Meet the Team

About Approaching Stanford &
New Student Orientation

The Approaching Stanford/New Student Orientation team is made up of both student and professional staff, all within the office of Academic Advising. The Approaching Stanford program is required for all new undergraduate students. It is the process that will guide you in your preparation for Stanford.

Beginning in May for first-years and June for transfers, new students will receive weekly communications with information that will help transition you to the Farm. In the months leading up to the fall, you will learn more about academics and course enrollment, housing assignments, health requirements, student communities, opportunities, and resources. The information provided will culminate in your attendance at New Student Orientation (NSO), which will run in the days leading up to the start of Autumn Quarter.

Professional Staff

Trista Shideler (she/her), Associate Director of New Student Programs, is responsible for planning and implementing New Student Orientation for first-year and transfer students as they begin their academic careers at Stanford. She and six orientation coordinators (student roles) are responsible for overseeing hundreds of events over the course of NSO that orient students to community, academics, and social opportunities. Trista holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies with a minor in LGBTQ Studies from San Diego State University, and a Master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Diana Suedbeck (she/her), Assistant Director of New Student Programs, is responsible for implementing the Approaching Stanford program, which provides support to first-year and transfer students as they transition to life at Stanford. Being one of the first points of contact for these incoming students, Diana is focused on making sure they feel well-equipped to begin their academic experience at the university. Receiving her Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN, Diana's passion for higher education grew as she coached women's lacrosse for her alma mater.

Edith Wu-Nguyen (she/her), Associate Dean for First Year Experience in Academic Advising, oversees the First Year Experience team that prepares, welcomes, and transitions new first-year students and transfers to Stanford through the Approaching Stanford process and New Student Orientation, Frosh 101 and Transfer 101, the Leland Scholars Program, and the Stanford Summer Fellows Program. She is also the Resident Fellow (RF) for Okada House, the four-class Asian American ethnic theme house located in the Sequoia Neighborhood. Edith earned her Master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and her Bachelor’s degree from Stanford where she studied Human Biology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Prior to returning to Stanford in 2006, she worked in community-based programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, including Head Start/Early Head Start, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and Public Allies-Silicon Valley.