Abby Swisher: My Time as a Graduate Assistant in the CSE

Abby Swisher, MAHE '23 was a student leader during her undergraduate studies at Crown College in Minnesota when she discovered the vocational calling of collegiate Student Development and Student Affairs. Wondering what she would do after her senior year, Abby discovered that what her supervisor at Crown did on campus was an actual job. And the rest is history.

Abby’s supervisor and a college friend recommended Geneva College’s Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) program. Abby spent her two years in the MAHE program gaining contextualized learning experiences through her graduate assistant position in Geneva’s Center for Student Engagement. Her primary role was working with Geneva’s student leaders and clubs, while assisting the staff with a variety of student activities.

Abby has fond memories of her interactions with faculty like Keith Martel, PhD, professor of higher education, sociology, & humanities, and former director of the MAHE program. Discussions in the classroom provided the opportunity to understand different points of view regarding the profession of higher education, sometimes leading to times of agreeing to disagree with an author’s perspective on their ideas for higher education.

One of Abby’s takeaways from her time as a graduate assistant at Geneva was learning how to work and function at a college that was different from what she was used to as an undergraduate student. Learning how to adjust to new processes and new traditions in a safe environment played a huge role in her success after graduating from Geneva.

Abby is now a Learning Community Area Coordinator at Dordt University where she oversees all the freshmen and sophomore women on campus and supervises a team of 13 resident assistants. She has applied many things from her time in the MAHE program and as a Geneva GA to her current role.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in higher education, Abby recommends that you strongly consider the program at Geneva. For Abby, the program gave her a fully in-depth look at higher education, how it was structured, and things that she will take with her for the rest of her life.

By Judy Willson ‘88

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

Mar 21, 2025

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