Regis University

Aly Granholm is a student engagement and leadership professional at Regis University, where she serves as Director of Student Engagement and Leadership. Her background spans student activities, leadership development, programming and advising, with a strong focus on fostering student involvement and growth.

Adriana Espinoza is an Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Leadership at Regis University. With academic training in sociology, history and organizational leadership, she focuses on student development, campus engagement and creating meaningful learning experiences that support student success.

Student Engagement in a Changing Higher Education Landscape

Aly: Student engagement is becoming much more intentional and student-centered than it used to be. Students today are balancing jobs, family responsibilities, financial stress, mental health, and navigating an increasingly complex world. Because of that, engagement can no longer just mean attending events on campus. We have to create opportunities that are flexible, meaningful, and actually meet students where they are.

Students also want to feel a genuine sense of belonging in the spaces they engage in. They want to know their voices matter and that their experiences are valued. As professionals, we have to continue adapting by listening to students, creating inclusive opportunities, and understanding that involvement may look different for every student.

Adriana: Another emerging change is the societal shift on the value of higher education and the experiences that add to that value. Both in and outside of the classroom, the conversation about higher education being “worth it” has been happening on our campus as well. Reestablishing and building up this “worth” then becomes a campus-wide effort, and where our department can really adapt programs to reflect what is interesting and important to this new generation of students who may not be fully bought into the value of higher education.

Experiences that Shaped Our Leadership Philosophy

Aly: Like many of us in student engagement and leadership development, my journey into this work started when I was an undergraduate student. I had the opportunity to work in the Student Activities Office and serve on the Programming Board. At the time, I never really saw higher education or student affairs as a career path until my Programming Board advisor encouraged me to pursue graduate school.

Throughout both my undergraduate and graduate experiences, I had incredible mentors who taught me what it meant to create meaningful opportunities on campus and, more importantly, what it meant to truly show up for students. They are a huge reason I am where I am today. In my work now, I strive to be that mentor for students in the same way my mentors were for me. Sometimes, students just need someone to tell them they would make a great leader before they are able to see it in themselves.

Creating Inclusive and Accessible Leadership Opportunities

Aly: We have to acknowledge that students from diverse backgrounds do not always experience higher education in the same way their peers might. Many of our students are working multiple jobs, supporting their families, navigating financial stress, and balancing responsibilities outside of school.

Understanding those realities helps our team create opportunities that are flexible and accessible. Whether that means offering a department-funded position where students can build leadership skills while working around their schedules or supporting students through the planning and implementation of cultural events that celebrate who they are, we want students to feel supported in all aspects of their involvement. Everything we do is student-driven — by students, for students. Our role is to support them as they explore leadership, build confidence, and continue growing professionally.

Adriana: Coming from a non-profit, religiously affiliated institution, we also find ourselves calling on our university mission to guide the leadership opportunities we offer to our increasingly diverse student body. We advise our student leaders to consistently connect with our Jesuit Catholic values to inform program outcomes and collaboration opportunities across campus and our local community. For example, our Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers and the Asian Student Alliance hosted a Bind Box Clothing Drive for donations to the Denver Rescue Mission, where participants could donate 3 articles of clothing and, in return, receive a Bind Box figure (Labubu, Sanrio, etc.). These two groups aligned both their education and cultural backgrounds with one of our core Jesuit Catholic principles of serving the poor and marginalized as a social justice-oriented university.

Challenges in Student Connection and Involvement

Aly: One of the biggest challenges institutions face is recognizing that students engage differently now than they did even a few years ago. Many students commute, work off campus, or have responsibilities outside of school that make it difficult to participate in traditionally structured involvement opportunities.

Students are also craving authentic connection. They want to feel seen, heard, and valued — not like they are just another number on campus. Institutions have to be willing to adapt and rethink what engagement looks like instead of expecting students to fit into outdated models of involvement.

Adriana: There have been two big challenges we have had to face at our institution in particular. The first is bringing in students and catching their attention for programming and leadership opportunities. We have found an increasing need to offer incentives like free food or swag. However, with declining enrollment, department budgets have been minimized, leaving us to act in more resourceful ways or sometimes accept that programming needs to be scaled back. A creative and effective solution we have found that is both resourceful and scaled back is to still have one bigger incentive (small tech, ticket, swag prizes, etc.) and enter those who have engaged in the program into a drawing for this incentive. This has been shown to be popular amongst our student attendees as it builds up excitement during the program and enough curiosity to retain their attention for the full program.

A rising challenge that private institutions in Colorado will have to face this upcoming academic school year is the removal of work-study funding through the state of Colorado. Our department is highly impacted by students who receive Colorado work-study. It is how we fairly and equitably compensate for our student workers who run critical programs, and how we allow these students to have exposure to leadership opportunities while being paid for the amazing work they do. While the future of Colorado Work Study remains uncertain, our department now must strategize solutions that could make up for this lack of funding while also not constraining our own department's budget.

Advice for Future Student Engagement and Leadership Professionals

Aly: You are going to work a lot of hours — probably more than 40 a week. But I do not necessarily see that as a negative part of the job. Those are meaningful hours spent with students. Whether it is attending a student government meeting, supporting a club event, or helping a student through a difficult situation, you are showing students that you care and that you are invested in their growth.

That being said, finding balance between your personal life and the extra time this work often requires is important, even though it can be difficult. For those of us who continue doing this work with and for students, consistently showing up and leading with positivity and care can leave a lasting impact on their lives.