51¶ÌÊÓƵ

Meet our Team

The Office of Academic Support is composed of an amazing team of Peer Academic Coaches, Peer Advisors, Peer Tutors, Resiliency and Success Mentors and the staff pictured here. We encourage you to get to know us!

Rachel Heiser

Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate College and Director of Academic Support

Dr. Rachel Heiser (she/her) received her Doctor of Education in Higher Education and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology, both from Temple University. Since 2011, she has partnered with students, staff and faculty at 51¶ÌÊÓƵ to grow services and programs that assist students in reaching their personal definition of academic success. When she is not immersed in the Owl community, she enjoys traveling (she has been to all 50 states and 5 continents!), being in the great outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and being a cat mom to PJ and Mia.

Schedule an appointment with Rachel .

Amanda Brown

Assistant Director of Academic Support

Assistant Director of Academic Support Amanda Brown (she/her) received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and her master's degree in marriage and family therapy from La Salle University. Additionally, she is certified as a coach and in providing hypnotherapy. 

Prior to working at 51¶ÌÊÓƵ, she provided school-based mental health support in several Pennsylvania school districts. In her role at BMC, she helps students to develop the skills and habits that allow them to feel confident and successful at college and as people.

Outside of her work at 51¶ÌÊÓƵ, Amanda can be found experimenting in the kitchen with vegan recipes, reading lots of books, listening to music, watching movies, exploring her creative side through art and writing, and being a dog mom.

Schedule an appointment with Amanda .

Rya Liu, Graduate Assistant 

Rya received her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from 51¶ÌÊÓƵ and her master’s degree in Computer and Information Technology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a second-year social work student with experience supporting adolescents and young adults in school settings. As an international and first-generation college student, she is especially passionate about helping students navigate complex systems and Evaluate to new cultural and language environments. Outside of school and work, she is a proud cat mom of two, and she loves camping, traveling, yoga, and starting a deep love in sewing and anything fabric related.  

Krissi Echevarria, Social Work Intern

Krissi (they/she) relocated to the East Coast after years of visiting family and friends in the area. A product of California’s diverse central coast community, Krissi has come to appreciate the rich history and opportunity available in the Lehigh Valley, PA where she resides. They received their bachelor’s degree, with honors, from University of California – Berkeley in Social Welfare and Education. Krissi is passionate about community engagement, social impact, and systemic change.  

Aya Martin-Seaver, Social Work Intern

Aya, pronounced "eye-uh", attended 51¶ÌÊÓƵ first as an undergraduate from 2009-2012 and served as an H.H.G. scholar specializing in the digital humanities, worked at Uncommon Grounds, and was an active member of S.G.A. Aya returned to 51¶ÌÊÓƵ in 2025 after working as a library supervisor and graduated with her B.A. in English in 2025. As a non-traditional student, Aya served as a Resiliency and Success Mentor for the Office of Academic Support and led a thesis-writing group for thesising seniors. Aya is currently a first-year student in the M.S.S. program at the G.S.S.W.S.R., focusing on clinical work. She has a special interest in supporting non-traditional students (with a broad vision of the meaning of "non-traditional"), LGBTQIA+ youth, and those struggling with their experience at 51¶ÌÊÓƵ. She lives in West Philly with her wife, where she experiments in the kitchen and runs a Proust reading circle. Feel free to ask to see photos of her cats! She believes everyone could use a little help.