Academic Advisor, Student Success Center
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Office Location: Baker Hall 160听
Email: anakanis@andrew.cmu.edu听
Allyson advises first and second year undeclared students.
How long have you been at 黑料正能量 and how did you get here? What did you do before coming to 黑料正能量?
I joined the staff at Carnegie Mellon in May 2026. Before coming to 黑料正能量 I worked at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for two years. In my last role, I worked as an assistant director for student transitions and family engagement. I did a little bit of everything relating to orientation and student transition programming! One of the responsibilities that I enjoyed most was teaching first year students in the classroom to learn about strategies that would help them succeed in a new environment and introducing them to campus resources and experiences. I wanted to continue working with new students and supporting them in their transition to college while diving deeper into the personalized student support that academic advising offers.
What was your undergraduate major? How did you end up deciding on it?
My undergraduate major was Medical Anthropology! I initially started as a Biology pre-med major, and after my first semester, I began reconsidering my path. I felt uncertain about the STEM requirements of my original major and felt 鈥渂ehind鈥� in comparison to my peers. While browsing the 100+ majors offered at Ohio State, I became most curious about the Anthropology department. After speaking with an Anthropology advisor, I enrolled in Intro to Cultural Anthropology that summer. The course was both rewarding and challenging, and it sparked my curiosity about society and the people within it. I realized that the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills I was gaining through coursework in statistics, public health, history and sociology would be valuable in whatever career path I pursued after graduation.
What is a fun or surprising fact about your?
My dad and grandma live on the Big Island in Hawaii. In 2019 we spent a few days on Oahu and one of our adventures was hiking the Diamond Head Summit Trail. The shoreline views made the 560-foot elevation climb absolutely worth it!
What activities/hobbies do you like to do outside of work and/or what do you like to do to de-stress or unwind after a busy day?听
I鈥檝e been enjoying exploring Pittsburgh through the lens of my 35mm film camera, which has become one of my favorite ways to experience the city. When I鈥檓 not at work, I鈥檓 also often participating in what I like to call 鈥渃ozy adventures,鈥� such as knitting while listening to music or an audiobook, baking, exploring farmers markets, socializing cats who are looking to be adopted, or learning how to boulder!