to graduate in May of 2027.
While in this position as front office student worker, Martin has seen the importance of communication and hopes to strengthen her interpersonal communication skills. She said,
Any field that any person goes into will revolve around communication and collaboration. Because of the type of job position I have, I am constantly replying to emails and answering phone calls. There is a certain art to writing emails that I am beginning to grasp the concept of, and now I am no longer scared of making phone calls!
The front office student workers serve as the front face of the Honors College. The day-to-day duties include answering and organizing responses to phone calls and emails. They forward emails to specific staff or to other units, as needed. Martin shared, “Most shifts, I respond to emails from prospective students, and answer a few phone calls here and there. The other office workers and I also run the current campus events presentations that shows on the TV in the office, so I also keep the events updated and add new events as they are announced.” Front office student workers are also responsible for sharing information about and inviting the Honors College community to upcoming thesis defenses, then posting successful defenses to the Honors College social media accounts.
Student workers help fill-in as needed in leading Honors College “Tour and Talks” for prospective students and their families. As a member of the Honors Vanguard since January 2024, Martin has experience answering questions from prospective students and parents about the Honors College and App State. Martin is engaged across the University “beyond herself, across disciplinary boundaries, and in collaboration with others” in keeping with the Honors College mission. She is a member of the Book Club, Anthropology Club, and the new chapter of the March For Our Lives, a club aimed at a future free of gun violence.
Martin shared how she found this position: “Dean Klima had sent out an email about the application, and I applied as soon as I was able. I was very interested in having a chance to become more involved in the Honors College and find a job position that I could juggle along with my massive load of schoolwork.”
Martin has many traits that make her well-suited for this position. She said, “I am a very organized person, and I also try to be as efficient as I can at everything I do. I think that these qualities have helped me a lot when I’m working. I also just like to help people when I have the opportunity, and I’m glad to have a space where I can continue to do that.”
She credits her experience working at American Eagle that gave her knowledge in customer service, which is now helpful in her new role answering questions or concerns over email or phone about the Honors College.
After completing her undergraduate degree , Martin hopes to pursue a PhD in archaeology, and focus on studying human evolution and ancient civilizations. While she has not yet solidified her thesis plans or project, she hopes to work with a faculty director from the Department of Anthropology to compare written sources with physical artifacts of an ancient civilization.
Top photo features Honors College front office student worker, Avery Martin. Photo submitted.
