Jayc Waller
Student Success Specialist
"Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” Alan Turing
My goal in Student Engagement is to make sure that every student is getting the help that they truly need. To me, this means listening to and striving to understand the issues that students are facing and guiding them to right resources on campus to make sure they are supported in every way they possibly can be here at Texas Tech.
I worked as a Transfer Ambassador during my undergraduate degree and helped transfer students to better integrate into the student life at Texas Tech University. I also worked as a teaching assistant during my time as a master's student. Working with students, especially in the senior level science courses that I was teaching, was extremely fulfilling and I truly enjoy seeing that realization in students' eyes when they finally grasp a concept that has been troubling them for quite some time.
I am a native Lubbock-ite and have grown up around this area my entire life. I met my wife on the bus here at Texas Tech and we have been married since Oct 9, 2021. We currently do not have pets but maybe one day we will have a couple of cats.
Stats
6
Years in Higher Ed6
Years at TTU
Ask me about:
My advice to my 18-year-old-self.
I would tell my 18 year old self to keep your head up and keep doing exactly what you are doing. If I hadn't have gone through everything that I did as a younger adult then I would have never met my wife. So I think I would just tell myself to keep doing what feels right...... and maybe invest in Zoom before the pandemic hits in 2020.
The most inspiring part of my job.
The most inspiring part of my job is that I get to be that point of contact that is going to help students with so many different issues. When they leave my office, they are either going to have the answers they need or have information on where to find the answers they need. When I was a student, I didn't have a lot of support and was often times confused as to what I needed to do next. In this position, I will be that person that I always wanted when I was a student.
An amazing TTU resource I've used.
The best thing I got involved in during my undergrad years was my time as an undergraduate researcher in the experimental sciences building. I got to work closely with a PhD student on his project involving HIV and it was just a wonderful experience. I was given my own separate project and the autonomy to conduct my own experiments and present my finding during weekly lab meetings. This experience was the deciding factor for me to get my master's degree in microbiology.
The best piece of advice I've ever been given.
“Have you heard about the glass of water? No, not that glass of water that is half empty or half full. You start off your day holding a glass of water. The water represents all the issues that you are currently facing. At the start of the day it may not be so bad walking around with a little bit of water in your glass. However, the longer you walk around with that water, the heavier and heavier it gets. Eventually you will be struggling to barely lift your arm even when a tiny amount of water is in the glass. You have to learn to set that glass down throughout the day. You can't be dealing with all of your issues all of the time. You have to set them down and deal with the things that are right in front of you. You can always come back to the glass later.” Dad
My Academic Journey
I finished my bachelor's degree in May of 2020. I was doing undergraduate work with a phenomenal professor that had accepted me as a future graduate student. The pandemic hit, my future graduate advisor took a position at a different University, and I didn't get to walk the stage for my graduation from Texas Tech. I had to scramble to find a new graduate advisor that would be willing to take me. At the time it didn't really sink in what was happening, but looking back I think there wasn't closure from my undergraduate degree ending and the beginning of my Master's degree. Additionally, the start of my graduate program was all online and in isolation. I ended up having to go to therapy every week because the pressure, anxiety, stress, and depression had just gotten to be too much.
In the end I graduated with a 3.92 gpa in my Master's degree. I say this only to reiterate that you are not alone. No matter how hard things get, and they will get hard, there is always help available and you can make it.
My Background
Grew up in a rural area.
Skills
Cooking SalmonStudent Engagement
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Address
Drane Hall 1st Floor, Box 45020, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.5928 -
Email
studentengagement@ttu.edu