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A guiding hand

Adrianne Silva supports CSUB students seeking graduate degrees

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 4^th, 2021

Adrianne Silva has a lot on her plate. Not only is she a part-time graduate student and graduate adviser at California State University, Bakersfield, she is a sergeant in the Army National Guard.

Silva also has a husband and is the mother of three children, one of whom is just 3 years old.

“The hardest part of being a soldier, mother, student and employee is managing my work-life balance, but it’s possible,” she said. “I have little to no time to socialize, but the roles I have are very satisfying and I have grown in many ways that allow me to be a critical thinker and leader.”

Silva first came to CSUB in 2018 as the graduate programs coordinator for the School of Business and Public Administration. She first learned about the university while working as an operations support coordinator at the Bakersfield site of DeVry University.

“I would get a lot of students leaving DeVry to go to CSUB for graduate school,” she said. “I was already wanting to work at a bigger university, a public university. After learning about what CSUB offered, it seemed like a good opportunity.”

Silva has a master’s degree in business administration from the online school Northcentral University and prior work experience with private institutions such as DeVry. After arriving at CSUB, however, she felt her education and work experience didn’t adequately prepare her for a position at a public institution.

“I kept running into walls. I wasn’t quite understanding the role I was in,” she said.

That led Silva to pursue a second master’s degree, this time in public administration. She started the graduate program at CSUB in fall 2019.

In October 2020, Silva accepted a new part-time position at the Graduate Student Center as an adviser, through which she provides support services to current and prospective students interested in graduate programs at CSUB. She was made a full-time staff member in January 2021.

Silva said being a graduate student often helps her provide better support to other graduate students through her role as an adviser.

“As a student in the graduate program, I have a direct understanding of what graduate students are experiencing and what they need. I can relate to their fears, their anxieties,” she said. “If there is something I can do, I will do my best to help them. If there isn’t anything I can physically do as a staff member, I know the resources that are available to them.”

Interim Associate Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies Dr. Luis Vega said Silva is a vital member of the team at the Graduate Student Center.

“Ms. Silva is an exemplary graduate student adviser, and she is fully invested in providing the most comprehensive academic advice,” he said. “She has multiple degrees, widespread experience in the public and private sectors, and extensive knowledge of the application, admission, enrollment and career preparation that will help our students academically and professionally succeed.”

Empowering students

Not only is Silva pursuing a master’s degree and working at the Graduate Student Center, she also works at least one weekend every month as an army motor transport operator for the National Guard. She has been a member of the guard since 2011 and has served in California, New Mexico and Texas.

As part of her job, Silva manages the transportation of equipment, supplies and even soldiers, as was the case when she was deployed to Los Angeles last year in response to the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted after the death of George Floyd.

“I make sure things get where they need to go, making sure people are getting picked up,” she said. “It’s a lot of logistics.”

Silva said she is occasionally activated to serve longer deployments when the need arises, such as if there is a natural disaster. Those deployments often make it difficult for her to be around for family celebrations and holidays.

“Being in the military, even just part-time, means that my family and I must sacrifice special events or family time, but everyone has adapted to the schedule and have prepared for emergency activations,” she said.

While Silva has no plans to leave the guard anytime soon, her future at CSUB is less certain.

Her position at the Graduate Student Center is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education that is set to end in 2023. She will need to either secure a new position at CSUB or seek employment elsewhere.

Silva, who is set to graduate with her master’s degree in spring 2022, said she would like to stay at CSUB so she can continue working with graduate students. What’s important to her is having the ability to support them, especially students who feel they don’t have what it takes to enter a graduate program.

“When I was an undergrad, nobody encouraged me to go to graduate school, nobody gave me the resources, nobody was willing to give me encouraging words to say I can do it no matter what,” she said. “That kind of support is critical.”

Silva said she worked with a student who wanted to attend the University of Southern California for a graduate program there but was doubting whether she had a shot to get in and was hesitant to even apply.

“I told her to go for it, and she got accepted. It made my day to know that there was someone out there that doubted their ability to get into a program and that I was able to help them,” she said. “I just want to make sure that every student knows that if they want to get a master’s degree or doctorate, they can, and I’m going to be here talking to them, giving them the resources, giving them that encouragement and empowerment to know they can do it.”

To learn more about CSUB’s graduate programs, visit csub.edu/graduatestudentcenter.

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Footnotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist, feature photo by Juan Rodriguez, photographer/videographer. Other photos contributed by Adrianne Silva.

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FootNotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist, feature photo by Juan Rodriguez, photographer/videographer. Other photos contributed by Adrianne Silva.

CSUB receives $1.5 million from The Wonderful Company to enhance student spaces

A guiding hand

Adrianne Silva supports CSUB students seeking graduate degrees

FootNotes

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Awards honor CSUB alumna and beloved Bakersfield community member

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