English advisor Casey Duncan relies on her own life experiences to connect with students and to guide their decisionmaking

By Joan Nygbah

Casey Duncan has shown in her life that she is not afraid to travel and explore new ideas interesting to her.

She brings that approach to her job as academic advisor for the Department of English at Florida State University, a position she has had since April 2023. For that experience, Duncan circled back to Tallahassee after a journey of discovery that began at Tallahassee Community College.

She eventually transferred to FSU to study English as a major, but moved to Ft. Lauderdale to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Florida Atlantic University.

“Since I was raised in Tallahassee, you kind of get the itch to just go out,” Duncan says.

Adapting to change is a common trait for students in college. Duncan admits that she is still learning how to be an effective advisor.

“I rely on Jennifer and Hannah Beth every single day,” she continues, referring to fellow English advisor Jennifer Lee and Academic Support Specialist Hannah Beth Ragland.

Duncan stresses the importance of asking for help and urges students to do so as well.

“Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need something,” she says, adding that if she does not know the answer, she will find it for the student.

Before she knew she wanted to be an advisor, Duncan taught for 10 years at Pace Center for Girls, an alternative school for girls with locations across Florida. She started teaching in Tallahassee, moved to Fort Lauderdale for about four years, before going to Jacksonville, where she taught for six years.

In the Pace environment, Duncan says it was important to connect with and understand students because of more personal issues, such as teen pregnancy and their mental well-being. Speaking with girls who were dealing with those types of situations, Duncan found herself loving that one-on-one connection.

“I kept finding myself advising more; we were guidance counselors as well as teachers,” Casey says.

After being away from Tallahassee for 10 years, Duncan has now returned to her home. Now that she is back, she is rediscovering the area: “It's new but the same,” she says, elaborating on her discovery of new restaurants, hiking at the Tom Brown Park trails, and cooling down at local springs.

The decision to be an academic advisor appeared to be perfect timing. When she got the position, everything fell into place: she was closer to her family again and she loved FSU.

Stay with your goals, stay determined, but also take care of yourself. Life is hard, and then to add school can become overwhelming, so it is important to take care of yourself.

— Casey Duncan

In fact, one of her new goals is to pursue her Master of Science degree in communication. Duncan wants to continue to pivot in her journey and not just go up the ranks in teaching but also learn a new set of skills, dabbling in different sets of concentrations in her program, that she could further explore in the future.

She relates to students on that level of being curious and open to things that interest her.

“I’m still figuring out what I want to take and what's my end goal,” she says. “I want to take things that I can learn from and use but also things that I like.”

In her current role, she advises students to do the same. Although she guides students' decisions about their schedules and academic mapping, Duncan also helps them plan for future terms as well as discuss opportunities for their post-graduation plans.

Building those interpersonal relationships and learning about the students beyond the academic standpoint is important to Duncan. Her advice for students sitting in her office exemplifies her care for them.

“Stay with your goals, stay determined, but also take care of yourself,” she says. “Life is hard, and then to add school can become overwhelming, so it is important to take care of yourself.”

Duncan welcomes the opportunity to speak with students about academic and personal ambitions in her Williams Building office. Students can set an appointment online through Campus Connect.

Joan Nygbah is an English major on the editing, writing, and media track, with a minor in humanities.

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