University of Hawai`i Hilo student-athletes have challenges that are unique to any other school in the NCAA, and now Melanie Marciel is here to help.

Marciel has been named to the newly-created position of Academic Advisor in the UH Hilo athletic department, announced today by Vulcan Athletic Director Patrick Guillen. Marciel will have an office in the UHH athletic complex.

"Our top priority in Vulcans Athletics is to recruit, retain and graduate our student-athletes," Guillen said.  "One of my key priorities when I came to UH Hilo was to create an Academic Advisor position solely dedicated to our student-athletes.  I am happy that we were finally able to accomplish this goal.  Melanie is a great addition to our team, with excellent credentials and local knowledge that will greatly assist our students in achieving their academic pursuits."

Marciel comes to the UH Hilo athletic department from the other side of campus. For the past year, she has served as the Interim Academic Advisor for the UH Hilo Career and Academic Advising Center. She has also worked in UH Hilo's Upward Bound program, and prior to that worked eight years at Hawai`i Community College (Hilo) as the Native Hawaiian Student Success Counselor.

"My passion is working with students, helping them reach their academic goals," Marciel said. "Our student-athletes at UH Hilo have extra challenges with all the travel and time away from class. It's difficult to balance a full load of classes with practice, travel and games. I am here to help them navigate that."

Vulcan student-athletes are unique in the fact that for every single road game they play, they have to get on a plane. Road trips to the mainland can keep them away from their classes for one to two weeks at a time.

"Our student-athletes need extra support," Marciel added. "In the big picture, I hope to help with retention and graduation rates. Day-to-day, that could involve tutoring, mentoring and academic advising. This is similar to what I have done in the past, but now it will be specifically with Vulcan student-athletes."

A Hilo native (Waiakea High School), Marciel earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Hawai`i (Manoa) and her master's from Hawai`i in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Higher Education.

"Melanie is a great fit for our program and will greatly assist our students in reaching their goals," Guillen added. "She will have a large part in strengthening our retention and graduation efforts."

Marciel will essentially have a blank slate to build a program for the first time.

"I remember the challenges of being a student," she said. "Those experiences and working with students these past eight years will help me create a program to support the needs of our student-athletes. I am excited to get started!"

Marciel will headquarter in the new Student Academic Success Lab in the athletic department. She will begin her work on July 9.