CAAS Advisor Caisa Shoop Receives New Advisor Recognition

Advising students wasn’t where Caisa Shoop thought her path would lead when she started pursuing a degree in family and consumer sciences education. Advising students in programs like animal sciences, applied sciences and technology education, and plants, soils and climate was definitely not in her mind when she thought of potential jobs; but she’s happy to be where she is.

“I love working with the students,” said Shoop. “Because of the diversity within my position I get to advise students going into several different career fields, so there’s always something new and different and it’s a lot of fun!”

As an advisor, Shoop has opportunities to engage with students one-on-one as she assists them in planning and navigating their years at Utah State University.

“My position is unique,” said Shoop. “It was created to alleviate some stress serving students in the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences Department, Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Department and Plants, Soils and Climate Department. I’m the first person to ever hold this position so I had to do a lot of navigation on my own.”

“Caisa is very positive and professional in her work,” said College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences’ (CAAS) Associate Dean Brian Warnick. “She is a valued and integral part of the student services team and above all, she cares about her students and their success. She is genuine and has students’ best interests in mind in all she does.”

Shoop was no stranger to the college before she was hired as a full-time employee. During her student days at USU, Shoop worked as an office assistant for CAAS Student Services.

“I have always been impressed with Caisa’s strong work ethic and her willingness to learn and adapt to various situations,” said Lisa Allen, a fellow advisor and director of CAAS Student Services. “Caisa is a top-notch advisor and is a strong advocate for her students. She is pleasant, driven, focused and gives 110% in every task that she undertakes.”

NACADA, the global professional community for academic advising, recognized Shoop in late 2020 with a New Advisor Certificate of Merit. The award is given to an advisor who as advised for three years or less and has demonstrated understanding of the programs in which they advise, is actively making a difference in those programs, and is giving back to the advising community.

“It’s fun to be recognized, especially in a year like 2020,” Shoop said. “It was a rough year for everyone and being recognized for my work is a great honor.”

Shoop made an impression in the national advising community in 2019, when she was selected to give a presentation on proactive outreach at NACADA’s national convention in Hawaii.

“I want to thank the students for trusting me with their education, mentors for encouraging me, the administration for taking a chance on a young, inexperienced college graduate, and, of course, my spouse and family for their constant support.”