Amber Juncker knows that any engineering curriculum can be challenging, so she works to make sure students feel supported and have opportunities beyond the classroom.
“Engineering can be really hard, and we want to make sure you enjoy your college experience,” she said. “We recognize that engineering is rigorous, and we don’t feel like it’s our job to weed students out. We’re here to support them.”
As the director of engagement and recruitment for the College of Engineering, Juncker’s duties fall into two main buckets. The former has her working with prospective students as they near high school graduation and determine next steps. She works with various high schools to ensure students are “getting the best information that they need to make the most informed decision.”
Her engagement duties involve working directly with current engineering students. She oversees the student ambassadors program, meeting with the ambassadors biweekly; the Engineers Council, which focuses on creating an environment in the college for voices typically underrepresented in engineering; and more than 20 student organizations.
Additionally, Juncker is involved in various student-focused workshops and events, such as celebrations for National Engineers Week, First-Generation Celebration Week and National Transfer Student Week. The beginning of the semester is always busy for her, with various Welcome UGA events, and she’s just as busy during Homecoming Week and midterms.
Juncker is also involved with the College of Engineering’s First Year Scholars Program, a needs-based scholarship program where about 15 students are selected for a First Year Odyssey Seminar run by Juncker’s supervisor, Stephan Durham, the assistant dean for student success and outreach. The first group of scholars will graduate this spring.
“We’re very proud of all of them,” Juncker said.
Juncker has long been familiar with the Athens area, having moved to Oconee County when she was 10. For college, she headed to Statesboro to be a Division I swimmer for Georgia Southern University. There, she was involved with a lot of behind-the-scenes work for student-athletes, which sparked her interest in a career in higher education. After graduating in 2015, Juncker began working at UGA as an academic advisor for the engineering college.
“I just really fell in love with this student population,” she said.
After a few years, Juncker moved into her current role, which is under the college’s Office of Student Success.
While working here, Juncker earned a master’s in education in learning, leadership and organizational development from the Mary Frances Early College of Education.
One of Juncker’s core tenets in her work is providing students with support, such as connecting them to college resources like tutoring. She also has an open-door policy so students can stop by and talk with her about whatever they might need to.
“Sometimes with engineering students, specifically, they have a lot on their plate,” Juncker said. “When it comes to student support, that’s where I feel like we can really make a big impact.”
As her work includes high schoolers considering engineering all the way through graduate students, Juncker is sometimes able to connect with the same student across years.
“There are some students I’ve been lucky enough to know since they came to Driftmier to do a tour, and then they’ll become a leader of a student club or a student ambassador, and then I’m really able to get to know them even more,” Juncker said.
One of Juncker’s favorite aspects of her work is the culture of the Driftmier Engineering Center, something cultivated by one of her other favorite parts: the students themselves. She said that, despite it being one of the largest colleges on campus, the College of Engineering has a tight-knit community that maintains a smaller-school feeling.
“What makes it so special here is that our students feel like they’ve been able to contribute to our culture, our brand and that close-knit community,” Juncker said.
As the college continues to grow, Juncker aims to maintain that feeling and make sure students always know they have someone to turn to in addition to their professors.
Outside of work, Juncker’s life is filled with wedding plans, as she recently got engaged. Her fiance, Daniel, is a proud UGA alumnus. The couple are big sports fans and love to go to home games — everything from football, basketball and baseball to swim meets and tennis matches. Juncker also likes to be active herself, aiming to get in at least some movement daily such as class at Burn Boot Camp. Her parents still live in Oconee County, so she also makes sure to spend lots of time with them.
Each day, Juncker works to make sure engineering students — her students, even if she doesn’t teach them in a classroom — know they are valued beyond the grades they make.
“There are so many supporters and cheerleaders for them, even outside of their faculty,” she said. “I just hope that our students know how much we care about them.”