Reflection Paper

The moment I entered Dr. Geiter’s Intro to African American Studies as a freshmen transfer student at Saint Xavier, I was fully aware that a new element of passion was being implemented into my life. The course was filled with “first time” experiences; it was my first time taking a course that focused on people that looked like me and shared my culture, it was certainly my first time using highly innovative techniques to aid my learning, and my first time having an African American male professor. The Ward family and its associates have greatly inspired my educational and occupational vision. Throughout my time away from Chicago in this past academic year, I have continued to further develop the skills that I gained from my past dedication to Saint Xavier University’s African American Studies program.

It was by accident that I became a student affairs professional. As an active member within a number of different organizations that work to improve the lives of others, I believe I have not only been a advocate and leader for change. My undergraduate experiences started in Elementary Education, and then I figured out that I wanted to be a Student Affairs Professional after I got actively involved at WKU by being able to be serve as the chapter President of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, the logistics chairs for MASTER Plan 2016, Greek Week 2016 Chair, and Dynamic Leadership Institute Facilitator. I have a passion for higher education, and I love how colleges are able to shape individuals to be the respected professionals that we strive

Student affairs is less about being a bottomless well of knowledge, rather it is about having genuine interactions with students who are looking to you to as a role model. If by the end of my practice I can leverage my experiences and understanding to make a positive impact on the world through my relationships with my students, I will consider myself a success.

As generations continue to develop in change, our student population has become more and more diverse. As higher education institution(s) populations change, so should the programs that are made available to students. Students of such diversity will need new types of programs to fit their needs as they come in. So for Student affairs practitioner’s we must begin to think ahead as to what our students will need coming in. As well as what they will need during their time at our institutions to help them be, and continue to be successful.

But, another thing I realized early on here is that I really ain’t know anything. Consequently, I took classes in the Sociology and FGSS departments and threw myself in the Black community hoping people would catch me. I fully embraced my Blackness and the intersectionality of causes within activists groups as a part of SWAG and BSU my freshman

Student affairs educators can demonstrate their abilities to provide services to students through ACPA and NASPA’s professional competencies and standards expected of a student affairs professional. In addition, student affairs professionals should take on the role and responsibility of reconsidering learning from just the classroom to their daily lives. By utilizing NASPA and ACPA’s Learning Reconsidered 2, student affairs educators can evolve learning with comprehensive, holistic, and transformative elements, thus, integrating both academics and student

1. What do you believe to be the strongest aspect of your paper, and why?

Every student deserves the best chance at getting the highest level of education they can, however, some students need a little extra support that others may not. A student, Axel, who is currently in my classroom has had a hard time keeping his focus and is often avoidant when it comes to his work. It has become clear that his avoidance becomes a distraction to the whole class. His behaviors currently include but are not limited to: rolling around on the floor during rug lessons, yelling across the room, walking around the room talking to friends, sharpening his pencil five or more times throughout the day, asking to go to the bathroom at inappropriate times, spending fifteen to twenty minutes in the

Writing is like a fine wine, it only improves with age. Through this semester I have meticulously learned the art and appreciations of writing. Over the long semester, I have improved through long sleepless nights. Which in fact were worth it in the very end, upon receiving my grade through the last 3 essays. My last essays that have enhanced my knowledge of writing of summarizing an article, defending a claim, and an op-ed piece. I’ve ultimately used my writing to not only learn, but also to critique and analyze my works, and use them to successfully thrive in this class.

At this moment there is currently 7,430,931,842 people in the world. Nearly 3 billion of those people are currently living in poverty. Today, 350,000 babies will be born. The world, continues to grow, to prosper, as I sit in my bedroom staring out the window waiting for creativity to strike and give me the words that so effortlessly describe me. There is currently only one person in the world with the name Gabrielle Vozzi, and right now she is attempting to describe something that is indescribable: herself.

In 1994, my parents immigrated to Canada from Vietnam to seek better living conditions and a promising future for their soon-to-be children. However, to live in a free nation filled with opportunities, the two left everything behind. While living in rent, my father worked full-time at a factory while my mother had found a job as a cashier. Although they had a sustainable income, my father understood that raising a child would cost them more than they were currently making. In 1997, my father decided to study computer science at Langara in search for a better-paying job while working part-time as a security guard. Meanwhile, my mother took up housekeeping, working at two different hotels to earn more money for their coming child. Understandably, my parents had made their lives much harder immigrating to Canada, but their sacrifices - I can say - has paid off.

Everyone has at least one point in their educational life that has shaped them into the student or person they are today. For me, coming together after being separated as the “Germantown” and “Farmersville” kids for the first six years of school changed the way I built myself as a student. Becoming friends with new people, having new teachers for every subject, changing up the routine, and actually having to switch classes has taught me a lot of different things.

"A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for a successful tomorrow." This quote by Lolo Jones has kept me calm for the past two years because if I gave up after every failure I’ve overcame in track I would not be sitting in this class or even attending Slippery Rock for that matter. As cliché as it sounds, everything does happen for a reason. I learned this the hard way during my junior and senior years of high school. Even though most of my experiences from being on the track team are positive, I ended my junior and senior year with the same feeling; regret and feeling like there was more I could’ve done to prevent myself from having to end my season earlier than I initially intended.

Being in a life or death situation, or at least believing you, can radically affect how you feel about the world, and everything around us. To unknowingly shake loose your repressed feelings and thought, through the rush of adrenaline and reflection on your own actions, is a truly freeing experience. While such a freeing experience comes with a terrifyingly dangerous cost, I was able to find a refreshing outlook on life.

A struggle that I had was being influenced/following others. It all started one happy winter morning it was Valentine’s Day, I had been getting ready to go to school. I had just finished writing all my Valentine's last night for my classmates. I was in a rush, so they all said the same exact thing. I believe it was something along the lines of have a great day, here’s a lollipop. It was a picture of me holding holding out my hand and a real lollipop that my mom had punched through the paper to give it that 3D vibe.