Our expert speakers bring extensive experience in student wellness, leadership, and resilience. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by residential communities, they will offer practical insights on balancing work-life boundaries, motivating student staff through coaching, navigating trauma on-call, fostering belonging, and leveraging lived-in experience for career advancement in higher education.
Opening Speaker
Anyelina Diaz
Anyelina Diaz is the associate director for the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program at the School of Nursing at Rutgers University–Newark. A proud EOF alumna, she is deeply committed to advocating for and mentoring historically underrepresented students in higher education. In her role, she oversees the EOF department’s financial aid grant process, supervises the EOF counselor staff, and provides strategic oversight for recruitment initiatives and academic support programs.
Diaz began her career in higher education in residence life as a hall director, where she developed a strong foundation in student support, crisis management, and community building. With more than 15 years of direct experience in student affairs, she has expertise in counseling, mediation, academic advising, disability services, staff recruitment and supervision, access programs, and program development. Prior to joining the school of nursing, she served as an EOF counselor and academic advisor at Montclair State University, leading initiatives in student enrichment, recruitment, classroom instruction, and staff training and supervision.
Complementing her professional experience, she earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Ramapo College and a master’s degree in organizational leadership with a concentration in counseling from Rider University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University, driven by her passion for clinical practice and her commitment to expanding access to mental health support. Through her work, she hopes to give back to the profession and empower individuals seeking mental health services.
Educational Session Speakers
College Planning Institute Coordinator,
Good Success Academies’ Collaboration
with Montclair State University
Director of the Office of Advocacy
and Education,
University of Oklahoma
Director of Housing Systems
and Services,
University of North Texas
Director of the Goodnight
Scholars Program,
North Carolina State University