A leap of faith brought Kristi Koshuta to Piedmont, and a leap of faith is how she will leave.

After nearly five years of helping Lions keep up with the pack, Koshuta has recently announced that she and her husband John will be leaving Piedmont College at the end of this semester. The couple moved from Wisconsin to Georgia after John was hired as an assistant professor of nursing and health sciences. “We decided to take a leap of faith and relocate!”

Starting out as an adjunct math instructor, Kristi Koshuta gradually transitioned into student affairs helping Piedmont students stay on track in their academics. As director of student transition and success, Koshuta is in charge of the Student Success Center and the First Generation College Student Support Program, while also starting the SAIL program at Piedmont.

She serves on several committees and forges partnerships between academic faculty and student affairs.

“It’s been a really nice progression in my career,” said Koshuta, “I used to be very student-facing. I feel like I’m not as much anymore, but you know what? I’m OK with that because I feel it’s kind of like that next step in my career.”

Under Koshuta’s leadership, the Student Success Center has grown tremendously, most recently with the hiring of two student success advisors: Anna Grace Heisel and Maurilia Oldham.

Koshuta says the reason they are moving back to Wisconsin is to be closer to family. As of right now, both Kristi and John are still looking for employment. They are currently looking to stay in higher education, but they are willing to take whatever they can get in the meantime if required. “It will be a true leap of faith!”

Koshuta’s favorite part of working at Piedmont has been knowing that she has helped provide services to students who need them. For many Piedmont Lions, Koshuta was instrumental in their college success. She says that “being able to connect with the students” will be what she misses most about Piedmont.

“It’s just been fun to get to connect with them at that level,” says Koshuta. “The students are the reason I come to work here every day.