Student Success Coaching

University College now offers free professional Student Success Coaching to help students gain insight into themselves as they pursue success academically and personally. Through discovery and curiosity, coaches partner with students to develop the necessary tools to create a thriving experience at Ball State and beyond.

Mission Statement

The Student Success Coaching office engages with students who seek to gain insight into themselves as they pursue success academically and personally. Through discovery and curiosity, we partner with students to develop the necessary tools to create a thriving experience at Ball State University and beyond. We support students as they:

  • learn how to learn
  • practice skills and habits for academic success
  • reflect on their ongoing development as scholars

We embrace each student where they are, respecting their culture, values, and lived experiences. We also aim to facilitate student self-confidence and growth, encouraging continuous self-reflection and development.

Success coaches are available to present in classrooms and to student organizations around a variety of topics including setting goals, fighting procrastination, time management, study habits, motivation, stress management, organization, and more. Presentations and workshops can be scheduled by reaching out to successcoach@bsu.edu ,(765) 285-1178, or by filling out the following request form.

Request form


  • Confidentiality: We promise to only share our own experiences. All that is shared between coach and student stays confidential except in case of students being harmed, harming themselves, or harming others.
  • Authenticity: We promise to show up and participate as our whole selves. This space is one of honesty and transparency.
  • Reliability: We promise to fulfill our commitments in the coaching relationship, the plans set up, and provide reflection.
  • Exploration: We promise to arrive with openness to whatever comes up in coaching, including challenges to limits, and observing without judgment.
  • Safety: We promise to allow for a safe space for students to be uniquely and fully themselves.

In addition to one-on-one success coaching with students, the Student Success Coaching Office also offers a series of skills sessions (workshops) and other activities/events throughout the academic year. 

Spring Semester 2025 Schedule:

  • Discover Your Path: Major Exploration Tabling Event Wednesday, February 5, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Woodworth Dining & Atrium (Art & Journalism Building)

    Join our office for an interactive event designed to help you discover more about yourself and what Ball State University has to offer you. Explore BSU majors and connect those with what you want to do. Still unsure exactly what that is? Sign up to meet with one of the college success directors to observe classes, meet other students in particular majors, or learn more specifically about the employment opportunities associated with those majors. You are not alone in your search to find what is right for you. Self-assessments, stickers, magnets, and other freebies available, too!

  • A Self Care Affair Tabling Event Thursday, February 13, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Atrium (Art & Journalism Building)

    Going to class. Doing assignments and projects. Studying for exams. As students, there is so much to do, but do you get enough rest? Do you take time to relax? Are you able to manage your stress? The success coach office would love to give you some tips to help you take care of you. Come see us in the Atrium to learn easy ways to better care for yourself. Free self care kits for the first 100 students!

  •  Finding Motivation After Break Tabling Event Thursday, March 13, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Woodworth Dining

    It can be challenging to come back after break. Re-establishing your routine and focusing on school is essential for completing a successful Spring semester. Come by Woodworth and visit the table as our office provides some helpful tips to getting motivated after coming back from break. We will have an activity and information readily available for students.

  • Finals Survival Kits Wednesday, April 23, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Scramble Light (North Quad corner)

    Finals can be a stressful time for students. Proper preparation is essential for success. Let the success coaches help you. Come see the coaching team at the scramble light to get a finals survival kit. You are not alone in your quest to conquer finals!  

 

Char Hawkins

Char Hawkins has served the Muncie, Indiana community for over 20 years in varying capacities. Through her nonprofit leadership experience, she brings a unique perspective to Student Success Coaching. Advocating for at-risk populations and walking alongside others toward their success is her passion. Assisting students in higher education is a new challenge for Char; one in which she is excited to embark. She is a Ball State graduate and earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. Char came to Muncie for Ball State and has made this her home with her husband and two sons.

Amaya LeBlanc Headshot
Amaya LeBlanc

Amaya LeBlanc was born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a two-time Ball State graduate. She received her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in African American studies and her master's degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE). Amaya was involved in the Black Student Association (BSA), Pinky Promise, and Ball State Dance Marathon (BSUDM) throughout her years at Ball State. As a first-generation student, she believes access to supportive campus communities is crucial for student success and helps with a student's sense of belonging. Amaya coaches volleyball, exercises in her free time, and spends time with her partner, Allen, and their fur baby Arlo!

Larisa Rathinasamy Headshot
Larisa Rathinasamy

Larisa Rathinasamy is originally from Ukraine. She graduated from Donetsk State University with a bachelor's and master's degree in physics. She worked as a high school instructor for physics and mathematics. Alongside her teaching career she was an educational and social mentor/advisor for students, and she dedicated many years to being a volunteer teacher at Burris Laboratory School, teaching gifted and talented students how to expand their knowledge in the areas of math and spelling. More recently, she worked as an executive assistant for the AVP of Inclusive Excellence. Through her several years of working with students from a variety of backgrounds, she aspires to help people successfully achieve their goals.

Olivia Romeo
Olivia Romeo

Olivia Romeo was born in Louisville, Kentucky, grew up among the cornfields in Southern Indiana, and then moved six hours away to Northern Indiana in pursuit of her bachelor's degree in Communication Studies and minor in Creative Writing. Olivia moved to Muncie when she began Ball State's Organizational and Professional Communication Development (OPCD) master's program, and since then, has fallen in love with the Ball State and Muncie communities. Olivia is first generation neurodivergent, queer, and passionate about providing space for students to show up as their authentic selves. She believes that self-authorship is one of the keys to success in her own reclamation journey, and is dedicated to meeting each Success Coaching student at whichever step of their journey they currently find themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

We define coaching as a supported partnership that empowers students to create fulfilling results in their lives, both academically and personally. Through dialogue, assessments, and exploration, students build upon their strengths to deepen their learning and ability to thrive.

  • Learn how you learn and what works best for you
  • Develop and practice skills and habits
  • Discover and harness your strengths
  • Align your life to your values
  • Provide accountability for the goals you set

Ball State University hires professional coaches with coaching certifications recognized by national and international coaching boards.

Follow these steps:

  1. Go to Navigate or click on "Navigate" on MyBallState portal or download the Navigate Student app.
  2. Click on "Appointments" on the left menu.
  3. Click on the "Schedule an Appointment" at the top right (the blue box).
  4. Use the drop-down options on the left.
  5. What type of appointment: Student Success Coaching.
  6. Choose Service Type - any of them will do.
  7. Pick a date and it will take you to another screen with available times.

Center for Student Success NQ 339
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