As an Academic Navigator, Adam Wants You to Feel Supported and Connected on Campus

Years before he was an Academic Navigator for the Explore Center, Adam Christiansen was a first-year Husker from a small town trying his best to navigate college. Coming to Lincoln from Pender, Nebraska, he realized that building one-on-one connections would be his best path to success — and making campus feel a little bit smaller.  

“Coming to UNL ended up being a great fit for me, but it was just way bigger than what I was used to,” Adam says. “Getting connected with people and just asking for help when I needed it was what made this place feel like home.”  

 Appreciating the value of one-on-one connections is a lesson he’s still carrying with him today, one that’s powering his mission as an Academic Navigator to help Huskers create a positive, supported college experience. 

“Our main role is to reduce barriers for students,” he explains. “College is hard; as Academic Navigators, our job is to get students connected with all the different resources that we have on campus that fit their needs.”  

From mental health services to academic support and financial resources, Adam and his Academic Navigator teammates will walk you through everything Nebraska has to offer that eases the burden of college life. Students can set up in-person meetings with their college’s Academic Navigator or just text back and forth with them to address their needs.  

In Adam's case, when a Husker needs a specific bit of support, he’s likely to walk you straight to the people who can help.   

“It’s really important to me that students know that they don’t have to go through hard things by themselves,” he says. “We already know all these great people that can help you, so sometimes I’m with a student and just like, ‘Hey, let’s just go over to their office right now and I’ll introduce you.’”  

He'll also walk you past the edges of campus and around Lincoln to help you feel more at home. It's part of the small-town ethic that he knows can go a long way for students in the same position he was.  

"Coming from a small town, I had to work through that overwhelming feeling of being in a new city. For me, it's all about breaking down those barriers to get you comfortable with life as a Husker. From there, we can help you really take off.” 

Adam Christiansen is a 2013 child, youth and family studies grad from Pender, Nebraska.