Her Story
About Adanna
My career path began with my undergraduate education, and I started my master's degree when I was young, finishing my coursework within a year. I earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and then a master's in public and political communication. My internship was with one of the mayoral candidates, and when he lost, it made me think about job stability. I was already working at my school as an undergraduate student in our communications department, so it was a natural segue into undergraduate admissions because I was already speaking with prospective students about coming to the university and answering their questions. I was a tour guide and a college cheerleader, and I still cheer during our homecoming games with the current students. I even had the pleasure of cheering with one of my sorority sisters this past homecoming season in fall of 2025, which was an amazing experience. My main responsibility is working with students on gaining admission to the university and recruiting students. I also co-chair the university's Juneteenth planning committee, and that's not just for the week of Juneteenth. We're currently in the midst of our genealogy workshop series that we're also turning into a documentary. As president-elect of the Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling, I chair our conference planning committee and co-chair our government relations committee, where we have two bills that we authored that unanimously passed bipartisan in the House in Michigan and passed through the Senate Education Committee. I also co-chair the middle school committee, providing professional development for middle school counselors because early access to education is really key. I spent a lot of my career focused on being involved with my daughter's life and things that she was doing, so this is also kind of like a second chance for me in my career because I was so focused on being a mom and being hands-on. I did quit for a while and was a stay-at-home mom, then I ended up going back to work. Some of the things that I'm doing now are things that I'd like to have done previously but halted, or I stayed in this specific profession and not really excelling to a managerial position because I was focused on being a mom. Now that my daughter is several state lines away in college, I just decided to do what I know how to do, and that's to help people and to try to make a difference positively in my community.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Adanna
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to be empathetic, to be kind, to be bold, to speak up, and always be willing to listen. Everyone has something of value, so if you're writing them off and you aren't listening or paying attention, you're missing out. You can have your own ideas and want to do things your way, but you also need to listen to what somebody else has to say because they may come from a different perspective you never even thought of, and it's like, that's a great idea. I'm always suggesting we should consider different options and talk about them together.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some of the biggest challenges I would say would be budget cuts. When planning our conference, some of our sponsors aren't able to give as much as they have in the past, or some aren't able to give at all. That's been extremely challenging, especially when we want to have events that are free. Most of our events are free, and we even offer free membership to public school counselors, and so that's taken a big chunk away from the money that we have. We're thinking and inventing about new streams of revenue and where that can come from so that we can remain sustainable. Our primary focus with my organization is providing professional development, and we want to offer these free professional development sessions, but then also, we need money for our operating budget. With my job, we're stepping in for at least the Urban Counselor Workshop to cover the venue and parking costs, and hopefully the food too.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important thing to me is to be kind. Sometimes that isn't always easy, and sometimes people aren't always kind to you. It doesn't mean that it takes anything away from you as a person if someone is not being kind to you. It's just, who do you want to be and what do you want to be known for? I want to be kind, I want to be understanding. I do have my own thoughts and feelings, so that's always going to come into play, but being yourself and being someone that is approachable and that can help someone is of most importance to me. Even with the conference planning that I'm doing, I have some of the past presidents on my committee, and they always thank me for allowing them to talk and maybe give some historical reference. Sometimes people have an idea and want to do it their way, but you can also listen to what somebody else has to say because they may come from a different perspective you never even thought of.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Michigan
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.