NISTS 2024 Annual Award Winners
- NISTS Team
- Feb 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Each year, NISTS recognizes exemplary transfer advocates who are influencing policies, practices, and programs to benefit transfer students. This year, we were thrilled to recognize nine outstanding winners in three different categories at NISTS 2024 in St. Louis. Please join us in congratulating these amazing professionals and students!
Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion - Rising Star Awards
The Rising Star Award recognizes individuals who are making important contributions but are relatively new to the transfer field. Awardees create new programming or substantially improve programming that is responsive to the specific transfer student population and shows evidence of success. Rising Stars use best practices and theoretical frameworks to design, implement, and assess their efforts and use resulting data to guide future work. They use their strong communication and collaboration skills to educate others about transfer students and are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Generally, these individuals have served in transfer-related roles for three to five years.

Jamie Blanch, Director of International and Transfer Admissions at Knox College
Jamie Blanch has worked with undergraduate and graduate students, mostly in admissions, for more than a decade. Beginning as an admissions student worker at the University of New Orleans (UNO) in 2012 while pursuing her BA in History, she eventually graduated into a career of serving students. Along the way, Jamie earned two master’s degrees—one in Liberal Arts from Tulane and one in Higher Education Administration from UNO—and she is currently completing her doctoral work at the College of William & Mary. Her dissertation will allow her to study and share research on the topic “Examining the transfer student support and transition at four-year campuses.”
After years of working in academic advising and then moving from assistant to associate director of admissions, Jamie began her latest position in August 2023. She is now the Director of International and Transfer Admissions for Knox College’s Office of Admissions, working with a former colleague from Loyola who hired her upon his move to Knox.
A colleague, who worked with her at both Loyola and Knox, nominated her as a Rising Star, highlighting the ways that Jamie has maintained her passion for transfer students. At Knox, Jamie has increased transfer enrollment by, as her nominator wrote, “streamlining application procedures, coordinating seamless credit evaluations, and implementing tailored support services for transfer students.” Jamie is indeed a Rising Star who is making a difference in the lives of individual transfer students.
Nan Young Perez-Uribe, Transfer Coordinator at University of South Alabama
In 2015, Nan Young Perez Uribe developed a passion for transfer students during her service as an advisor at the University of South Alabama (USA). Her nominator witnessed her good work in the Academic Advising & Transfer Services (AATS) department, supported her transition to the School of Engineering to advise mostly transfer students, and then welcomed her return to AATS, where she currently holds the position of Transfer Coordinator.
For the past year, Nan has worked directly with the university’s transfer students, even organizing a well-attended “Transfer Tailgate” in October 2022 before she officially assumed her new role. Since December 2022, her primary focus has been Pathway USA, an organization that partners the University of South Alabama (USA) with seven community colleges to assist students who wish to transfer. The goal, as Nan said, is “to provide a sense of belonging, connection, and confidence in their transfer” to USA. With the Transfer Team she created, composed of herself and representatives from across campus, Nan raises awareness of transfer student needs and finds ways to serve these students better.
Through her revisions of the Transfer Center website, along with fun events like the tailgate and t-shirt swap, and one-on-one conversations with potential transfers, Nan makes students feel welcome and at home. And she doesn’t stop with current students. She also leads a team to contact students who left the university with unfinished degrees and works to help them return to their coursework. Nan is truly a Rising Star.
Heather Domonoske, Assistant Director, Transfer Center at California Polytechnical State University
With a BA in Sociology and an MA in College Student Personnel, Higher Education, and Student Affairs, Heather Domonoske has unique insight into the social, emotional, and physical needs of college students. Her leadership work with Outward Bound and as an adjunct professor teaching honors courses at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is fertile ground for one-on-one conversations with students, making her especially sensitive to their struggles and triumphs.
After twenty months as the Lead Coordinator of the Center for Leadership at Cal Poly, she was hired as the Inaugural Coordinator and then the Assistant Director for the university’s Transfer Center. She has held the Assistant Director position for the last three years, building “a comprehensive transfer experience from scratch,” as her nominator wrote.
