Meet Nadia and her coach, Claudia

A coaching relationship built on trust, growth and starting over

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Through a campus-wide coaching transformation, the University of Utah is reimagining student success. For second-year student Nadia and her coach Claudia, that transformation began under a tree — and grew into a powerful story of trust, resilience and leadership.

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How Nadia’s breaking point became her breakthrough

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Nadia Faleh still remembers how she felt when she walked into her first coaching session. She was at the end of her first semester — overwhelmed, discouraged and convinced she was about to fail the biology course tied directly to her major. “I thought it was over for me,” she says.

But even then, she came prepared — laptop in hand, Excel sheet open, everything color-coded and calculated. Claudia Sauz, her new success coach, noticed right away: This student was ready to do the work. She just needed someone in her corner.

The two sat down and mapped out a plan for tackling the remainder of the semester. Nadia didn’t pass the course, but she did something more important — she learned how to keep going. She retook the class over the summer, started regular coaching sessions under a favorite tree on campus, and began to rebuild her belief in herself.

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“Clearly I learned something,” Nadia remembers telling Claudia. “It’s okay to make mistakes.”

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A space to regroup — and grow

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That tree — their “infamous tree,” as they call it — became a special kind of landmark. “Sometimes I don’t love it when it’s cold,” Claudia laughs, “but I just love that I get to walk around campus and meet students literally and figuratively where they are. And if it’s under a tree in the summer and we both just get to be outside and enjoy while we talk about Nadia’s checklist — amazing.”

Their coaching sessions became a regular rhythm — not just a support structure, but a safe space to reflect, reset and plan. As a first-generation college student, Nadia was used to figuring things out on her own. But she says coaching made a difference in ways she didn’t expect — not just academically, but emotionally. “Claudia helped me realize I didn’t have to be perfect, and I didn’t have to go through everything alone.”

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From setbacks to strength

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Now in her second year, Nadia has become a leader in the very course that once challenged her. She mentors other students and works as a lab TA applying what she’s learned. And she recently toured a neurology research lab she hopes to intern with — a meaningful step toward her dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. That dream is deeply personal: She was born with a neurological condition that required life-saving surgery as an infant.

“If I hadn’t had that surgery,” she says, “I could’ve ended up with severe brain damage. I’m lucky. And I want to help others the way doctors helped me.”

Teaching the biology lab helped Nadia process the material and connect with other students going through the same thing. “I was able to say, ‘It’s okay to struggle. I was right where you are.’ And that helped me as much as it helped them.”

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“I want to help others the way doctors helped me.” — Nadia Faleh, Student, The University of Utah

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A coaching relationship rooted in trust

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For Claudia, supporting Nadia has been just as powerful. “Sometimes my role was simply to witness the lightbulb moments — to hold space while she realized ‘I can do this.’  I’m not a therapist, not an advisor, not a tutor. What I’m doing is helping students activate the strengths they already have.”

In a conversation with Nadia, Coach Claudia adds, “I fail to acknowledge sometimes that I learn so much from you, Nadia. Through seeing you grow and learn about yourself, I get to grow and learn too.”

That mutual growth is part of a broader shift at the University of Utah. In partnership with InsideTrack, the U launched a multi-year transformation to embed holistic coaching across campus. By training and certifying all university coaches in InsideTrack’s evidence-based methodology, the U has been able to build in-house capacity — including certified trainers and program developers — in order to ensure that every student has access to meaningful, sustainable support. Students are introduced to the coaching program during orientation — part of the U’s effort to normalize support right from the start. 

Claudia is part of a growing network of certified coaches supporting first-year students as they navigate college life. Early results show significant gains in persistence and retention — especially for first-gen learners, Pell-eligible students and students with lower GPAs.

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"Sometimes my role was simply to witness the lightbulb moments — to hold space while she realized ‘I can do this.'" — Claudia Sauz, Success Coach, The University of Utah

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Leading by example — on campus and at home

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Coaching didn’t just help Nadia pass a class — it reshaped how she sees herself. “Claudia is my coach, but also my friend. I go to her with anything — personal, academic, anything. And if she can’t help, she connects me to someone who can.”

That support has stayed with her. Whether she’s leading a study group, preparing for a medical career, or balancing school with work and family, Nadia draws on the lessons she’s learned through coaching. And her impact extends beyond campus.

“I’m the oldest of seven. My parents didn’t go to college. I feel like I have to lead the way — not just for me, but for my siblings. They’re looking at me. And I want to be a good example.”

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What if everyone had a Claudia?

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When asked what the world would be like if every student had a coach, Nadia doesn’t hesitate: “It would be amazing. I don’t feel alone anymore — and that’s what coaching gives you. Everyone needs a Claudia in their life.”

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“She’s my coach, but she’s also my friend. If she can’t help, she connects me with someone who can.” — Nadia Faleh, Student, The University of Utah

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