Student Affairs Personal Statement

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.

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.

Student affairs appears to be the profession for me because I want to work in an environment that challenges both the people I work with, and myself. During my undergraduate career I had the pleasure of working with a variety of advisors and mentors who saw something in me that I, at the time, had not discovered within myself. I was often challenged to push myself a little farther and a little harder in order to accomplish goals that I had struggled to set for myself. Once I discovered that student affairs was a profession I knew I wanted to pursue opportunities that would allow me to help shape student experiences in the same way mine had once been shaped.

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.

In my senior year of high school, I became the student body Vice President and discovered what it means to be an influential leader on campus. This experience exposed me to develop an array of qualities that can be utilized in the role of being resident assistants (RA). I have gained insightful knowledge of the intricate details necessary to be a productive leader who guides in an encouraging and supportive way. A gift that I posses is my ability to organize creative and innovative ways to build camaraderie among the people I serve. This is crucial and beneficial because it ensures for a safe and welcoming environment where everyone feels confident to seek assistance when needed. As a representative of this university and myself, I bring a dedicated intensity about infusing change by vocalizing the wants, needs, and concerns of the students to make my school resilience to an environment conducive to learning.

The Student Government Association, a student lead organization aimed to improve the campus community, has established several goals they would like to accomplish during the current school year, 2015-2016. In order to determine these goals and objectives, two detailed persona profiles were created which provided the association with a better understanding of their audiences and how to best communicate with them. The publics were divided into two groups, students pertaining to the senate and students pertaining to the student body. Therefore, the next stage consists in performing research regarding the goals SGA has established by conducting surveys and focus groups on campus.

As an emerging student affair professional, it is important for me to invest time into learning about professionals in the field and learning how they navigated being a new professional. I was partnered with Elizabeth Bledsoe, who graduated from the HESA track program in 2013. She is currently the Assistant Director for the Office of Institutional Assessment at Texas A&M, in College Station, Texas. Her office works with all forms of assessment at the university and these main areas are; learning outcome, student support, academics, and curriculum. Elizabeth is specifically in charge of the communication between the different colleges, focused around accreditation and curriculum. Elizabeth said her position is especially important considering Texas A&M is part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and it is a strict accreditation body.

The development of students both inside and outside the classroom can best be nurtured through student affairs. As a student affairs practitioner, and former at risk student, I believe that a student’s engagement

The first two chapters of this book set the background for student development and how theory has evolved over the years. As time passed and college student demographics changed, new ideas and views were developed to understand the ever changing student body. Theorists realized that the college experience was different between demographic groups. Being able to develop student affairs practices and activities that can reach the different student groups is probably the biggest challenge a student affairs professional will tackle. It is said that student development is most achieved by involvement by the students. This means that these activities must be designed to accommodate students from all walks of life.

On Tuesday, September 9, 2017, at 9 P.M. in the Alumni room I attended a meeting for Student Government Association. During this meeting, I was sworn-in to have a seat on the Student Government board as a senator. I learned that Student Government is a very important association on campus and serves many purposes like keeping West Liberty University a great college to attend. In the Student Government meeting, we discussed several different things like budgets for clubs, homecoming, and our goals for the year. I believe being a senator for Student Government will benefit me in many ways such as giving me a great extracurricular to put on my application for the Dental Hygiene program or any other program, activity, or job I would like to apply

UPenn's reputation as one of the most inclusive, yet, competitive, dynamic, and rigorous institutions for learning, coupled with a zealous, ambitious, and excellence driven student body makes it unrivaled in the potential of students to prosper in their respective fields, and allows them the freedom to delve into a community of diverse, and stimulating thoughts. For this reason constant involvement within numerous student organizations would be one of my best methods to be inspired by thought provoking issues, with involvement in these organizations I hope to learn something about

It was during the 1920’s where the Student Affairs profession got national coverage. In 1924, the National Association of Appointment Secretaries (NAAS) was founded (Gordon, 2015). It was the Precursor to the ACPA, American College Personnel Association. NAAS renamed National Association of Personnel and Placement Officers NAPPO was founded in 1929. Which led up to the Student Personnel Point of View in 1937. This was a guiding document for Student Affairs Professions. It stated that, “one of the basic purposes of higher education is the preservation, transmission, and enrichment of the important elements of culture the product of scholarship, research, creative imagination, and human experience” (The Student Personnel Point of View, 1937, p. 1). They wrote in this report that the colleges and universities are responsible for those elements to take place as well as other educational purposes that would assist the student in developing to their limits. They were tasked with helping the student realize their potential in making contributions to the betterment of society.

One important aspect of the student affairs profession is the importance and involvement of ethics within your daily life and within the workplace. From personal experience I believe that autonomy, faithfulness, doing no harm, and the ability to be just are extremely important. I also believe that there are many important expectations found in NASPA’s Standards of Professional Practice. These expectations include, equal consideration and treatment of others, assessment, agreement with institutional missions and goals, and conflict of interest. The student affairs profession spans many areas within the university environment and this can cause many different views and perceptions of the profession. Fried states that the curriculum of student affairs “includes interpersonal communications, conflict resolution, personal life planning, financial planning, career planning, leadership and participation in small and large groups, public speaking, and developing the necessary skills to live and work in a culturally diverse democracy” (Fried, 2002). Another responsibility of student affairs professionals is supporting and aiding students during crises, which seem less predictable and more frequent, causing psychological pressure to increase (Schuh, Jones, & Harper, 2011, p. 111). While supporting and developing students in modern times and working to complete all responsibilities that pair with the student affairs profession it is important to

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