Fellows Institute

Student Life Fellows Program 2024-2025  

Ashley Andrews
Assignments Coordinator
University Housing

Ashley Andrews (she/her) is the Assignments Coordinator with University Housing. In her role, she oversees the process of housing assignments, gender-inclusive housing, housing accommodations, and break housing, as well as collaborating with other campus partners (Athletics, CARES Center, OGE, LGBTQ+ Center, Student Accessibility Services, etc. to name a few) to provide a safe, engaging, and welcoming environment for our students living on campus. Ashley also is an active member of the Great Lakes Region of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO), serving on the Facilities and Operations Committee for the past two years, and was published in the TRENDs Journal, co-authoring an article regarding “The Rise in Private Space Accommodations” in university settings.

Ashley holds a Master of Education in Higher Education from the University of Toledo, and a Bachelor of Music Performance from Ohio University, where she worked in their respective offices of housing and residence life as an RA, Assistant Resident Director, Graduate Assistant Hall Director, Administrative Graduate Assistant, and Graduate Hall Director. Prior to her current role, Ashley previously worked as a Residence Hall Director at Kent State University and Resident Director at the University of Illinois Springfield, overseeing students living on campus from traditional residence halls to 14 apartment complexes. In her spare time (and many times around her office), you can find Ashley singing – anything from musical theatre to opera. She also enjoys crafting, testing out new recipes, and spending time with friends and family.

Jake Ball (He/Him) is from Mason, Ohio, and moved to Kent in the Fall of 2016 to start his Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Production, which he completed in Spring 2021. While attending school he was also the Lead Production Specialist for the A/V Department of the Kent State Student Center. After graduating Jake worked in downtown Kent as the Merchandising and Fulfillment Manager at Off the Wagon and Red Letter Days before returning to Kent in January 2024 as the A/V and Technical Services Coordinator for the Kent Student Center. In this role Jake oversees the A/V department that he once worked in as a student, as well as helping clients achieve their technical goals for their events within the Kent Student Center. Jake also helps maintain equipment in the building and oversees digital signage. In his free time, Jake enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with his cats.

Alex is a licensed psychologist with experience providing mental health assessment and treatment to individuals across the lifespan. He earned degrees from the University of Akron, Boston College, and the University of Iowa. Prior to Kent State, he worked in hospitals, the VA system, community mental health, and other universities. Alex joined CAPS in 2017, providing therapy services to students. In his current role, he also runs therapy groups, offers several workshops, leads the distribution and analysis of the CAPS annual satisfaction survey, supervises practicum students, and conducts ADHD/LD testing. When not working, he enjoys time with family, woodworking, and exploring various national and local park systems.

Nate serves as the coordinator and one of four VA Certifying Officials in the Center for Adult and Veteran Services. Gaining both of his degrees here at Kent State, he earned his BS in Integrated Social Studies and his M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs. He is currently working towards his Ed.D in Interprofessional Leadership. Nate spent five years at the Tuscarawas Campus where he was a student worker and then graduate assistant. He started here at Kent with the CAVS office in 2023. Within the CAVS office Nate certified benefits for veterans, servicemembers, and dependents, processes all educational verification requests for VA purposes, and creates all marketing and programming for the office. Throughout his professional journey, he has also had experience in several functional areas including, admissions, advising, financial aid, and registrar. He is thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow within the Division of Student Life and is delighted to be a part of the 2024 Student Affairs Fellows Program.

Sandi Drewek is the Special Assistant for the Office of the Dean of Students and joined the Dean’s Team in April of 2023. Prior to her current role, Sandi assisted with on-campus student employment processing in the Career Exploration and Development department at Kent State University. Before coming to Kent State, Sandi worked in finance and operations management and brought with her over 15 years of project, operations, and administrative management experience from the business and industry sectors.

