Advising

I have had three students, outside of my Emerging Leaders class, which I have met with almost every week this semester and advised about different aspects of Associated Students and Senate.  One student, the Director of Student Organizations has been especially challenging in pushing her to develop the skills necessary to balance all that she is involved with.  In addition to this, she is in the sorority I was involved with as an undergrad and looks to me as a friend in many situations as opposed to an advisor.  She is someone who needs affirmation and direction but also gets easily overwhelmed and excited about all that she is tasked with.  As the semester has moved forward she has had her highs and lows, November was very difficult, however a meeting this last week has instilled great hope and faith in the work we are doing together.  She runs the ICC meetings and manages the Student Organizations and after a long semester and some rough meetings this one went perfectly.  Everyone had their requirements turned in, Stephanie was organized and on time, senators and student organizations participated, the Senate Committee Chair moved the group through discussion, and everyone seemed to feel that their voice was heard.  Throughout this semester in both the basic leadership books I have read for Emerging Leaders and the articles and readings for my classes I have learned and seen examples of many leadership theories and practices.  It is in working with these students that I am able to evaluate what their leadership strategies and philosophies are, and how they relate to mine.  I have been able have discussions with them about their thoughts and challenge them to try different things.  In turn, they also challenge me to become a better and more effective advisor.  

An Introduction to the World of Student Affairs

At the start of this semester I felt behind.  I knew nothing of the Student Affairs world and was thrown into an environment hearing acronyms like NASPA and ACPA.  Who are these people? And why are they on Blogspot and Twitter all the time?  After a few months of struggle and push back I began to understand and it was at the Western Regional Careers in Student Affairs Day that I finally grasped and visibly saw what an amazing network of people the Student Affairs and Higher Education world it.  I went to three different presentations, a Student Affairs Women’s Panel, a Health, Wellness and Student Development discussion, and a “Top Ten To Do’s” as you enter the Student Affairs world.  They were each unique and helpful in there own way, but what I really took from each presentation was the passion and love that each individual had for their career.  They loved the students that they worked with and each brought life and love into what they did.  I, for the first time, saw the range of positions and options available and loved hearing from, and meeting people from other universities.  Stephanie and I had a great time.  A week after this event I had an Informational Interview with Julie Mattingly at CSUSM and that sparked even more interest in this field.  She has a lot on her plate at that University but it was nice to hear her story.  How she got to her position. How she balances her family with her work.  How she started down the Student Affairs path.  How she handles obstacles and manages the politics of a large, new institution.  She gave me a brief tour of the school, which I have never visited before, and spoke to me about how I should diversify my experience from a Private Catholic institution.  Overall it was a very positive and memorable experience. I hope to do more of these in the future.  

I now understand what all the excitement is about and although I am not as up to par with Twitter and Blogspot as I one day hope to be, it is a constant learning experience. I now have the motivation I need to get there.

Emerging Leaders and Me

So the post below was written mid Oct. after a couple Emerging Leaders courses centering around the ideas of “Consciousness of Self” and “Consciousness of Others” found in Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about my development and socialization and how I have changed in my last four years of school.  I see so much of myself in the students I teach who are just four years behind me; freshmen, at a new place, with new independence and a clean slate ahead of them.  I held similar views about leadership and told similar examples of teamwork, flexibility, initiative, and achievement in high school clubs, ASB, class, and sports teams.   Because of the Emerging Leaders class I appreciate so much more the experiences and growth I have gone through.  I sometimes wish I could just give the students my brain with all the experiences and lessons I have learned over my few short years of college to make their lives easier.  They have a lot to look forward to.  I had no idea I would learn so much in a course that I was teaching.

These recent classes have also allowed me to reflect on the personal values and beliefs that shape who I am.  I am slowly starting to understand the conflicts and challenges I will have that question some of the lessons and social beliefs and values I have been taught my entire life.  My upbringing has shaped in a wonderful way the person I am today and I am so grateful for it, but it is apparent that my conservative childhood will be challenged by many practices and philosophies of higher education.  I am not sure how this will play out, and continue to be open and available to new ideas, however I am scared of losing myself in the many messages being presented to me. 

This is a picture of my Emerging Leaders class struggling with the "Habitat House" activity. 

It took a while but in the end they made it!