Knowledge

Scholarship is a fundamental element in not only learning about the profession and how to best engage with students, but also perpetuating the conversation and knowledge to others to discover new ways of engaging and learning. 

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

1.     Demonstrate understanding of the APA manual of style

2.     Demonstrate how to write good statements of the problem and purpose

3.     Successfully critique basic evaluation and assessment literature in the profession

 

Skills and Experience

My experience in the Higher Education program has been filled with a variety of classes that has built my practical knowledge, allowed me to reflect, and increased my appreciation for the intentionality behind the courses selected. From the theoretical cultural competence, student development, and assessment to specific explorations of campaign movements, women's and gender issues, and the intersections of how different bodies and technology intersect with each other, my educational experience in this program has set me up for success in whatever area I choose to further engage in. 

The scholarship I have explored allowed me to identify significant passion areas which will continue to be key areas of personal and professional exploration. The areas of growth that have made the largest impact for me includes:

  • The Influence of Digital Media in Education
  • The Development of Healthy Masculinities
 

Digital Influence

My fascination with video creation all started with this video: a fun, one-shot music video of my newly met housing cohort colleagues to Wannabe by the Spice Girls. This goofy video we whimsically made during a student staff lock-in out of boredom was the first of many videos to come in my 2 year experience at Virginia Tech.

For EDHE 6064 (Higher Education in the US), I had the opportunity to complete a Pink Time project in which I could explore a topic of my choosing and reflect on my experience. This simple assignment would seem to have a lasting impact. For my project, I chose to make a podcast interviewing a higher education professional about their story and what led them into the field and what they hope to do in the future. My result was a fruitful conversation with Tricia Smith, Director of the then Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, which ultimately led to an internship with the office the following semester.

Despite gaining a fascinating and inspiring perspective on someone in the field, I ultimately learned that I enjoyed engaging in a digital medium. While I set out to produce a podcast using audio editing software, I ended up using a video editing software because of my familiarity. This project sparked something in me to which I continued to play around with any chance I could. For a majority of assignments throughout that semester and subsequent semesters, I found ways to incorporate my new interest of videography into my scholarship and professional commitments. In EDHE 5284 (Practicum in Higher Education), for example, I was able to create a Digital Story about my development within the program at that time. Within the department, I have become the “video guy” by producing several departmental videos and expanding the influence of the Inclusion Committee with the YouTube series Consider This.

What I learned from each of the 24 (and counting) videos I have created during my grad school experience is the importance of engaging students and colleagues through technology and incorporating your passions with your work. As an increased amount of students brought up in the digital age enter into higher education, the importance of engaging them with adaptive practices increases. For me, my engagement with students has been successful through the use of videos. Whether it is passively engaging others by sending out videos for my student staff to consider on their own or screening a TEDtalk and holding a dialogue about what it means to them, engaging students using platforms such as technology often meets the students where they are. Additionally, I have discovered that by incorporating work that I am passionate about, such as creating educational video content, I am more engaged and excited about the work I do and continue to use that excitement to push the creative boundaries of my professional practice.

 

Developing Healthy Masculinities

When I first discovered that I was going to be working in an all-male residence hall, I had my reservations. The stereotypical ideas of what an all-male hall might entail crossed my mind and I braced myself for an experience unlike any other. However, I quickly understood that my placement was a natural fit given my previous position working in Greek life. Given the opportunity to adopt a residential curriculum to the needs of the community, I was able to focus on the idea of healthy masculinity and what it means to “be a man.”

While I thought it was a great topic to engage first-year males in, I quickly discovered that the residents did not respond well to someone trying to educate them on “how to be a man.” My initiatives of Man Talk Monday were scarcely attended and my goal of engaging students with the DSA’s Aspirations of Student Learning was faltering. Through several adjustments of trial-and-error, I took the time to delve into my own understanding of developing healthy masculinities.

In my first year, I incorporated male issues in my assignments. In EDHE 5304 (Student Development in Higher Education), I wrote a literature review on gay fraternity men as well as a group assignment highlighting the importance of the Virginia Tech Women’s Center. For EDHE 6064 (Higher Education in the US), I had the opportunity to identify a broad issue in higher education and propose a solution. It was with this assignment where I dove into the importance of engaging college men, identifying the challenges they face and proposed a solution to create men’s centers on campuses, some of which exist but are few and far between. While my assignments felt like I had varying success for my own satisfaction, it was because of these opportunities that I developed both a sense of need and great challenge.

