Meet Comm Academic Advisor Aaron Hoholik 

By Nusrah Azeez and Christine Souaiden

Tell us about yourself and your educational background

My name is Aaron Hoholik, I grew up in Southern California, Ventura California. I did my undergraduate degree at the University of California Santa Cruz where I got my Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Media, go Banana Slugs! Then, I went to the University of Arizona for my Master’s degree. I have a Master of Arts, Language, Reading and Culture through their College of Education Program. I have a Master’s in Public Administration as well, focusing on non-profit administration. 

What do you love most about the Comm department?

I appreciate the sense of community amongst everyone, staff, faculty, and students, particularly peer advisors and peer leaders. We will often rally together to find a solution to a barrier or challenge that a student or the department is facing. The department is really good at problem solving. The department is very collaborative. Also, I do appreciate how large the department is, the support of the department can be resourced which allows for more programming and opportunities for our undergraduate students. The department is a good landing place, particularly for undergraduates who are unsure of what they want to do post-UMass. It gives those students the opportunity to dabble in a couple areas of interest to hopefully figure it out by the time they graduate. We can also be very specific for students who are searching for a specific area of academic study. It may not seem as upfront and in your face as other majors but when students come to the peer advisors or professional advisors we can help them find that academic interest they are looking for.

What was your journey like after undergrad leading up to the position you have now?

Non-linear, my journey was non-linear, it was kind of all over the place. During my undergraduate time, I had an internship within the film industry which made me realize that I was not interested in the film industry. I often tell students that an internship is a way to figure out what you do not want to do, because that was my experience. I did not want to go into film and television, but at that point I was too far into my studies that I could not switch to something else. After that, I traveled around North America for a while and I ended up in Southern Arizona working on a deer ranch and washing dishes. After my time there, I made my way to the Peace Corps, I served in Chad, Central Africa, and extended to Benin, in West Africa. I did the Peace Corps for about three and a half years. I was an English teacher, that was the primary assignment, but as a volunteer you work on numerous secondary projects. I was involved with library programming, summer empowerment camps for girls and women, managing scholarship opportunities and training incoming volunteers. That experience helped me decide that I wanted to go back to school for my graduate degree. I knew I wanted to get into education, but not necessarily K-12 classrooms. I wanted to work with young adults between 17-25, so it was either going to be in higher education, afterschool programming, or some type of community education program. That led me to the University of Arizona, I had a fellowship with the Peace Corps so I was able to go there for free. Their college and education program was also really good and aligned with some of my ideologies. I also tackled public administration just in case I wanted to do after school or community education. After that, I was working with an international rescue committee in Southern Arizona and they were resettling refugees. So I launched an afterschool program called the Refugee Youth Coalition. There were programs with younger kids and programs for adults but no programs for that age population that I was talking about, the 17-25 year olds. I was working on this while I was going to school. When I was done with school, my partner and I packed up and moved to New York City, where I landed a position at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, which has a wide demographic so it felt very familiar to me to be working with people from across the world in a higher education setting. It was an advising position and I felt quite comfortable in it. After a couple years I applied for the position at UMass, in the Communication department. I have been advising for about 10 years now.

Tell us more about your job

What I tell people who are not really familiar with the higher education system, in simple terms, is: my job is to make sure students graduate with a Communication degree. So everything from getting students registered for classes, to academic planning during their time at UMass, from the moment they enter till the moment they graduate and everything in between. 

As an advisor, what difference have you noticed in students since the pandemic?

Like everyone else, students are navigating multiple road bumps, which varies from person to person. Moving from in-person to Zoom classes was a struggle for some students. However, being back in person has been the opposite for other students, Zoom was super easy for them and being back in person has been a challenge for them. I have definitely seen family and financial responsibilities increase for students during the pandemic, so it has been a challenge for some of them to direct their time to their academics. It was like a tug of war with responsibilities. Also, there has been an increase in anxiety for some students.

What has your work experience at UMass taught you?

Overall, I have appreciated my time at UMass. I feel fortunate that I was hired in a department that was very welcoming. There is a sense of community because the department is in a college that is also welcoming and really interested in student success. Encompassing all of what that means, helping students graduate, making sure that they are prepared for life after UMass, meeting student needs as to where the student is at, thinking about the barriers to why some students do not graduate and perceiver in college and adjusting some of those systemic challenges that students face.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to cook, I will often try new recipes or try to perfect something. For example, over the pandemic, I was making my own pizzas starting from the bread to the sauce in different styles. Also, I enjoy the outdoors so I try to get outside as much as possible. In the summer time I go hiking and camping. During the winter time I like to go skiing or ice skating on the pond. I like to stay active. I also like to read and watch films. 

What advice do you have for Communication students?

I would say Communication students should use this opportunity to explore new interests, push themselves, and challenge themselves to get outside their comfort zone. I would also say to use this time to practice being the person you want to be later on in life, whatever that means to each individual. They should also enjoy their experience here, you are in your early 20s, you are a young person, you are only young once so enjoy it as best as you can. UMass is a big school and it is heavily resourced, so utilize what is available to you whether that is extracurricular programming, being involved with clubs or accessing resourcing to help you persevere and complete your degree. Everything is out there, you just have to ask and if you do not know who to ask I would say come to the advising and we will figure it out.