Although Kevin McVay was 5 years old when he and his family relocated from the Philippines, he considers Las Vegas and UNLV his home. After attending several different schools growing up, he graduated from Coronado High School and says living in Vegas often brings questions from friends and family who expect his life to revolve around casinos and gambling.
Though he may not live on the Strip or live up to those expectations of what life in Vegas is like, he has always appreciated the access to 24/7 entertainment. McVay also loves the diversity of the local community and sees it as a benefit of his upbringing to have been exposed to different cultures, backgrounds, and people.
McVay started working at UNLV almost as soon as he was admitted as a student. “Part-time work along with scholarships and grants helped me finish my undergraduate degree without going into debt, which I’m incredibly grateful for,” he says.
He originally thought he would become a hot shot in the advertising industry, but after graduating and working at an agency, he came back to UNLV for a different role (and a second degree).
While earning his master’s, he applied for a role as an academic advisor and worked his way up to assistant director for the College of Sciences Advising Center, a role focused on student success and retention initiatives.
“My role is fairly new, so I’m learning as I go, but I’m tasked with quite a few projects that we hope can significantly increase and sustain student engagement and academic success among our science student cohorts,” says McVay. “Most importantly, though, I still advise students daily. Working one-on-one with students is one of the most gratifying and enriching experiences for me in this role.”
As a first-generation college student, McVay understands what it can be like when you don’t have many role models to help you navigate campus life and classes. “Education completely changed my life trajectory and that of my family,” he says. “Working here has helped me pay it forward to the next generation of students.”
For McVay, it’s the diverse students he works with on a daily basis – as well as his fellow sciences advising colleagues – that make the job fun and meaningful.
“Our staff are on the front line of the student experience, and first impressions matter. We want students to feel welcomed and to realize their potential for success in whatever they want to do,” says McVay.
He also wants people to understand that there is so much more to the work they do than advising students on what classes to take. “Academic advising is a ‘helping profession’ where burnout can be high, but if you can find the right balance between navigating higher education bureaucracy and advocating for students, it’s a role I have found to be deeply fulfilling.”
What brought you to UNLV?
I lived on campus initially when I was a student, which made it easy to work in several different student roles at intramurals and Student Involvement & Activities. In my second year, I became a resident assistant and began to get more involved in student organizations, including our CSUN student government, the Scarlet & Gray Free Press, Spectrum, and the Rebel Events Board.
Though my goal after graduating was to work in the advertising industry, after a short experience working at an agency and a nonprofit, I transitioned back to UNLV to work as a publicity and program logistics coordinator. I realized that I already had a lot of transferable skills from my student involvement and work experiences that made a career in higher education attractive even though it wasn’t something that had been obvious to me early on.
After about a year in this role, thanks to a lot of supportive colleagues who encouraged my growth, I decided to pursue my master’s degree in higher education. I then transitioned into academic advising shortly after graduation, where I've been for the past seven years.
In addition to assisting students with their class schedules, what are some other responsibilities of your role?
We wear multiple hats, and sometimes may be one of the only lines of support for the students we encounter. In addition to advising students, we also plan and execute intentional programmatic initiatives, compile and assess data to enhance college procedures, provide feedback on curriculum changes, document and share challenges and barriers that impact students’ academic progression, facilitate engaging presentations for prospective and active students, share holistic resources to students based on their specific needs, provide clarity and develop processes about navigating complex institutional policies, and so much more.
What do you enjoy about working with the academic advising team in the College of Sciences?
I am thankful to work alongside a skilled and dedicated team where we truly feel like family. We are a quirky, lively bunch of people trying our best to help our students try their best. I’ve also felt empowered to seek out professional development opportunities which led me to get involved with NACADA, our global advising community, and to engage in shared governance with colleagues across campus through committees and university-wide projects.
What is one thing you are currently working on?
I am working on a student ambassador program to create feedback touch points among some of our most involved students. I also lead our student-facing and public outreach initiatives from our advising center, assist with curriculum development, collaborate on retention projects, and co-manage our growing peer mentor program.
Our science students, especially our nontraditional population, also have so much wisdom to share with us, and I love being able to continually learn from them in my day-to-day work. They are resilient, and no two students are exactly the same, just as no two days working in the College of Sciences are the same either. You never know what skills will come in handy, or what new skills you will develop or problems you’ll solve at work. Each day brings with it new challenges and a new opportunity to learn, and that provides me with the foundation for a dynamic and rewarding career.
