Texas A&M graduate advisor spotlights student-centered support

Demetria Cooper, a Graduate Academic Advisor III at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, is being highlighted for nearly two decades of higher education experience and her focus on graduate student success. Her work underscores how advising, mentoring, and campus support can shape retention and outcomes in graduate education.

Why it matters: - Demetria Cooper’s role shows how graduate advising can influence student retention, confidence, and progress toward degree completion. - Her approach centers on connecting students with the right resources at the right time, which can improve both student outcomes and program support. - Texas A&M’s graduate programs benefit when advising combines operational systems with personal support.

What happened: - Demetria Cooper, known as Dee, is a Graduate Academic Advisor III in the Associate Dean Office for Research and Graduate Studies at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. - Influential Women showcased Cooper on Oct. 23, 2026, in College Station, Texas. - Cooper has nearly two decades of higher education experience, including more than 11 years in graduate academic advising. - Her work supports the Biomedical Science Graduate Program and the wider university.

The details: - Cooper’s responsibilities include student advising, recruitment, program management, faculty support and event coordination. - She guides graduate students through key academic milestones tied to their educational and professional goals. - Her specialties include graduate academic advising, higher education administration, supervision and organizational management. - Cooper holds Certified Professional Secretary and Certified Administrative Professional in Office Management credentials. - Her career began as an executive assistant in retail before she joined Texas A&M’s Graduate and Professional School. - At the Graduate and Professional School, she managed graduate student records, institutional guidelines and academic processes. - She later moved to the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, where her advising responsibilities expanded. - Her education includes studies in education and business computers through a technical school. - Her professional development has included NACADA Summer Institute for Advising, Graduate Mentoring Academy Fellow, Basic Mediation Training, QPR for Suicide Prevention, Green Dot Training, StepIn and StandUp Training on Sexual Assault, and leadership and career-management coursework. - She has also attended conferences and programs tied to advising, biomedical research and student success, including NACADA, ABRCMS, TEXAAN, TXCSS and SACNAS. - Cooper has earned the Staff Recognition Award for Outstanding Service and the President’s Award for Academic Advising. - She has served on campus groups including Academic Affairs Climate and Diversity for Recruitment and Retention, the Graduate Advising Position Review Working Group, the Graduate Climate Discussion Group and the Graduate Advisor Steering Committee. - She also participates in organizations focused on inclusion and professional growth, including the African American Professional Organization at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Aggie Ally, SACNAS, Texas A&M University Advisors and Counselors, the International Association of Administrative Professionals, NACADA, TEXGAP and the Graduate Advising Network.

Between the lines: - Cooper frames effective advising as a mix of empathy, process improvement and accountability. - Her career path reflects a broader higher education shift toward more personalized and proactive student support. - The profile also emphasizes service, compassion, integrity and continuous learning as the values shaping her leadership style. - Cooper says the best career advice she received was that her future is defined by her choices and effort, not by where she comes from. - Her family history of educators and lessons from her mother, late grandmother and late husband shaped her approach to perseverance and resilience. - Cooper advises young women in higher education to keep learning, seek mentors, speak up and not let others define their potential.

What's next: - Cooper says she will continue focusing on student-centered advising and stronger connections between students, faculty and support systems. - Her outlook points to continued work on retention, confidence-building and better alignment between advising processes and student needs. - Influential Women directs readers to view Demetria Cooper’s profile.