Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Wesley E. Revangil, MBA, was born and raised in Stamford, CT, and started at Yale School of Nursing (YSN) as the Assistant Director of Financial Aid in October 2019. Now as the Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid in the Office of Enrollment Management, he draws on his previous experience covering recruitment, financial aid literacy, processing, and compliance at the University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University. Revangil favors an approach to student engagement that is as compassionate as it is proactive.
What is a typical day like for you?
Our amazing Senior Administrative Assistant Fredericka (“Freddie”) Grant does a great job handling our office inbox, and that leaves me free to concentrate on other areas. My mornings are blocked off for one-on-one meetings with students, and I usually have five to six of those before lunch. We discuss everything from loan repayment plans and strategies to current financial aid packages and application help.
The afternoons are usually reserved for faculty and staff meetings, such as with Director of Enrollment Management and Registrar Jana Baslikova or the Leadership DNP Director Mary Ann Camilleri, JD, BSN, RN, FACHE. And now that we’re in recruiting season, we will soon be hosting multiple webinars a week.
Your work goes well beyond loan applications and also encompasses the unexpected obstacles that our students encounter. How do you support students in crisis?
When you’re talking about financial aid, you’re talking about money, which is emotional and personal. We have counseled students who have experienced divorce, the threat of eviction, and budgeting and money management challenges. These elements are in addition to the stressors associated with being care providers during a global pandemic.
I try to do as much as I can to make sure the students feel heard and to let them know they are not alone and we are in this together. We can address these questions head on and make progress as a team.
What are your top tips for students who are applying for financial aid?
I encourage people to ask the question if they have it. Don’t sit on it. Send financial aid an email, schedule a session, and let’s talk about it! Financial Aid literacy hasn’t always been the trend in higher education, but we’re seeing more of that now.
My best advice to students is to resist the urge to ignore their situation until after graduation. Let’s face this reality together, meet once a year, and make a plan.
Your work brings you into direct contact with multiple constituencies: students at every level, faculty, and staff. What excites you about being a part of the YSN community?
One of my favorite parts of YSN as an organization is the focus on team. The four of us in Enrollment Management communicate well and warmly with each other. In addition to Jana and Freddie, Registrarial Associate Rebecca Linsky is a great asset on our team. You can’t succeed the way we have been succeeding without an office like Enrollment Management around you.
Higher education has always been a forum where we can have a conversation, have a safe place to learn, and to teach each other. And YSN is a place where we can ignite change and leave a positive mark in these students’ lives.
Staff Summer Series
This is the first in an occasional series of YSN staff profiles, and the conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. Check back later this summer to meet more of our staff.