09/01/2026
Nii Kpakpo Abrahams | Senior Director, Student Experience and Engagement
My third day at Butler is still one of my clearest memories.
I had just stepped into the inaugural Director of First-Year Experience role. What I didn't fully understand before arriving was the significance of that position. Butler had spent the previous year engaging faculty and staff across campus in a strategic planning process centered on the first-year experience, and my role was created to help bring that vision to life.
As people introduced themselves throughout the day, I quickly realized how many individuals had invested their time, ideas, and hopes into this work. Instead of feeling confident, I felt overwhelmed. Butler was an extraordinary place, and I wondered if I was truly prepared to lead at that level.
After a large gathering with faculty and staff, everyone dispersed for lunch. I found myself in the quintessential first-day-of-middle-school predicament: I didn't know anyone, and I had no idea where to sit (never thought I'd be there again!). It seems silly looking back, but even for someone who would describe himself as confident, it was a surprisingly unnerving moment.
Then I heard my name.
Dr. Tom Mold, Dr. Kristin Swenson, and Dr. Julie Searcy called me over. We had only met a few hours earlier, but they had intentionally saved me a seat. It was such a small gesture, yet it communicated something profound: You belong here.
That simple act erased so much of the uncertainty I had been carrying. I knew that I was in a community of people who genuinely cared. Whether it's saving someone a seat at lunch or creating a program that helps students build meaningful relationships, Butler has reinforced to me that belonging is built through small, intentional acts of care. That's the experience I was given on my third day, and it's the experience we hope to create for every new Bulldog who arrives on campus.