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Undergraduate Education
  • About
  • Learning Experiences
  • Advising and Transitions
  • Strategy and Retention
  • Student Resources
  • News and Updates

< About

  • Mission, Vision & Values
  • Leadership
  • Scholarships
  • What We Do
  • Undergraduate Education Staff Awards

< Learning Experiences

  • Academic Success Workshops
  • Diversity & Global Learning Activities
  • University Curriculum and Innovation
  • Global Tech
  • Military Science and ROTC
  • Spartan Early Start
  • Spartan Experience Record
  • Testing and Academic Student Support
  • Undergraduate Certificates
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Undergraduate (UGS) Seminars

< Advising and Transitions

  • Cohort and Affinity Programs
  • Identity Conscious Activities
  • Student Transition
  • University Advising
  • Detroit M.A.D.E. Scholars Program
  • Lansing Spartan Scholars Program
  • Pathways Persistence Programs

< Strategy and Retention

  • Departure Survey
  • Envision Green
  • Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy
  • Strategic Retention Unit
  • Strategic Student Success Initiatives

< Student Resources

  • Where Do I Start?
  • Living on Campus
  • Where to Go for Help
  • Future Planning
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Arts and Culture
  • Getting to Know the Community
  • Enrollment

< News and Updates

Undergraduate Education > Advising and Transitions > Pathways Persistence Programs > About Pathways Persistence Programs >

Marlene Villa

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Michigan State University
Undergraduate Education

Undergraduate Education

Portrait in a circle frame. Subject is looking at the camera and smiling and is seen from the shoulders up. They have long, dark hair and are wearing glasses, standing in front of a bookshelf.
Marlene Villa (she/her/ella)
Program Coordinator for First-Generation Student Success, FLI Vanderploeg Scholars

villamar@msu.edu

Meet with me

Marlene Villa

Marlene Villa is the Program Coordinator for First-Generation Student Success and the FLI Vanderploeg Scholars Program. She has been in this role and at MSU since September 2022. Marlene was born and raised in Chicago, IL and is a first-generation, Latina graduate who is passionate about supporting with first-generation students. Marlene loves coffee, traveling, and spending time with her cat, Pumpkin.

What do you like most about working in Pathways?

Working with students one-on-one to elevate their college experience.

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What is your favorite spot on campus (and why)?

As of recently, my favorite spot is the Multicultural Center because of all the light that comes in and it feels very welcoming.

If you had to give your college-aged self some advice, what would you say?

Be courageous! Don't be afraid to ask for help because most of them time, people want to help you and see you succeed.

Where did you go to college/university? What's one thing that stands out about your college experience?

I graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH and I studied abroad in Italy during my third year. This experience really changed my outlook in taking risks and challenging myself to leave my comfort zone. I always encourage my students to do things that may seem hard and strange to them but in the end can be very rewarding.