This week we’re featuring our dedicated housing staff on Tumblr!
Meet Autumn Palmer, a Community Adviser on the first floor of the Woodland Park Apartments. She’s originally from Southfield, Mich., and is studying psychology/behavior analysis at Northern Michigan University.
“When I first visited NMU, the thing that struck me was the genuine kindness I saw in every person I met,” Palmer said. “Everyone was willing to talk, chat, or even just smile as I walked by. I never felt intimidated or out of place. I fell in love with how engaged in me everyone was. I was able to talk to many people one-on-one, not just as a group tour, and each person had something else great to say about Northern. I felt like they wanted me, and uniquely me.”
Palmer said she’s excited to get back to connecting with her tenants in the fall, a few of which she says she made friends with and learned from.
"I love broadening my perspective, and I am looking forward to what this new group of people will bring to me,” she said. “I am also excited to help out my tenants. I’m eager for them to use me as a resource throughout the year. As much as I reach out, it always feels good to have someone actually take you up on that help.”
When thinking about her time at NMU, one of Palmer’s most memorable moments occurred her freshman year.
“My very first year here, I was just leaving my room with my roommate to go to a meal and I heard the father of the girl across the hall say ‘You girls don’t snore do you!’” Palmer said. “I was surprised at first, but it was just the ice breaker I needed to introduce myself to the girls across the hall. They, along with their suitemates, and mine, are some of the best friends I have ever had. We have become so close in the past three years, and to think it all came from an awkward comment my first day at college. It really goes to show how the smallest first impression can set the tone for the rest of your experiences.”
Palmer gives credit to NMU for the number of opportunities available to students in helping them develop both individually and in their careers.
“Every person that attends Northern leaves a different, and better person,” Palmer said. “There is so much growth that happens here and I can honestly say that I could not have become the person I am without all of the opportunities Northern afforded me.”