When it comes to supporting students, I try to live by the philosophy that a person’s value never fluctuates based on their performance. It means no one needs to earn kindness, consideration, or support—or the right to happiness and success. However, in academic and professional settings, it’s often harder to turn this philosophy inwards when you feel the need to justify your own worth.
Three months into my new role with the Student Success team, I was faced with managing the 2026 Mentoring and Advising Summit. It was the largest virtual event I ever supported with over 4,000 participants. I was eager for the challenge—not only to create a meaningful summit experience but also to prove my value to the new team. I wanted to show them that I was worth the chance they took on me and all their efforts to support my success.
Assistant Director for Advising Professional Development Jennifer Cooper and I spent the hours coordinating with presenters and moderators, tweaking the hosting platform, and promoting the event, making sure to consider every possible problem in the process. But the summit didn’t go quite as smoothly as we planned.
Within the first two hours, we experienced buggy chats and closed captioning services and presenters dropping from sessions. Attendees, moderators, and presenters flooded the Technical Support Lounge, and sessions were cancelled due to technical issues. My heart dropped to my stomach; despite my best plans, I wasn’t prepared for the madness I had to manage.
But I didn’t have to manage it alone. The rest of the Student Success team were intimately familiar with the chaos. They had tried to warn me with jokes and stories about previous mishaps and kindly reminded me that I had to experience it firsthand to understand it.
I believed them, but I was so obsessed with proving my worth that I underestimated the breadth of their support. During the craziest parts of the summit, they helped me adapt, provided solutions, and offered reassurance which helped me steady myself and refocus.
I will never forget that brief lunch on summit day where we ate leftover Panera and laughed about the mayhem. Those who weren’t in the office filled the Teams chat with shoutouts and encouragement. In that moment, I felt safe enough to unclench, breathe, and keep going.
The 2026 Mentoring and Advising Summit was a success—74% of the attendees reported being satisfied or very satisfied despite the technical difficulties. This experience taught me so much about the summit and the Student Success team. Most importantly, it has reminded me why encouragement is so important in our work.
Everyone deserves to feel supported—not only when they’re succeeding, but when things aren’t going as planned. In the middle of uncertainty, encouragement builds a harbor in the middle of what feels like a hurricane. It creates a place where you can rest, regroup, and refocus, knowing that someone is cheering for you and waiting on the other side—regardless of the outcome.
What does this kind of encouragement look like when it comes to supporting students? It’s a personalized email to a student struggling academically before an upcoming exam. It is reminding a student so focused on their career that while the outcome of their interview affects their journey, it does not affect their value as a person. It’s showing them that you see how hard they’ve worked towards their success.
It’s also how we show up for each other at work. We could offer reassurance to a struggling colleague during the busiest stretch of advising season, or we can send an uplifting message to a team member when they’re experiencing technical difficulties with a presentation. Encouragement reinforces what brings us together and reminds us that we’re not an island.
But we also must remember to turn that encouragement inwards. When you’re struggling to make it to the end of the day or to the end of a project, look to those who are rooting for you and are willing to help. They believe in you for a reason. They trust that you will do your best and that your best is enough.
And if my first summit taught me anything, it’s that my best is enough for the team. And I don’t have to prove my worth because my best is enough for me.
Mel Newcity is Program Manager for Advising Development on the Office of the Provost Student Success team. In this role she coordinates professional development, training opportunities, and resources for advisors, mentors, and coaches by collaborating with Pitt colleges, schools, and campus partners.