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Tim McCoy
Academic Counselor-Lead
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I was a non-traditional college student--probably because I'm a non-traditional person! I spent over six years in the Marine Corps and worked for Boeing for a couple of years before deciding that I might be "college material" after all.
I began my journey through higher education at Whatcom Community College, in Bellingham. It was a great place to start out. I earned my Associate of Arts and Sciences degree, then completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology at Iowa State University. By this point, I knew that I really enjoyed school and learning (a stark contrast to my earlier years!). This led me back to Bellingham where I finished my Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Native American Studies at Western Washington University.
I've worked with students in a variety of ways over the years. In addition to being a teaching assistant in graduate school, I taught cultural anthropology at Tacoma Community College for two years. Then I worked for a federally funded program at a non-profit social service agency, helping adults who wanted to learn how to return to or enter college. I've been advising UW students for almost ten years. Because I like learning so much, and because I could just walk to class after work, I went back to school. In 2009, I completed my Doctor of Education degree in Leadership and Policy Studies, in the UW's College of Education. Even though I'm done earning degrees, being an academic adviser means I'm always learning new things!
Through my education and experience, I've learned that being successful in college takes patience, resilience and planning. I enjoy helping students see how all of elements of their UW experience fit together and can contribute to reaching their particular academic and personal goals.
