Antoaneta Topalova

atopalova@hotmail.com

EDUCATION

Loyola University- Chicago, Illinois

Master of Education in Higher Education Administration
DePaul University- Chicago, Illinois
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology GPA: 3.6/4.0

Anticipated May, 2015

June, 2012

HIGHER EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

DePaul University Chicago, IL

August 2014 - Present
Career Counseling Intern

Counsel declared and exploratory Liberal Arts & Science and Science & Health students on selecting a major
along with a career path that best fits their individual interests, values and goals.

Advise and counsel alumni and graduate students interested in transitioning into a new industry, along with
addressing specific needs of such populations.

Administer and translate Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to exploratory students with objective to assist them with
taking an academic and/or career direction best suited for them.

Assist in operation and execution of job and internship fairs, along with planning, research and preparation for
Foreign Languages workshop.

Operate and manage a Twitter account in order to promote and advertise internships/jobs along with all
networking, job searching and workshop events.

Facilitate classroom presentations with objective of informing students about Career Center resources.

Review resumes, cover letters, conduct one-on-one practice interviews in order to prepare students for the job
search/application process, along with training students on navigating DePauls Experience web resource where
jobs and internships may be obtained.
Loyola University- Chicago, IL
August 2013- January 2015
Graduate Assistant- Quinlan School of Business Academic Advising

Constructed course curriculum for all transfer students and conducted one-on-one advising with students on
incoming/articulated transfer credits along with remaining graduation requirements towards a Bachelor of
Business Administration degree.

Counseled and advised walk-in students with academic inquiries pertaining to course selection and registration to
ensure good academic standing and success.

Reviewed and audited 400+ graduation applications per academic year, along with internal transfer applications,
for the purpose of advising students whose graduation audits pose potential issues with intent to keep students
on track to graduate.

Assessed transfer credit evaluations daily and inserted articulated Loyola credits into students curriculum
tracking sheets to ensure an accurate degree requirements report according to students academic trajectory (i.e.,
IAI/GECC track, Loyola track, regular transfer student track).

Trained successor of my position on academic advising policies, common student needs/inquiries, graduation
application auditing, web communication with students and other resources pertinent to position.
Columbia College- Chicago, IL
June 2013- August 2013
Graduate Academic Advising & Orientation Assistant

Independently advised 400+ first-year students, transfer and international college students on their course
selection and entire registration process through on-ground registration sessions as well as web and phone
advising.

Clarified and explained academic expectations for 60 different concentrations and verified all distance, transfer
and international students course schedules.

Explained students articulated transfer credits and the application of those credits to their graduation
requirements.

Ensured all international students were enrolled in the correct writing courses according to their individual test
scores (i.e., TOEFL, ACT, SAT, Compass).
Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago, IL
Assistant Director of Admissions

September 2012- June 2013

Interviewed, advised and counseled qualified high school seniors and adult students interested in the college in
order to determine a program that would best fit their interests and educational and personal goals.
Managed the orientation process for students and their families through collaborating with the Financial Aid
Office, Career Services, Student Affairs, Residence Life, etc.
Assisted with planning and implementation of open house events and other student recruitment initiatives.
Addressed and problem solved through issues that could have prevented a student from enrolling and starting
classes.
Led the implementation of New Student Trackers weekly for a team of 30+ Admissions personnel with goal of
tracking enrollment process of all admitted students.
Executed all administrative tasks pertaining to application process and responded to new student inquiries daily.

DePaul University- New Stud. & Fam. Engagement- Chicago, IL

March 2011 November 2011
Chicago Quarter Explore Mentor

Mentored and advised 25 diverse first-year students at DePaul University through weekly class sessions, and
appointments in order to aide their college transition and develop academic and leadership skills.

Independently constructed and delivered a 10-week course curriculum through presentations and lectures,
tailored to address students transitional needs in regards to time management and organization, financial
fitness, health and stress management, socially responsible community leadership, academic success skills and
innovations of technology.

Served as a liaison between students and faculty member as well as communicated and collaborated with
students, faculty and staff on a weekly basis to create a cross-functional classroom environment.

Promoted an abundance of academic and co-curricular DePaul resources for students to utilize, some of which
were Office for Academic Advising Support, Office of Financial Fitness, Ray Meyer Recreational Center,
Division of Student Affairs and Office of Diversity and Education.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Summer Advantage USA, Chicago, IL

April 2012- August 2012
Operations Administrator

Managed and executed all necessary administrative tasks on a daily basis in order to achieve and support the
mission of the Summer Advantage Learn & Earn program at Truman College during Summer 2012.

Supported the Program Manager on all vital projects and program implementations (i.e., staff meetings,
distribution of paychecks, standardized test preparation).

Simultaneously and accurately recorded the daily attendance of 83 urban scholars into the Chicago Housing
Authority CitySpan database and into the Summer Advantage Enrollment Portal.

Organized, developed and administered instructors folders containing confidential and imperative student
records.

Trained four instructors and four teachers assistants on how to take daily attendance accurately and efficiently.

Communicated with scholars parents, staff members and delegates from Chicago Housing Authority, Summer
Advantage, Family Works Providers and Chicago City Colleges via telephone, email and in person on a daily
basis.
DePaul University- Steans Center, Chicago, IL
December 2011 May 2012
Lead Academic Mentor & Tutor

Assisted in the facilitation and management of an after-school program involving 25 ethnically diverse lowincome urban high school and middle school students from the Chicago Math & Science Academy through
Howard Area Community Center programming.

Administered reading and vocabulary tests to 10 students, which evaluated students reading grade level and
vocabulary comprehension.

Supervised duties of other interns in the program and created weekly lesson plans pertaining to enrichment
activities for the students.

Entered student information into the Illinois Department of Human Services database on a monthly basis.

Created and kept record of student progress report grades weekly.

SKILLS

Languages: Fluent in oral Bulgarian, able to communicate in basic oral and written Spanish.
Computer: Experienced in Windows, Microsoft Office Suite, PeopleSoft, DocFinity10, iTransfer-IAI, LOCUS,
OASIS, CampusConnect, Slate, InterviewStream.