As a married mother of three, Sandi entered higher education as an adult learner and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science with concentrations in Psychology and Management from Hiram College and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Tiffin University. Sandi credits the experiences during her undergraduate education for sparking an interest in pursuing a career within higher education where she could work in a meaningful and rewarding role by serving as a resource that students can rely upon through their learning process and supporting and guiding them toward reaching their full potential. Sandi believes in the power of life-long learning and has a student-centered approach to her work. 

Outside of work, you will find Sandi spending time with her family and exploring nature’s best-kept secrets by hiking in various deserts and mountain terrains as often as she can. Her goal is to visit and hike in every national park in the United States. She is an avid reader and writer and is currently writing a psychological thriller novel that she hopes will become a bestseller one day.

Sandi is very appreciative of being selected as a member of the 5th cohort of the Student Life Fellows Institute and is excited to continue to learn and grow within her work. She looks forward to this professional development opportunity as it will surely assist her with making worthwhile contributions to the Kent State University community.

Reginald Dublin Jr., also known as Reggie, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Kent State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduation, Reggie took a gap year to work as a legal assistant at Spangenberg Shibley and Liber LLP while also serving as the head coach for a middle school basketball team and as an assistant varsity coach in Streetsboro, Ohio.

Reggie then attended Ohio Northern University's Claude Pettit College of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2022. During law school, he worked as a labor law research assistant and served as a law clerk at the Portage and Geauga County Prosecutor's Office.

Following law school, Reggie moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked as a legal fellow at a medical equipment company under their General Counsel. After completing his fellowship, he became a campaign coordinator for a land use consulting firm. Reggie has since returned to Ohio, where he now works as a Compliance Investigator in the Office of Gender Equity and Title IX.

In his free time, Reggie enjoys basketball, hanging with his family, collecting sneakers, spending time with his bulldog Rex, and engaging in anything competitive.

Oluwakemi Falana currently serves as a Residence Hall Director with University Housing and chairs the Community Development and Belonging Committee of Residence Life. She earned her Bachelor of Education in Guidance and Counselling with a minor in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Kent State University happens to be a home away from home for her where she earned a Master of Arts from the Human Development and Family Studies Program with a concentration in Family Life Education. She is a budding family scientist with a keen interest in youngsters and college students’ holistic development. In her free time, Oluwakemi loves interacting with children, cooking local Nigerian dishes, and reading edifying literature.

Jen Grzegorek (she/her) is a licensed psychologist who joined Kent State in July 2021. After earning her undergraduate degree from Kent State in the previous millennium, Jen earned her master’s degree at Illinois State University and her doctorate at Penn State University. Jen has spent most of her career in college mental health, and prior to joining CAPS, she worked at several university counseling centers across the Midwest. She specializes in sleep-related concerns and gender identity but enjoys working with students with all kinds of concerns. Jen has authored several publications and book chapters and has presented at many conferences on diverse topics such as LGBTQ+ concerns, perfectionism, white identity, group therapy, and depression. At CAPS, Jen serves as the Group Services Coordinator, where she oversees CAPS’ therapy groups, workshops, and skills series. When she is not at work, Jen enjoys puzzles of all kinds (jigsaw puzzles, mysteries, word games) and spending time with family

Sonia Karkare is a lifelong humanitarian and DEI advocate. She is passionate and concerned about the impacts of organizational culture and leadership styles on immigrant women leaders in the workplace. She also believes in the power of digital transformation and innovation and how they can have a revolutionary social impact. She has dedicated nearly two decades of her professional career in STEM related initiatives, in the humanitarian and nonprofit sector, serving organizations across the US, Europe and Africa.

In 2015, she was the first woman hired on the CIO’s leadership at one of the largest nonprofits in the world. In her more recent role, Sonia Karkare served in the inaugural role Director of Digital Transformation for Doctors Without Borders/MSF for the Operational Directorate of West and Central Africa, in the Ivory Coast. Ms. Karkare has the distinction of having served the one of largest nonprofits in the United States (American Red Cross), one of the largest nonprofits globally (The Global Fund), and one of the most iconic nonprofits in the world (Doctors Without Borders/MSF). She is currently part of the Leadership Team and Program Coordinator at the Kent State Women’s Center and Adjunct Instructor at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at KSU. She has designed an online digital badge, on “Digital Transformation in Healthcare”, for professionals. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Interprofessional Leadership at KSU.