As part of this new experience, Heather has led Transfer Inclusion Trainings for 244 staff and faculty and nearly 400 students. Her establishment of the Transfer Onboarding Group, which involves academic advisors from across campus, has brought a more inclusive orientation to first-year transfers, focusing on the particular issues they face as new students at Cal Poly. Finally, her Transfer Student Advisory Council includes a transfer student from each college to give these students a place to offer feedback.
Other achievements of Heather’s include the Transfer Center, which offers study space, free printing, and other services just for transfers; the Transfer Academic Success Program, which assists transfers who are on academic probation; and the Transfer Center Website, which she keeps updated with consistent information relevant to transfers. With her continued commitment to improving the overall transfer experience, it is easy to see why Heather was chosen as a Rising Star.
Campbell M. Keele, Coordinator, Transfer Initiatives at Missouri State University
Campbell Keele earned an Associate degree in Business Administration from Three Rivers College and then transferred to Missouri State University (MSU), where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, a Master of Business Administration, and a Graduate Certificate in Finance. She began her career at Missouri State, serving first as an Academic Advisor and Retention Specialist and now, since April 2022, as the Coordinator of Transfer Initiatives.
Campbell’s time as a transfer student made her aware of changes that could improve the transfer experience at MSU. Her nominator wrote that when Campbell worked as an advisor at the university’s College of Business, “she quickly applied her experiences as a transfer student when working with incoming transfer students to help them feel connected to campus, understand transfer credit evaluations, and cope with the inevitable transfer shock many students experience.” This work eventually led to a promotion to her current position.
As the Coordinator, Campbell offers workshops and forums to help transfer advisors learn more about their students’ unique needs in moving from a community college to a four-year university. She travels across the state and to Arkansas to attend community college transfer fairs and help students with a particular interest in MSU. Campbell’s leadership in chairing the Transfer Advising Committee, which works to streamline the transfer process, and in organizing a celebration for National Transfer Student Week show her dedication to transfers. Because of her personal experience as a transfer student, Campbell is indeed a Rising Star who, as her nominator wrote, continues “to improve transfer student experiences and to make sure they are valued as an important part of the campus community.”
National Transfer Student Ambassadors
The Transfer Student Ambassador Program invites up to four outstanding transfer students to influence the national transfer conversation by sharing their voices at the NISTS annual conference. Winners are selected for their demonstrated excellence in leadership, public speaking skills, and potential for sharing meaningful information with transfer professionals at the local and national levels.

Ashton Husband, The University of Southern Mississippi
Ashton hoped to play football for a university and then for the NFL. He entered the football team at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a walk-on player, and then his story took an unexpected turn when the Covid pandemic changed the trajectory of his life. As a non-scholarship athlete, Ashton was eventually cut from the community college team and began to explore opportunities at four-year universities. He settled on the University of Southern Mississippi due to its criminal justice program. Once again, however, he was unable to play football when a new coaching staff was hired.
“I needed to pivot and find ways to make an impact on this campus,” Ashton says. “Just because football ended did not mean that my life or school was over.” He decided to dive into campus involvement, becoming a leader in various organizations like Men of Excellence and the Transfer Student Association. His favorite service opportunities involve being a mentor for transfer students and for minority freshmen.
“Although your time is short wherever you may transfer to, you can still make a difference,” Ashton insists. “You can still leave behind a legacy worth remembering.” He is certainly creating a memorable legacy at the University of Southern Mississippi and is excited to add the role of National Transfer Student Ambassador, helping professionals learn how to better serve students like him.
Crystal Ramos, Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Crystal started her college education twenty years ago but left school when she got married and became a mother. After several years of work in the corporate world, she felt dissatisfied. It was time to go back to college. Crystal was accepted to Texas A&M University-San Antonio, where her feeling of unrest continued. As an older student, she struggled to make connections on campus.
Undaunted, she kept going to events and found an on-campus job as Transfer Retention Student Coordinator. This job helped her realize how many resources were available for students like her, and she decided to make them more accessible to other transfers. “I did not have it all together,” Crystal said, “but the home I found on campus in the Student Engagement office empowered me to feel like it was possible. Ever since then, I knew I had to help others experience that same sense of empowerment.”
