Sarina Strnad

Biography

Sarina (B.A, UW-Madison ’16; M.S, Kansas State ’21) is originally from Plover, WI and spent the first few years of her career as a paralegal before realizing her passion was in higher education. Her start at UW-Madison was in the Chemistry Department and transitioned to CeO in May 2022. As a first-generation student herself, her philosophy is rooted in proactive, holistic, and strengths-based approaches in order to build meaningful relationships with students and other professionals in the advising community. Fun fact: Sarina is a fierce supporter of women in sports and her favorite team is the Wisconsin Volleyball team. There are five things you should know to understand me:

• I would die for my cat.
• My husband and I are big soccer fans, and our favorite team are The Arsenal Gunners!
• My form of self-care involves not leaving my couch.
• I will absolutely talk your ear off about NCAA volleyball (in particular, Wisconsin Volleyball), so please do not open that door if you do not want to hear about it. I have no self-control with this topic.
• Game of Thrones is one of the best TV shows (and book series) ever created. This is not really an opinion of mine, it’s just a fact.

Advising Meetings with Sarina: What can we talk about? Literally, anything! My area of expertise when it comes to supporting students is simply being someone that you can turn to whether it is for academics or personal reasons. I like to think of myself as an expert resource connector and fact finder. You can count on me to help you find an answer to your questions or just to listen without judgment — whether that’s about course or major requirements, test anxiety, roommate problems, study abroad, you’re still upset because Wisconsin Volleyball didn’t make it to the Final Four in 2022 (me too…), campus policies, scholarships, you’re feeling extremely anxious and don’t know where to turn, financial stress, deadlines, tutors, or whatever else you can think of, I’m here for you! In short, you can count on me to be an advocate for you should you ever need one. CeO Scholars Say:

“Thank you so much for the tips and advice and for always checking in with me. I appreciate all your kind gestures and innovative ways to help me succeed!” – B.L.

“You’ve helped me rebuild my schedule from the ground up and made everything okay. I love having conversations with you, it’s always fun and interesting. Your advice always helps me and teaches me new things. Thank you for being such a great advisor and friend!” – S.K.G.W.

“I just wanted to say thank you for all your help and support! I would be completely lost throughout my whole college experience if it weren’t for you! You are so kind, helpful, sweet, and smart! Thank you for everything you do!!!” – A.B.

Click here to make an appointment with Sarina via Starfish.