Get to know Michelle Overtoom

CFANS students majoring in Agricultural Communication and Marketing, Animal Science, Applied Economics, and Nutrition may already know Michelle Overtoom. For those who don’t, this is your chance to learn more about this longtime CFANS academic advisor.

For those who haven’t met you, tell us a little about yourself. 

I attended St. Olaf College for my undergrad and Indiana University for my graduate program. I've been working at the University of Minnesota for 20 years, about half of that here in CFANS! 

In my spare time, I like to travel and go out to eat. I also take French classes, so if you also speak French and want to practice with me, I'm up for that. I am obsessed with my sister's dog Maggie and run an Instagram account for her.

How did you discover what career path you wanted to follow?

Pretty much by accident! I had a hard time deciding what major to pursue while in college. I eventually picked psychology because it sounded interesting, but by that point, I'd gotten really involved with student life on campus—student government, student activities, that kind of thing—and knew I wanted to do something related to that and work at a college or university.

If there is one thing you want your new advisees to know about you, what would it be?

I love to travel and talk about travel! I'm always excited to hear about students' study abroad experiences and see your photos. I never studied abroad as an undergrad, and it's one thing I wish I had done.

Your advising philosophy says you are here to “point out detours along the way.” Could you provide us with an example from a recent student you worked with? 

I worked with a student who was changing majors once. They had been studying Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management and did a study abroad program in Southeast Asia. While there, the student realized that many of the environmental issues they had gone to study had a huge basis in economics, and they came back and changed their major to Applied Economics. So, sometimes, an opportunity points you in a direction you never thought about before.