Meet Our Pathway Advisors!

Pathway Advising at KSU’s College of Professional Education is designed to provide you with the most current local data on wages, industry growth, job postings, and associated skills, education and training. The advising team consists of Serena Newhall, who oversees the department and is the Director of Enrollment Management, Xiaoxiao Ji, and Abby Staiti. 

They offer complimentary pathway advising sessions to prospective, current and past students as an opportunity to discuss advancement opportunities within your current field or careers pathways that may align well with your interests, goals and skills, including what short and long-term plans might look like for working toward your personal and professional goals. Meet our advising team today, learn more about what they do, and hear the success story of a former student, Bridget Evans. 

Xiaoxiao Ji

Xiaoxiao Ji, as a cross-cultural business professional, has a decade of successful experience in multinational companies and academic institutions. Ms. Ji started her career working in international companies providing corporate and leadership training to business leaders, young professionals. As the Program Manager of Pathway Advising, she oversees the Career Advising and student outreach activities for Business Programs at the College of Professional Education. She attained her bachelor’s degree of Arts before getting her Master of Business Administration at KSU.

Abby Staiti

Abigail Staiti is the Pathway Advisor for the College of Professional Education. During her undergraduate at the University of Arizona she studied Literacy Learning and Leadership with an emphasis in Community Education as well as English. She is currently working on her Masters at the University of Georgia in Instructional Design and Development. Abigail provides pathway and career advising on our Technology and Healthcare programs.

Below are some FAQs that our pathway advisors receive.

What is a pathway advisor? 

The pathway advisors provide advising, support, mentoring, and guidance to any student seeking to pursue a program here in the College of Professional Education. They serve as the primary point of contact for students from inquiry to enrollment. Advisors support students in the creation of an academic and career plan and are responsible for answering any questions a potential student may have about the respective programs offered. Upon enrollment, the pathway advisors are still going to be a point-of-contact, but you will then be offered a program director that is over only your program of choice. 

When should I seek a pathway advisor?

If you are interested in furthering your education and receiving a professional certificate in any programs that we may offer, seek a pathway advisor for more information regarding classes, enrollment, and what steps you may need to take next to become a student here in the College of Professional Education.

Success Story of Bridget Evans

I was at a crossroads with my career.  As an alumnus of the College of Graduate and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University, I called the program manager of the certification program I completed, to find out about my career options and what services were available. She suggested I contact Pathway Advising.

I immediately made an appointment.  I had a great phone call with Xiaoxiao, the Pathway Advising Program Manager. She listened to my “story”, and we discussed the type of work I was seeking, reviewed titles that matched that description and identified my preferred job locations.  She provided valuable insight and was both empathetic and knowledgeable.

We scheduled a 2^nd appointment while I spent time researching and applying to jobs indicated on the reports generated by their database. One of the companies and jobs particularly piqued my interest due to my work experiences, education and location.  I applied, interviewed and accepted a position!

My family and I are very grateful and appreciative of the career assistance provided by Ji and her group with Pathway Advising in helping me secure the direction and focus I needed at a very challenging time in my career.