As a first-generation student yourself, what advice do you have for other first-generation students?
Growing up as a Filipino-American in the United States was challenging, but also a great privilege. I didn’t have many role models that could show me how to navigate college, but eventually realized I didn’t have to figure it out all on my own and that it was okay to ask for help. I am thankful that I knew caring professors and staff who wanted me to succeed. Every time I doubted myself and felt like quitting, I was told that I had control over my own success. Despite having a lot of support from family and friends, I was very self-critical of my successes and attributed a lot of it to luck. It took me a while to build confidence and love myself for who I am, flaws and all.
I wish that I was able to let go of the pressure I placed on myself earlier in my college career. It was so easy to compare myself to my peers, and feel that I was not doing enough, and thus that I was not enough. I was also struggling to fit in with my Filipino heritage and balance that with my American upbringing, but didn’t feel quite “enough” with either identity, and I felt culturally lost. These cyclical thoughts built up a lot of anxiety in me, and if there was only one thing I could share with other first-generation students, it would be to understand that unlearning detrimental knowledge is also a valuable skill that can help you find your inner peace.
What was your greatest day on campus?
My greatest day on campus was the day I graduated with my master’s degree. It was a significant milestone in my life, and I had just started my role as an academic advisor several months earlier. I was well connected to my peers and professors in my graduate program, and it was so much fun celebrating all of the hard work and countless hours I spent studying, writing essays, attending conferences, and finishing up projects. It was meaningful to see faculty show up for me, so I gladly volunteer at commencement when I can so that our students can understand how proud we are of them.
This day felt like the end of a long journey, but also the beginning of something new. Reuniting with friends and family who were supporting my success was icing on the cake and transformed the experience of graduating from an individual accomplishment into one that we all shared together.
And your toughest?
Our community has experienced several devastating events over the past decade. I wasn’t on-campus during the December shooting last year, but it triggered a lot of fear in me. Working with students who were afraid to come back to campus, and who experienced the traumatic aftermath was difficult and emotional. All I felt like I could do in the moment was listen, and I felt entirely helpless as I wasn't there when I heard about the shooting in real time.
The toughest day when I was on-campus was the day after the October shooting near Mandalay Bay. I was up all night, frantically calling people I knew who were at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. It was just an awful day, and the silence and shock impacted everyone I knew. Some students shared stories that were absolutely devastating.
Though it was such a despairing day, I was amazed to witness our greater Las Vegas community come together in unity and solidarity. I felt a newfound identity as a Las Vegas resident, and this event, as well as last December’s tragedy, reminded me of the importance of finding time to check-in and maintain the relationships with those I care about, at UNLV and beyond.
Who inspires you?
I am my mother’s No. 1 fan, and she inspires me the most. Though my mother didn’t receive a formal education, she always stressed the importance of a college education. She was one out of 14 children and grew up in extreme poverty in the Philippines. As a child, she had to work to earn money for her family and sold fruits on the side of the road in the province of Pangasinan. She couldn’t afford to attend grade school, and essentially had to raise many of her younger siblings. She didn’t really have a childhood, and her memories were mostly focused on survival.
She decided to make the most of any opportunities that came her way and eventually traveled to the United States upon meeting my father. In Las Vegas, she learned English while working long nights for decades without many days off to sustain and support her family back home and in America. Much of my success, along with that of my family, were obtainable because of her sacrifices, and I cannot appreciate my mother enough for everything she has done for us. She is the most generous person I know, and is wise beyond her years. I think about her support and encouragement every day when helping other students in the advising center.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
All-you-can-eat sushi is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Ironically, I wasn’t exposed to sushi until I became a UNLV student. My first roommate invited me out to Yama Sushi at the corner of Flamingo and Maryland Parkway. Ever since my first experience, going out to eat delicious sushi has been a monthly part of my routine. I love to try new sushi restaurants, and I actually update a running ranking of restaurants I have tried so far. I consider myself a foodie, so if you discover any great places to try, please reach out!
What’s your ideal summer vacation?
My favorite means to travel is on a cruise ship! I would absolutely love to go on an extended cruise and land tour through various countries in Asia and Europe. I am saving up for this right now, and I hope to do this in the next several years.
Since the opening of restrictions after the pandemic, my spouse and I have made it a goal to travel internationally to a new location at least twice a year, and we’re fortunate to have met this goal each year so far! Hey boss – if you’re reading this, get prepared for my leave submission, it’s going to be a long trip!