Yvette Roberts currently holds the position of Assistant Director at the Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services here at Kent State University. In her capacity, Yvette is dedicated to offering advocacy services to faculty, staff, and students whose lives have been affected by power-based personal violence. She plays a pivotal role in assisting individuals by providing support measures through a comprehensive network of campus and community resources. Yvette is committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for those impacted by these challenges, ensuring they receive the assistance and care they need to navigate their journey toward healing and recovery.

Kailey Schwallie graduated from The College of Wooster (2013) with a B.A. in History. After graduating from Wooster, Kailey completed a service year with AmeriCorps City Year in Baton Rouge, working in an underserved high school. This experience inspired her to attend The University of Iowa College of Law, where she focused on public interest and higher education law. Kailey obtained her J.D. (2017) and is a licensed attorney in Ohio. Since graduating from Iowa Law, Kailey focused on building her career in higher education, working at Regis University, MSU Denver, The College of Wooster, and now at Kent State University as a Compliance Investigator in the Office of Gender Equity & Title IX. Kailey is an Ohio native, dog mom, proud aunt, avid traveler, and foodie.

Austen Shipley
Student Activities Coordinator
Center for Student Involvement

Austen Shipley (he/him) is from a small town of Globe, Arizona, and relocated to Ohio in December 2023 to join the Division of Student Life as the Student Activities Coordinator for the Center for Student Involvement. Austen is a two-time graduate of Arizona State University, earning his Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Entrepreneurship in May 2016, and his Master of Education in Higher and Postsecondary Education in May 2018.

During his time at Arizona State University, Austen served as the Coordinator for Student Engagement, where he oversaw major student events and programs. He later transitioned to the W. P. Carey School of Business as an Academic Advisor and eventually became the Program Manager for the WPC 101 Student Success in Business course, designed for first-year business students at Arizona State University.

At Kent State University, Austen has had the opportunity to advise prominent student organizations. In his role, Austen advised the Flash Activities Board (FAB) and managed events such as the Black Squirrel Festival, FlashBash, and many others throughout the year. Austen has quickly embraced what it means to be a Golden Flash and has helped to promote Kent State affinity and pride on campus to the students he serves. 

In his free time, Austen enjoys singing, playing guitar, disc golfing, and spending time with his wife, Tessie.

Alexxus Sidney earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies in May of 2020 from Kent State University. She has worked full-time at KSU for over 3 years and currently serves as the Student Leadership Coordinator in University Housing. In her role, she has the privilege of advising the Kent Interhall Council (KIC) and the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH). She is also heavily involved with university committees such as the University Diversity Action Council (UDAC) and the LGBTQ+ Center Student, Staff, and Faculty Action Team (LSAC). Outside of work, Alexxus enjoys reading, hanging out with her cats, Maverick and Kendrick, and collecting special edition vinyls.

Wes Toth is a Residence Hall Director at Kent State University. He is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. He received his B.A. in History from Lock Haven University (2011), and his M.A. in History from Millersville University (2014), both in Pennsylvania.

From 2018 to 2022, Wes worked in maintenance across various hotels and multi-family housing communities in the Northeast Ohio area. In Fall 2022, He transitioned to his role as a Residence Hall Director for the Department of University Housing.

Wes has served as the Committee Chair for the RA Recruitment and Selection Committee since the Fall 2023 semester. During the 2023-2024 Academic Year, he successfully organized the hiring of both Resident Assistants and Graduate Assistants for University Housing. This involved reviewing over 400 applications, conducting more than 200 interviews, and collaborating closely with Residence Hall Directors and the Staffing Coordinator to ensure a smooth hiring process for student staff.