The fall semester of my second year, I had the opportunity to attend the Today’s College Man Conference with some students and colleagues from the department. Hosted by the Richmond College at the University of Richmond, the conference allowed me to be in a space with others throughout the higher education field and explore various topics regarding the development of healthy masculinities. I was inspired again to bring what I learned back with me to fuel my engagement of college men at Virginia Tech.

In EDHE 5604 (Inclusive Practices in Higher Education), we were provided the opportunity to identify an area of exclusive practice at Virginia Tech and propose a solution using the AAFES Model. Identifying a lack of mentorship around conversations of healthy masculinities and its direct link to male academic performance, positive mental health, and link to sexual misconduct, I proposed a cohort-based educational experience for a multigenerational group of men. The Net was an effort to begin a conversation on what it means to live a more authentic life and continue that conversation through mentorship with a male professional staff member.

After completing the assignment, I felt like I had made significant progress in my understanding of what would engage men on campus and address the needs that are identified. With this work, I felt that there was more to be done. Therefore, in the spring semester, I connected with Ennis McCreary, the Title IX Coordinator for Gender-Based Violence, and shared my proposed idea with her. Throughout the following weeks, Ennis, myself and two other colleagues were able to develop a modified version of the The Net called Men@VT. In February 2016, the first cohort of Men@VT met and engaged in conversation around hegemony, heteronormativity, what influences expectations of masculinity, and how they can be an advocate for engaging their community around these topics and continue their own personal exploration of their own masculinity with their professional staff mentor.

I am most proud of the work I have done within this topic and the opportunity this has to grow and become a resource for college men to explore all of their identities and how they manifest themselves in the Hokie community. This personal exploration has further solidified my commitment to this work and has inspired me to pursue opportunities engaging with college men regarding authenticity and their own self-understanding.

 

Disposition

Entering into the Higher Education program, I was nervous. At that time I had not been in school for 3 years and was used to navigating a professional life along with my personal interests. Once the semester started, it felt like I was going full speed ahead. Balancing my Graduate Assistantship in a new functional area while engaging in my academics, I was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of things on my plate.

However, after quickly adjusting to my rigorous schedule and understanding the expectations on all levels, I was able to engage in my scholarship rigorously and excitedly. I started enjoying the class discussions and assignments because I found what I was interested in. I can truly say that I enjoyed attending class, hearing the perspectives of my colleagues based off of their identities and experience, and fully embrace the experience I wanted so desperately the year prior. 

It is through scholarship that I discovered the importance of pursuing my passion in developing healthy masculinities and am encouraged to continue to think of how to engage students in a digital space. Learning the theoretical foundations of the field, reflecting on how I engaged with the content, and researching hours upon hours only to synthesize my findings in a paper or initiative, I can confidently say that I am more knowledgeable of the many intersections of the field, but recognize there is always more to learn.

 

Future Plans

As much as I could reflect here and say that I have enjoyed my academic experience for what it has been and would be fine with this being the end, I would know that that would be false. While I am currently looking forward to a break from scholarship in a classroom capacity, I know in my heart that I will return later in my professional career. 

Because of my background in communication studies, I have always entertained the idea of furthering my education in this area. However, after engaging in higher education scholarship, I recognize that because it is a newer field, there is a need for more research and created scholarship to update the theoretical foundations and provide further incite to areas and identities that are largely unrepresented. Especially with my interest areas of exploring a digital space and developing healthy masculinities on college campuses, I see a need for new research and published materials.

After assuming my new role as Area Coordinator for Richmond College and learning the details of that position, I hope to branch out and engage in opportunities of research. In collaboration with campus resources, I hope to do some sort of research project examining a facet of my work with developing college men. It is my hope to produce work that would then place me in an optimal position to further my studies with a doctoral degree.

More immediately, I look forward to spending some time reading more about the information I was able to engage in during my grad school experience as well as new areas that will help me professionally in my new full-time role. While I was able to complete several Women's and Gender Studies courses, I would like to continue that work and receive certification in this area. I also aspire to commit to a digital blog or vlog that will help me continue to engage with scholarship and my future professional development.