Paglia’s commitment to student success honored by GSA

As her students journey through graduate school – and at times, slog – advisor Kelly Paglia reminds them: “Everything is fixable.” That can-do attitude, coated with love and peppered with just the right amount of push, has earned Paglia an Award for Excellence in Service to Graduate Students, conferred by the UC Davis Graduate Student Association.

Department of Plant Sciences Chair Dan Potter called it a “very well-deserved award! We are so very fortunate to have Kelly in the department, and deeply grateful for all she does for our students and faculty!”

Paglia advises students in the horticulture and agronomy graduate group, and there, you might say, began a kind of conspiracy. "We organized ourselves and sent as many recommendation letters as we could to nominate Kelly for this award,” wrote GGHA student Valentina Roel Rezk.

Their effort made an impact. “The selection process was incredibly competitive,” wrote Doreen Joseph, the student association’s internal vice president. “The selection committee was really impressed by Paglia's commitment to student success.”

Students: Paglia “truly a gem”

We asked students in the horticulture and agronomy graduate group to tell us more about Paglia.

Lewis Daniel

“Kelly has always been extremely responsive with guidance and made herself available to meet with me as soon as she could fit it into her busy schedule. I remember one time meeting with her to ask for advice. We ended up talking for close to an hour because she is so friendly, and we were bonding over our shared love of dogs.”

Celeste Torres

“After being accepted to the hort and ag program, I had a million questions. As someone with a difficult situation (full-time work and student status), Kelly was available to talk about different scenarios for someone in my situation. She shared that staff would be willing to accommodate, and that other students in the program work part-time or full-time, are local, commute and complete their degrees virtually. She was very patient and knowledgeable. I will always appreciate her efforts and remember her as an important part of my grad school journey.”

Ernesto Sandoval

“Kelly has been an amazing resource on multiple occasions to help me navigate the paperwork and processes surrounding graduate work! When others in my cohort were trying to navigate some challenge, I knew putting them in contact with Kelly would end up getting them the best solution.”

Madeleine Macconnell

“When I was dealing with a paycheck delay with a very complicated cause, Kelly immediately made time to meet with me and explain in detail the problem and how she would solve it. In all future quarters that I had funds split between sources, she always emailed me in advance to check in and clarify what I was being paid and how, and we never had any further problems!”

Catelyn Bridges

“This award is so kind and Kelly deserves it! She has been a game changer for the graduate group by being student-centered. Kelly’s door is always open, and if there is something that is needed, she simply gets it done. I am so appreciative of her work, her kindness and her thoughtfulness. She’s truly a gem.”

Paglia: “We get there together”

Paglia is from Marin County but grew up on the East Coast. She graduated from California State University, Sacramento, in biology, then earned a master’s degree in public health. She picks up her story:

Q: How did you get into advising?

Paglia: “In 2015, I was a project manager for the metabolomics core at the Genome Center here on campus, and the aspect of the role I enjoyed most was working with graduate students on their research projects. This inspired me to transition to an advising role at the UC Davis College of Continuing and Professional Education, which eventually led me to the horticulture and agronomy graduate advisor position in 2023.

“I am so grateful to work with our wonderful GGHA grad students!”

Q: What do you enjoy about advising grad students?

Paglia: “Everything! I love partaking in the cycle of meeting prospective students and working with them on their admissions applications, and then seeing their hard work and dreams come to fruition when they walk across the stage at commencement.”

Q: What is the single most important advice that you give them?

Paglia: “If this were easy, everyone would do it. We might face some hurdles along the way, but we’ll get to the end, together.”

Q: What advice do students most often forget to follow?

Paglia: “Enjoy the process, not just the result. And, everything is fixable!”