SBS Pathways Center Team

Odessa Burkett is the Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She focuses on career counseling, resume and cover letter writing, and interview preparation. Odessa is also a graduate of UMass Amherst with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Economics. After college, she worked in corporate Human Resources, did AmeriCorps, and travelled extenseively through North America before coming to Higher Education. Odessa worked with Veteran students at the University of California, Santa Cruz before returning to her Alama Mater. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters in Higher Education at UMass.

Specializes in Exploratory Advising and Global Education Advising.

The Director of Pre-Law Advising is Diane Curtis. Diane practiced law for 10 years in New York City and Springfield, Massachusetts. She has been a Pre-Law Advisor since 2004, is a member of the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors (NAPLA), and has presented several times at the annual NAPLA conference on such topics as engaging legal alums and online advising. Diane also served previously on the National Advisory Council for Law School Transparency.

Diane is a Senior Lecturer in Legal Studies and Political Science at UMass. She has served as an adjunct instructor at the law schools of Western New England University (formerly College) and the University of Connecticut.

Diane received both her B.A. (in Comparative Literature) and her J.D. from New York University.

SBS Pathways Center Peer Advising Interns are SBS students who can provide useful insight into how to plan your SBS Pathways, which include planning for your academic, experiential, and career and professional development opportunities.  Our Peer Advisors come from all different places and backgrounds, have various SBS majors, and are sophomores, juniors and seniors.  Read their bios here!

Peer Advising drop-in hours are M-W 10-4, and Th/F 10-2 in The SBS Pathways Center in 128 Thompson.