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O&B Home : :Profiles :: Married to the Job
Students filter in and out of Denise Atteberry’s office as if she were offering free food with her counseling; they would wait longer for a seven-minute visit with her than they would to order football tickets. The top adviser in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering has helped change lives for the better. “There's always a line in the hall for kids waiting to see her,” says senior Obaida Abdul-Rahim. “Nobody wanted to talk to anyone else. The other advisers were like ‘we can help you too,’ but no one would get out of her line.” Co-workers, students and family realize she’s a bit different from most other advisers in the college. “I have never met a student that has not absolutely loved my mom,” says her daughter, Amber. “She’s not the normal person you would find in her position. She’s married to this job and loves everything about it.” Before she was able to accommodate more than 1,400 students, Atteberry had enough trouble keeping her own life in tact. A high school drop out who didn’t begin her higher education until her late 20s now lists valedictorian and award-winning adviser on her resume. Atteberry relates to her students, and tells them exactly what their problem is and how to solve it.“I don’t pull any punches,” Atteberry says. “I’m very down to earth with them, but I’ll say precisely what they need to hear.” The self-proclaimed workaholic doesn’t mind missing out on her favorite pasttime -- playing pool -- to allow a student to ask for her help."I usually go beyond the call of what's asked," she says. "Students spend more time in my office than they do in their own classes." |
