Meet Leadership in the Public Sector Program Advisor LaShica Davis Waters

As the Leadership in the Public Sector (LPS) Program Advisor, Dr. LaShica Davis Waters is the primary advisor for students in this undergraduate program. Many LPS students say that she is much more than an academic advisor, rather someone they rely on throughout their program, and often attribute part of their success to her careful attention, expert guidance and mentorship. 

LPS is currently the only undergraduate online degree-completion program offered at NC State. It is a transfer program catering to non-traditional working students who need the flexibility to complete their first undergraduate degree online and Waters has been in this role since September of 2011. We asked her to tell us more about her work. 

What is the best part of being an academic advisor?

The most rewarding part of advising for this population is meeting my students. Most of my advisees are full–time working adults with families and many other life responsibilities. They are very accomplished in different areas of their lives, but never earned a bachelor degree. Despite the many hats they wear daily, they choose to add the role of “student” to their already busy lives, which is very inspirational to me. I am eager to get to know them and privileged to assist them in navigating their collegiate journey online at this stage of their life. I look forward to meeting many of them for the first time, in person, during commencement each year. I am just as proud of them as they are for accomplishing their lifelong dream of completing a college degree.

What is the most challenging part of being an academic advisor?

I am the sole advisor for LPS which can be challenging within itself. I provide student support services, resources and programming for all prospective and current students, as well as alumni. Additionally, given that we are an online program for working adults, I have some students who are deployed in other countries or live in different time zones within the US. It can be challenging helping them navigate what they need during the university’s 8-5 business hours. Understanding my student population, I advise them during the times and modalities most convenient for them, which is often after 5 p.m.. However, I do have wonderful colleagues and a remarkable graduate assistant who assists with many LPS projects and are available when I need to take time off.

Have you always done this kind of work?

My first job in high school was at Wal-Mart! From there, my career in higher education actually began as a student worker at East Carolina University in the Undergraduate Admissions Office. I worked there all four years until they hired me full-time as an Admissions Counselor once I graduated with my B.A. in Communication (PR) in December of 2004. I remained in Admissions until I completed my M.S. in Counselor Education (Higher Ed) in 2009 and then transitioned into Academic Advising for ECUs College of Education. I stayed there until I got married and moved to Durham in 2011 when I began advising for LPS at NC State.

Advising for LPS was completely different from advising the traditional–age campus–based college student I was used to at ECU. I wanted to learn more about my students and how I could best serve them so I completed a graduate certificate in Teaching, Training and Educational Technology from NC State in 2016. I decided to continue my education and completed my Ph.D. in fall 2020, also from NC State, in Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development with a focus in Adult, Workforce, and Continuing Professional Education. 

My dissertation was inspired by the work I do with my LPS students titled: Being Seen from Behind the Screen: Narratives of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Online Transfer Students’ Expectations and Experiences of Student Services.

What is one thing students would be surprised to know about you?

College was never a goal for me. After recounting my educational journey, many students may be surprised to know that I am a first generation college graduate who took a year and a half off after graduating high school before I started. My family never discussed college or encouraged me to go. I honestly didn’t know much about college or the path to get there. It was my neighbor who knew my potential, invested her time to drive me to ECU, and helped me with my applications for admission and financial aid over a year after I finished high school. I don’t know where I would be in life now if she did not steer me on this educational path. 

Another surprising fact is that I have no desire to have children, but I gained custody of my 9-year old nephew the summer before I began my Master’s program. I found myself juggling responsibilities of a single “mom” working full-time and attending grad school. Those experiences help me relate to my students now who also deal with many life circumstances while still trying to pursue their educational goals. My personal and professional journey inspired my passion for higher education and my desire to educate others on college access and success. My favorite mantra that I share with my students now is “it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.” Knowing that I didn’t start off with ever wanting to attend college, I ended up surpassing goals I never knew I would have and I hope I inspire others to reach dreams they haven’t yet had, come true, too.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

After earning my last degree, I decided not to make any other goals other than to embrace the opportunities life presents that I typically said ‘no‘ to when I was laser focused on graduating. Now, I’m looking forward to seeing what saying ‘yes‘ will get me into.

What do you like to do when not at work?

I’m always working! But traveling abroad and spending time with my mom, family and friends are always at the top of my list. I’m also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and chair my chapter‘s step team which kept me quite busy before the pandemic.