Knowledge

My motivation for pursuing a graduate degree was to understand the 'why' behind my practice as well as to grow personally and professionally. Previously having 3 years of experience in the field working in admission, alumni relations, and Greek life, I had a wealth of examples from the students and campuses I worked with. What I lacked, however, was the why. By engaging with concepts in the classroom and practically applying them to experiences outside of the classroom, I was able to holistically engage in becoming a better higher education practitioner.

Relevant courses, assignments, and experiences that demonstrate knowledge in this area:

1.     Describe the history, philosophy and structure of higher education in general and specifically the history of student affairs administration

2.     Articulate generally the characteristics of students and the different student populations in postsecondary education

3.     Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the legal foundations and constraints that affect higher education administration

4.     Summarize and apply student development theory to the practice of college student affairs administration

5.     Identify and discuss issues and trends in higher education organization and administration

6.     Employ essential program assessment and program evaluation skills

7.     Employ essential technology skills appropriate to their positions

 

Skills and Experiences

In my graduate experience at Virginia Tech, I have engaged in many opportunities that allowed me to develop my skills to help me become a stronger student affairs professional.

I made a promise to myself entering into graduate school that I would try anything and everything different. It was this mentality that helped me step out of my comfort zone to learn more about being a better professional and a better resource for the students I serve. 

The formal opportunities I was able to experience were the following:

  • Assistant Residential Learning Coordinator: Virginia Tech Housing and Residence Life (VTHRL)
  • Intercultural Engagement Center Intern: Virginia Tech Intercultural Engagement Center
  • Summer Residence Coordinator: University of Alaska Anchorage Residence Life
  • Inclusion Committee Member: VT HRL Inclusion Committee

These experiences have helped me develop the following skills:

  • Apply theory to practice to align student support with identified learning outcomes from the VTHRL residential curriculum via personal connections, support of out-of-class learning opportunities and the upholding of community standards
  • Infuse inclusive practices throughout daily job responsibilities and continued professional development on this topic
  • Foster community and civility by developing an atmosphere in which students have concern and respect for the rights of others
  • Develop and implement a residential curriculum exploring healthy masculinities in modern society
  • Serve on a 24/7 on-call duty rotation for emergencies and crisis management for a residential population of 9,000 students
  • Understand the difference between advising and supervising through involvement with hall council
  • Adjudicate student conduct cases with an educational focus while maintaining accurate paper and electronic records
  • Maintain assignment records by conducting all in-hall room reassignments and overseeing the check in/out process
  • Assist in problem solving, crisis prevention and intervention, and referral for students of concern, ranging from issues of academic success to severe mental health concerns
  • Facilitate student staff on the creation and implementation of the Residential Living Week of Welcome for Fall 2015 semester
  • Understand the difference between diversity, multicultural, and intercultural engagement and apply those concepts to student mentorship
 

Assistant Residential Learning Coordinator

As my Graduate Assistantship, I served in the Housing and Residence Life Office as an Assistant Residential Learning Coordinator. Serving the Barringer and Miles community, directly supervising six student staff members in Miles Hall and Co-supervising an overall staff of 12 from the community, I was able to maximize my opportunity and exposure to residence life operations at a large, land-grant institution. Primarily working with first-year, all-male students, I gained a broad perspective of student needs as they began their journey at Virginia Tech and gained experience with agreed resolution conduct hearings, individual development through one-on-ones, large group development through staff meetings and training initiatives, curriculum implementation, and crisis response.

Because of the unique composition of my community, being an all-male, primarily first-year building, I took the opportunity to incorporate masculinity development into our curriculum. From the beginning, the student staff and myself engaged students in who they are, how they show up, and what it means to “be a man” to them. Met with much adversity, the curriculum evolved to developing an understanding of identities and embracing their true authentic self.

My experience working with creating a residential curriculum that not only has student staff but resident buy-in and support allowed me to explore much more deeply what the goal of this work entails. Ultimately, my role in the community is to foster learning. While I would hope that those in the community have significant learning moments, I understand that learning looks different to each individual person. As a professional, if I can help at least one person consider something that they had not contemplated before, I will have done my job. 

 

Intercultural Engagement Center Intern

Having a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, I wanted to engage some of the knowledge I already had within a Higher Education setting. In my exploration of areas to consider, I came across an opportunity within the Intercultural Engagement Center (IEC). At the time, it was called the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services (MPS) and they were seeking development in their communication strategies and redirection of their office. Co-creating this experience with the office, I was able to engage in communication work within an environment I knew very little about.

Throughout the Spring ’15 semester, I researched and understood the functions of multicultural resources on campus, explored the nuance between diversity, multicultural, intercultural engagement, and understood the foundation of sharing your story with others to seek understanding. I updated and created rebranded promotional materials for the office and advertisements for specific events. I also created videos highlighting the work of LGBTQ partners and allies through Safe Zone and HERO (Helping to Educate Regarding Orientation). Lastly, I conducted focus groups engaging with students, student leaders, faculty, and staff about the office and the meaning of the office name. It was the work I did that led the office to influence a change of the office name from the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services to the Intercultural Engagement Center the following summer.

I am particularly proud of the work I did with the IEC because of my personal growth and understanding of the importance of intercultural engagement. Serving in that space, I was able to engage with students from all walks of life and many identities to understand a broad sense of how race and culture influence a student’s experience as Virginia Tech. This opportunity inspired me to continue to engage with students about inclusion and diversity within my role in the residence hall and beyond. 

