Lauren Huested and Jason Dart Join Admissions Office

Lauren Huested and Jason Dart joined Finlandia’s admissions team as enrollment officers in the beginning of October. 

Both Huested and Dart spent the earlier years of their lives in southern Michigan, with Dart being from Lansing and moving to Virginia when he was 13, and Huested growing up in the town of Newago, about an hour away from Grand Rapids. Dart graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science Education in 2013. Huested studied Business Management at Davenport University in Grand Rapids.

As enrollment officers, their jobs are to help future Finlandia students through the admissions process. 

“My job as an enrollment officer is to act as a bridge between Finlandia University and prospective students and their families, helping them to see what an incredible opportunity Finlandia offers so they can make an informed decision,” says Dart. Dart will be working with the men’s athletic programs to help incoming students, and Huested will be doing the same with the female athletic programs.

Huested and Dart both cite the small, tight knit community as to why they wanted to work at Finlandia. They also admire how kind everyone in the area is. Building on that, Dart and Huested want the campus community to know that they’re always here to help. 

“The admissions department is here to help and our goal is to see you succeed,” said Huested. “We are the frontline and generally the first department that a student is connected with in their journey at Finlandia, so we can usually help with just about anything or answer any questions. If we cannot answer them, we will help you find someone that can”.

Jason and Lauren both bring an enthusiastic passion for helping students take their higher education aspirations and translate them into a pathway of personal and professional development. Their previous work in collegiate admissions settings saw them at the top of their teams, meeting and exceeding recruitment targets.

“Lauren has years of experience working with high school students of all ages, planning and coordinating large-scale on-campus events, and leading professional development workshops for high school students,” said Anthony Schwass, Dean of Enrollment. “Jason is transitioning from years of teaching at the high school level. His experiences working closely and communicating expertly with Gen Z students and their parents will be invaluable to Finlandia’s recruitment efforts. 

“One of the most exciting aspects of Lauren and Jason joining our Admissions team is the structure. They will each be working directly with six of our 12 athletic teams and coaches, assisting students of all demographics through the FinnU admissions process directly in tandem with Athletic recruiting efforts.”

Jason Dart can be reached by phone at 906-487-7311 or by email at jason.dart@finlandia.edu. Lauren Huested can be reached by phone at 906-487-7350 or by email at lauren.huested@finlandia.edu. Both can also be found in the Admissions office in Nikander Hall, room N30.