That is exactly what Crystal is doing. Knowing that transfer students can be any age and of any background, she wants to be sure they have smoother transitions to new schools. Her goal as a National Transfer Student Ambassador is to “guarantee that students don’t have to go searching for help, but rather have resources find them before they even realize they need them.”
Emily Hernandez Alzamora, University of Utah
Emily had to support her own college education, so she was grateful to receive a scholarship from Salt Lake Community College. As she began her first year, she served as a student ambassador, communicating with high school students about the benefits of community college. Then, as president of the Student Association, she explored how to help students at her school transfer to four-year universities.
In spite of this preparation, Emily’s first few weeks as a transfer student at the University of Utah were discouraging. She missed the close-knit community of her two-year school and felt that she was becoming just another number in a database.
Her determination kept her going, and she found a job in a new office for Transfer Student Success. Transfer students, Emily said, “are driven, focused students who hold higher retention and graduation rates than the students who have only studied in their current institutions. Because of this, our needs are different. We are encouraging institutions to rethink the transfer experience and provide a holistic approach in how we serve the population.”
As a National Transfer Student Ambassador, Emily looks forward to helping institutions, including the University of Utah, better support new and current transfer students with a community.
Sam Haines, Rider University
Sam had to leave her first undergraduate program when the costs were too high for her to manage. She also felt unsure about her chosen field of study and began to see her withdrawal as a “blessing in disguise.” She worked hard to pay off debt and began studying mathematics at Bucks County Community College.
Through the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, introduced to her by a transfer advisor, Sam earned a full tuition scholarship to Rider University in New Jersey. She changed her major to computer science and was thrilled when Rider extended her scholarship to a fifth year so she could complete her requirements.
Sam has worked as a Transfer Ambassador at Rider and is now the Lead Tour Guide for potential transfer students, sharing her story with them. “Being a first-generation working college student,” she said, “it felt uncomfortable starting a new school in person without knowing anybody. Although things felt uneasy during the first few weeks, I knew my purpose was to inspire and help other transfer students navigate their journeys.”
Sam has served on the Dean’s Council, interned with IBM, and works as a Software Engineering Aide at Lockheed Martin, but she says her “proudest achievement is becoming the Founder and President of Rider’s first transfer student organization, the Transfer Student Association.”
Research Grant Winner
NISTS encourages transfer-related original research, creative, and scholarly work through the NISTS Research Grant. We award grants biannually, with 1-2 projects selected per competition.
Ivan Valdovinos, Ph.D. student, Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego and Project Director for TRIO Support Services at Wenatchee Valley College
(Ivan was unable to join us at NISTS 2024, but we look forward to hearing the results of his study at NISTS 2025 in Portland!)
Transfer is a Family Affair: Understanding How Latinx Transfer Students and their Families Co-Construct Transfer Decisions
Through geographic information systems, platicas, and testimonios, this mixed-methods study examines how Latinx community college students co-construct transfer decisions with their families and how these decisions are shaped by racial, geographic, and sociopolitical contexts. Implications of this study will inform the design of intentional and culturally-responsive practical interventions to better support Latinx transfer success.
In this study, Valdovinos uses college-conocimiento to examine the transfer choice decisions and experiences of Latinx community college students over time as they navigate each stage of the transfer choice process. College-conocimiento (Acevedo-Gil, 2017) is a framework used to center the lived experiences of Latinx college students by acknowledging that their college choice decisions and experiences are nonlinear and are shaped by individual’s intersectional identities within the inequitable distribution of institutional resources in the American K-12 educational system (Acevedo-Gil, 2017).
This study has important and urgent implications for closing racial transfer equity gaps through theory development of the lived experiences that accurately represent the transfer pathways of Latinx community college students and, in turn, helps with reimagining and transforming transfer policies and practices that center the experiences of Latinx students and their families.
Do you know an outstanding transfer advocate, researcher, or student who deserves to be recognized for their stellar work and contributions to the transfer field? Please let us know! Our nomination forms open each summer, and we can't wait to read your submissions. Full details are available on the annual awards webpage.