Former anthropology academic adviser, Harman Singh, wins WSU Champion of Diversity & Inclusion Award
Harman Singh was awarded the Academic Adviser Champion of Diversity & Inclusion Award. When Harman Singh arrived on the Wayne State University campus as an undergraduate freshman, he was excited and brimming with anticipation. He looked forward to so many things: living on his own, choosing his own classes, and being the master of his own destiny. But he was also anxious. He was a first-generation college student - his parents didn't go to college.
He did well enough in high school but knew college would be much different. Not soon after he started, he learned that he had to change everything from the way he took notes to the way he prepared for exams. So, when he struggled out of the gate (CHEM 1220 in particular), he thought that he may not be cut out for college. His professors and advisors tried to reach out to him, but he felt lost in a sea of students and wasn't sure how to talk to anyone about his struggles in the classroom.
In high school, he heard about amazing opportunities in college - study abroad, research, and internships. But didn't know where to start. Worst yet, he felt like those opportunities were reserved for other people. "Not for me - a brown kid whose parents were immigrants". Looking back, he realized that the challenges he faced weren't unique. His parents wanted to help him, but they didn't understand academia. A lot of his friends and classmates were driving down the same winding road- lost and in need of a GPS.
Eventually, things "clicked". He stopped looking at himself as being at a deficit. He realized that the very challenges he faced as a first-generation college student helped him become more independent, resourceful, and creative. He also learned about imposter syndrome, "a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success" and sought opportunities that played to his strengths. Harman earned his BA in History and served a year term with AmeriCorps, which confirmed that education was his calling. He transitioned to working at Washtenaw Community College and the University of Michigan and earned his M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from WSU. In September 2018, he returned to WSU as an Academic Advisor with the Department of Anthropology and settled into an office that overlooks the dorm, he lived in sophomore year, when he was struggling to find his path.
He explains, "And I feel so lucky to help students find their way. Being a first-generation college student did not put me at a deficit. Rather, it provided me with an advantage. And this message of persistence, self-confidence, and resilience is a message I readily share with my students on campus. I take great joy in providing students with guidance, encouragement, and a listening ear, particularly when they feel they are not "good enough" or "smart enough" to be on campus, as I felt here at Wayne State."
To that end, he has worked to provide undergraduate students on campus with advising that focuses on the big picture. He wants students to look beyond their individual courses and to instead think about why they are at WSU, and what inspires them, motivates them, and pushes them both inside and outside of school.