Kiki Wessel

Kiki Wessel serves as a Lecturer and Senior Academic Advisor at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). She has been with UIC since 2021, transitioning from a general advisor to a departmental/major advisor role in August 2022. Her responsibilities include teaching LAS 110, advising undergraduate students, and contributing to the UIC CHANCE Program alongside LAS professional committees for New Student Advising and Registration and Career Development and Internships.

Her educational background includes:

• Bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership - HR with a minor in Economics from the University of Cincinnati
• Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa

Wessel's professional focus centers on higher education systems, student development, academic advising strategies, and career pathway navigation. She emphasizes building student-departmental connections and achieving career potential through personalized guidance, informed by her research experience in higher education and international exposure from studies in Germany and Peru. Her approach integrates practical advising with classroom instruction to support student success.

As an advisor, she facilitates undergraduate major selection and career planning within LAS while actively supporting the UIC CHANCE Program for underrepresented students. Her committee work shapes new student onboarding processes and career service frameworks, demonstrating institutional commitment to student development beyond individual advising sessions.