While there is no definitively superior way to go about improving one’s community, there are certainly several methods of doing so.
The common thread that binds each method together is the great intentionality and altruism of service towards others. As some acts of service require brevity, others may require a more long-term commitment.
For the latter, one’s character and commitment must remain steadfast amidst monotony and resolute against resistance.
Lauren Cahill possesses this character.
![]()
Courtesy Lauren CahillCentral Michigan University Advisors at the Michigan Academic Advising (MIACADA) Conference at Northern Michigan University May 2024.
Cahill currently works as an academic advisor for the College of Education and Human Services at Central Michigan University (CMU). Having graduated from CMU herself, Cahill chose to remain in Mt. Pleasant afterwards, with the exception of a brief stint in Saginaw.
Having been in her current position for three years, Cahill has grown to love supporting her specific subset of students.
“All of the students I advise are going to be future teachers,” says Cahill. “I feel like I have the best group of students because they’re super passionate. They all truly want to be teachers.”
“They’re not doing it for the money, they’re not doing it to climb a career ladder, they just truly love working with kids,” she expands. “That’s the best part of my job, is working with students and helping them reach their goals and seeing they’re still pure hearted about it.”
While it’s clear she’s in the right place now, Cahill’s career did not start in academic advising. Instead, she began her professional life at the Saginaw Art Museum before moving to the Midland Center for the Arts and finally transitioning to working for CMU.
The fact that academic advising was not Cahill’s first-choice career perhaps makes her more suited for it than if it had been; Cahill’s winding career path has allowed her to gain the experience and wisdom she needs to take on an advisory role for students who are experiencing changes and facing decisions of their own.
Cahill’s role with these students is not a short, fleeting commitment. She often works with the same students for the entirety of their time at CMU, and the graduating class this upcoming school year will be the first that Cahill has known and advised for the entirety of their collegiate journey.
“[One of the best parts of my job is] seeing a student come in as a freshman and not know what to do, not know their major, and then seeing their confidence and watching them grow as they figure out who they are,” she says. “Those lightbulb moments are really cool.”
Cahill is able to play a role in encouraging and fostering this growth as students prepare to graduate.
“There is a big difference in your life between being 18 and 22,” says Cahill. “Students are coming in freshly graduated from high school and then they’re leaving to go be teachers.”
Cahill’s tendency to improve her community by forming deep connections is not limited to her professional life. Cahill started mentoring her “little” through Big Brothers Big Sisters when she was in grad school at CMU. Eight years later, Cahill still plays a significant role in her Little’s life. Cahill is also a recurring volunteer for the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy.
![]()
Courtesy Lauren CahillLauren Cahill backpacking the North Country Trail’s Manistee River Loop the summer of 2024.
Caring so deeply about several different things can be fulfilling, but it can also take its toll.
“I think one thing I’ve learned, because I care a lot for my students, is that I need to take care of myself as well,” she explains. “I hear a lot—students come to us and there’s food insecurity or they’re nervous because they can’t go home for Christmas. When I started this role, that really emotionally impacted me, and it was hard not to take it home with me.”
She speaks to her ability to overcome the challenges that come with being an advisor, saying, “I think over the years, I have been able to develop strategies to help the students, but also help myself. You can’t help others very well when you’re also feeling it.”
Successfully navigating the second-hand fatigue that is associated with advisory positions allows Cahill to have the wherewithal to impart important advice on those who need it most—especially those in marginalized groups.
“I saw on a job posting once that women and marginalized groups are less likely to apply for jobs if they don’t meet every single criterion, and that actually changed my thought process,” she says. “So, I think it’s important for my female students or other marginalized groups to not look down on themselves and to know their worth.”
When people do know their worth and are encouraged to be bold by people who have fostered deep connections with them like Cahill, it benefits not just them, but the whole community.
Cahill is clear on the way to accomplish this, saying, “We rise by lifting others. If everyone just did one little thing, like mentored one kid or participated in one volunteer day, it would make every place better and lift everyone up.”