Susan Avila

Responding to the huge numbers of CU students intent on applying to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the School has hired Susan Avila to tend to the needs of its "Pre-Js."

"Since we have over 900 prejournalism majors, we need someone to take the bulk of the load," Assistant Dean Steve Jones said. "That will free (Coordinator of Student Services) Jeanne Meyer Brown and me to concentrate on the students with more than 45 credit hours."

Avila, 27, works with Brown and Jones to provide academic counseling to the 940 Pre-journalism majors at CU. Avila advises students with 45 or fewer hours.

"Susan survived the Arts and Sciences orientation for new advisers, which was eight weeks long. It's good to have her with us full time," Jones said.

Avila received a bachelor's degree in English from Adams State College in Alamosa and a master's degree in creative writing from CU in 2004. She taught English composition for two semesters at Red Rocks-Lakewood and Arapahoe-Littleton community colleges after graduating.

"I liked it. It was interesting and a lot of work, but I like one-on-one interaction better, which is why I applied for the job," she said.

Aside from helping students, Avila said she also wants to continue writing fiction. "I am trying to get back into my writing again. It's hard to write when you're teaching because you're reading so many student papers."