Student Affairs Personal Statement

Currently, I am teaching at my high school alma mater and my vision is to lead my school district as an administrator. Many youth of today are choosing teaching as a career and need leadership to guide them in their journey of education. I can serve my school and community by displaying leadership qualities of a positive attitude, a willingness to develop morale of staff and guide learning experiences of naiveté and experienced teachers

I am currently a year 11 students at Beauchamp College. I believe myself to be a dedicated, self-motivated as well as a confident person. I can complete tasks on my own but I can also work well as part of a team. More over I cope extremely well under pressure and always aspire to do everything to the best of my ability. Whilst I have clear objectives, I also take in advice and use it to better my self as a person.

As a student affairs practitioner I believe I am a cornerstone of the higher education experience. I have made it my mission to help students be the best version of themselves for the benefit of not only them, but of society at large. I work to help create not only educated students, but also engaged members of a global society.

Working in the education system as a school counselor is my preference. I am passionate about social awareness and helping students. I’ve always been sure that I would be a counselor. When I made my mind up to go back for an advanced degree, I decided to get it in the field of education. After speaking to a professor in the counselor education program at college and discussed my interests with them. I knew that day I wanted to change my major to school counseling. I like the ideal of being a school counselor because I believe I can be a vital member of the education team.

I desire to pursue school counseling as my career to become an effective and successful leader in this profession. Why? I have always held a passion for touching the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. A licensed school counselor entails helping students with academic achievement, personal/social growth and career development, ensuring students become the industrious, well-balanced adults of tomorrow. while, operating as a professional school counselor involves me obtaining the appropriate knowledge and skills that will support me with providing exceptional service for clients. I believe that I can obtain this intelligence here at Capella University. I comprehend that as a professional school counselor I would be expected

My passion towards working with students every day has led me to the decision of pursuing a doctoral degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University. I have chosen this program to prepare myself for a future role as a professor or a senior level college administrator. This program will allow me to become more proficient within the students’ educational experience and therefore better engage students in active learning.

After reading Sonja Ardoin’s (2014) “the strategic guide to shaping your student affairs career” book, I read a variety of important content that has allowed me to reflect not only in my fieldwork position, as an Advising Assistant for the Puente Program, but also my current status as a graduate student in the Educational Counseling program.

This paper is separated into two parts that are connected. The first part will cover my beliefs about higher education focusing on my Student Affairs philosophy while integrating theories and work from current or previous successful Student Affairs professionals. The second part will also discuss my beliefs, foundation of my faith, my strengths, my challenges, my beliefs, my values, and my goals.

Going to college and being in a university setting was the first time my perspectives and ideas were broadened. I was able to see the world outside my small suburb, and learned harsh realities, which I was sheltered from my whole life. Social justice advocate, Bryan Stevenson, expounds the idea of getting proximate to issues that one cares about. For me, getting proximate was accomplished by being on a university campus, and learning from the ideas of others, as well as new, first-hand experiences. As I was supported and encouraged in my growth at Loyola, I want to provide the same assistance for other students. Through my years I have excelled at organization and coordination, skills that I hope to apply in order to help students in a university setting. More so, I want to help support students who enter college, those who wish to expand their knowledge, viewpoints, and minds. Higher education would offer me a unique opportunity where I would be able to support students in their growth as a person, while offering encouragement and assistance to students throughout their college

1. Explain what draws you to work with college students and the personal attributes you bring to the student affairs profession. As part of Resident Adviser (RA) appreciation week, I received a picture frame filled with notes written by the residents of the hall with statements beginning with, “Most likely to…”. The notes contained little insights, both silly and serious, as to how I had impacted residents during my time as their RA.

Having gained awareness of my own family dynamics, I will be able become a more whole rounded counselor. The more self-awareness I have as a counselor and more ability to identify my own bias and prevent them from interfering with the counseling session. I am also able to use some of the skills I have learned growing up to help advance my work as a school counselor. In growing up with a large family, my cultural experience may be different from some of the students that I may be working with; therefore, I need to be cautious values that I may be projecting. For example, if I work with a student that has been in and out of a foster home, I may not want to assume that the child knows how to trust adults or feel open to express his or her feelings with those in the household.

Across all of my postings, one common theme I noticed is that most of these positions involve working or interacting with children or younger adults. More specifically, they require collaborating with colleagues and working with at-risk children or children that need some extra guidance. Another common theme is that all of these positions involve helping younger children or younger adults by enhancing their abilities or quality of life. Many of these positions involve helping these populations with their emotional, intellectual, and motor skills. A third common theme is that most of these positions require assessing clients or situations and documenting their progress along the way.

I was born and raised in Rumford, a small town in Maine. When it came time to choose a college the University of Maine checked all of my boxes. It was a big college with a wide variety of courses and majors, which was important to me as I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue. Orono was far enough away from home that I got a new experience and met new people, but it was only a two and a half hour drive home to visit family and friends. My four years of undergrad really molded a young, indecisive girl into a confident woman who knows what she wants in life.

My work in student affairs provides significant opportunity to contemplate, implement and assess initiatives related to student success and retention. My current research is connected to peer education and the 1st year experience and I have active and growing experience in the needs assessment and

Student personnel point of view encompasses the student as a whole. The concept of education is broadened o the student’’s well rounded development- physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually as well as intellectually. (sppv) Student affairs not only emphasize on academic excellence but to shape each individual as a unique human by providing a holistic learning and living environment. Student Affairs professionals play a pivotal role in the development of the students. By applying different theories in student development, they can foster student learning to help them shape their identity. Student affairs staff members must view themselves as educators to refute the belief that learning is held only in the classroom. (contested issue, 29). Learning does not only occur in the classroom but through out of class activities as well. Student affairs staff should talk about student learning and development to enhance the multiplicity of growth areas for students in higher education. These learning and development experiences do not simply happen to students. They happen with their active involvement. There are numerous branches of fields in student affairs that attend to the unique needs of each individual. Residence Director trains Residence assistance to cater to the needs of first year students who are new to the college environment. RA plays a major role of introducing the life of college through building relationships and community to help them develop their sense of