 

Summer Residence Coordinator

During the summer of 2015, I had the amazing opportunity to serve as the Summer Residence Coordinator for the Office of Residence Life at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). My responsibilities for the summer was to support and supervise a student staff of 5, manage an apartment-style residential community of about 200 students ranging in ages and academic status, serve on various summer committees for the University, and serve in a 24/7 on-call rotation for crisis situations. Additionally, I helped my student staff create and implement the Residential Living Week of Welcome for Fall 2015 semester.

This experience expanded my knowledge in ways I would not have imagined. Serving at UAA, an open access institution, I got to explore the many functions of the university serving students in a community college, bachelor, master and doctoral degree granting entity. Because UAA is situated in a state system as one of 3 universities in Alaska, the university serves a multigenerational, non-traditional population. Furthermore, given that it serves a high population of Native Alaskans, conversations around access, academic success, and mental health response were carefully considered in the practices of the professional staff.

Spending time in Alaska allowed me to explore the many functions I can serve as a member on a smaller staff while considering and incorporating many aspects of the culture and demographics of a community steeped in tradition. By also having the opportunity to shape the experience of new students through the Week of Welcome experience, I was able to consider how to strategically lay a meaningful foundation for new students at UAA.   

While in Alaska, I was also able to travel around and see a lot of amazing things! I saw a lot of wildlife including a (dead) bear, several moose and reindeer, went on a lot of hikes in the immediate area and in Valdez and Denali, and ate a lot of phenomenal food including reindeer sausage! To read more about my experience, check out the vlog I kept and my transition document. It was an adventure of a lifetime and an opportunity I will never forget!

 

Inclusion Committee

Serving on the Inclusion Committee for Housing and Residence Life, I was able to explore inclusive practices and how we engage in those crucial conversations with both student and professional staff. Tasked with creativity, we created the VT Consider This campaign. Incorporating social media, weekly newsletter highlights, hosted conversations, and a periodical video YouTube series, Consider This has allowed many people within the Division of Student Affairs to consider a different perspective they might not previously have engaged with.

Covering topics such as the origins of Columbus Day, microaggressions, and food security on college campuses, the video series exercised the creativity of the committee, relying on each other’s knowledge and experience to identify a topic, create a script, and collect additional resources for further exploration. Personally, I had the opportunity to film, edit, and produce each of the currently 6 videos in the series.

In reflection, Consider This allowed me to develop my skills in two major ways. First, the series allowed me to utilize a digital medium as an introduction to important topics that surround the Virginia Tech experience. Through this, it is my firm belief that professionals should work to actively engage students in a digital space, only to encourage outside interaction to further understand and engage in meaningful dialogue. Secondly, Consider This allowed me to understand a variety of topics of inclusive practices for me personally. By embracing this initiative, I learned the significance in personal development and sharing that knowledge with others in all aspects of my role as a professional. 

 

Disposition

My motivation for working in this field comes from my passion for helping others discover who they are and their own passions. Through my opportunities of professional practice in the Higher Education program, I have been able to engage with students and do just that. 

As the Assistant Residential Learning Coordinator, I learned the importance of having self-reflection and engaging in dialogue with others. Even though some conversations were more difficult than others, ranging from conduct cases reflecting on the actions of others to talking about identity and how I navigate the world with each of those identities, I have always walked away knowing more about myself.

While it was difficult to navigate a new space, my experience in the Intercultural Engagement Center highlighted my privilege as an able-bodied, cisgender, white male. Observing and learning about the student experience in that space allowed me to critically evaluate my own practices and the practices of institutions that may affect underrepresented or minority student populations. My work with the Inclusion Committee the following year helped me articulate those issues and create ways to teach others in a digital space.

Traveling to Anchorage, Alaska, I completely felt out of my element being in a new place the farthest I had ever been from home. It was through that discomfort that I learned the importance of finding community, embracing the challenge of 'newness,' and being true to myself on every level.

At the end of this experience, I will look back on my experience and not remember the many sleepless nights of finishing assignments, the stress of being on-call during difficult campus situations, or the initiative that did not go exactly like I planned it. I will instead look back and understand that the challenging times made me a better professional and the relationships I had made a difference. All of my interactions made an impact.

I only know this because they all had a profound impact on me. 

 

Future Plans

Recently, I have been given an amazing opportunity to be an Area Coordinator for Richmond College at the University of Richmond. As one of three coordinate colleges in the United States, also being one of four men's colleges in the U.S., Richmond College has a unique opportunity to focus on gender and explore innovative ways of developing healthy masculinities. Because the University of Richmond is a small, private institution with just under 3,000 undergraduate students, the cross-divisional collaboration is highly valued and encouraged. Furthermore, as one of three Area Coordinators for Richmond College, I will have a lot of agency to creating new initiatives for the student residential experience in the community. These values of collaboration and creativity is important to me as I move forward in my career and develop my skills. Additionally, I look forward to incorporating my interests in communication through graphic design and video work.

I have stated time and time again that I do not want an ordinary 9-to-5 desk job that is predictable and stagnant. I love change, I thrive being able to create new things, and I enjoy the work I do because of the people I work with and the impact it has on students. 

Wherever this next adventure leads me, I aim to be excited to get up in the morning to make a difference in the community and the lives I touch.