After a substantial career in the military and correctional service, I have found myself settled in the world of higher education. The employment experience as an undergraduate student worker opened my eyes to the extraordinary opportunity to help others attain their dreams of a university level education. The realization of a new calling was solidified after being hired as a classified employee in student serves upon receiving my bachelor’s degree in Information Systems. In less than a year of employment I have experienced the joy that comes from assisting prospective and current students navigate the complexities of the academic stetting. It is my firm belief that a continued career in higher education administration will satisfy my drive …show more content…
My fellow student veterans bring with them a myriad of strengths, experiences, and ideas to the higher education setting. Along with these attributes, they bring issues that differed and set them apart from traditional students. My ability to connect with and understand the issues these students face added a personal touch to my professional dealings. Every day in the office there was a student in need of guidance while navigating university life. The Veteran Services office was often their last resort to staying in school. It was the administrative expertise of the student services faculty that resolved most of these cases in a manner beneficial to the students’ academic career. Experiencing a student’s relief and gratitude when the office was able to help to avert catastrophe solidified my resolve that my future career would be somehow be related to student affairs. I had to ask myself, “would my Information Systems degree best serve my goal of being a catalyst for ethically and legally sound modifications to our education system? Modifications that can only come about with additional knowledge in the legal, financial, and ethical issues facing not only the students that attend the university, but university in general?” By the time I graduated in Information Systems, I had come to …show more content…
My time as an undergraduate solidified the idea that I do belong in the higher education realm; the work and effort put into the program dispelled my initial fears that I was not capable of the critical thinking, study habits, and overall academic discipline needed to succeed. The program also assisted me in realizing that Information Systems would not be suited for my professional and personal long-term goals. With an emphasis on computer programming, I was able to envision a future with a solid job, but not a meaningful career. As my responsibilities in Veteran Services grew from paperwork to engagement, fund raising, and program administration, I found my time as a student worker in Veteran Services becoming more fulfilling daily than my studies in Information Systems. As my responsibilities on campus grew, so did the resolve that my place was not only helping veterans but assisting all students who are working to build a solid future. I began to truly understand the broad nature of the university’s vision statement “to educate and graduate the best prepared, confident leaders”. To make this a reality, I had to be honest with myself about my lack of expertise and knowledge of university students, and the higher education system of
Christina Funk, junior, established a new organization that will benefit incoming freshman and returning students in their academics, student involvement, and social life. Funk’s organization, Students4Students was created in the beginning of August and has already over 50 official members in this organization. Students4Students consist of mentors known as Wolves and mentees known was Pups. Mentors must have attended University of West Georgia for a least a year and obtain a 2.7 GPA or higher. Most mentees are freshman who would like guidance during their first year of college.
As I strive to achieve great academic success and leadership at Montana State University, I hope that my previous experiences will catalyze this process. Using my interests in academics, participation in extracurricular activities, and my own strengths, I hope to become a strong leader. I know I can achieve being both a scholar and an example for other students by utilizing my previous experiences. When I start my journey at Montana State, I expect to find students with common academic interests as myself. My goal is to connect with these students, who appreciate education in a similar way I do, in order to help each other understand topics or lessons that we will learn.
R. Irizarry Session 1 Journal When I started to pursue my degree some years ago I had no idea what I wanted to do with the degree. Just thought it would be the right thing to do in order to get a better job. I proceeded to start but could never finish. At first it was because I was in the military and I kept transferring from one place to another.
When it comes to this semester, things for me are going well. So far in the course, I have been able to get all my homework and reading entirely on time and not rushing things at the last minute. This week nine discussion I thought gave us a chance to showcase what well learned on the aspects of resume building and higher education career development for individuals. A lot of the information of have learned from week nine will assist in my research into the final project for this course. Learning about the news about career counseling in setting in scenes like elementary, high school to higher education’s makes us focus on the individual and what they want their future to look like.
Pacific Union College has been instrumental in shaping my journey as a lifelong learner, both personally and professionally. The institution’s student learning outcome, “Maintaining Lifelong Learning,” emphasizes the importance of intellectual skills, curiosity, and creativity in leading lives of useful human service. Pacific Union College has encouraged and nurtured my passion for learning, highlighting the experiences that have profoundly influenced my approach to interacting with diverse individuals. In this essay, I will reflect upon my experiences at Pacific Union College, both inside and outside the classroom, to illustrate how the diverse course offerings, engaging professors and mentors, extracurricular activities, work experience,
In 2012 the veteran dropout rate was around 88%, and while it has since improved, it is still an alarmingly high number. Why are veterans not completing their degree? While there have been no studies investigating why student veterans are dropping out, perhaps Claude Steele has pinpointed the answer. For many veterans returning to college, they often find themselves not as successful as they had hoped. Low grades, inability to connect with classmates, fear of being judged are cues that can raise the question “Do I really belong here?”
I recognize that by neglecting UT's resources during the fall semester such as meeting with a counselor, I missed out on opportunities to stay positive, academically and emotionally. I regret that I did not seek the help I needed to overcome the challenges that I faced. To ensure my future success as a Spartan, I have put together a plan to address my academic and emotional needs. I will schedule monthly meetings with my academic advisor to stay on track with graduation, take any necessary actions to achieve and maintain good academic standing, attend weekly 30-minute academic coaching sessions to reinforce lecture notes, and meet with professors during office hours.
According to the the 2010 Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners created by College Student Educators International (ACPA) and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), there are certain areas of skill that all student affairs professionals should posses. It is encouraged that professionals in the field have a certain level of competence in thee area of Student Learning and Development. This is a competency designed to ensure that one has the ability to understand how students mature in a collegiate atmosphere, whether that be in the classroom and otherwise. Self-evaluation in this categories is needed to see if professional identifies as: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Knowledge and evaluation
I learned to prioritize and stay on top of multiple projects while maximizing my service as a Student Worker. Working alongside with a team of enthusiastic individuals has taught me to always have a positive attitude and to be passionate about every aspect of the job. As a NYU CAS Transfer Orientation volunteer, I had a great experience collaborating with other dynamic team members. As a team of previous transfer students, we understood the fear, confusion, and uncertainty one could have as a new transfer. We incorporated our experience to design individualized activities to smoothen the transitions of the new transfers into the NYU community.
Student affairs, according to Dallas Long (2012), is a large field that consists of many different functional areas that provide services on a campus, with professionals that range in credential levels. This profession has a long history that describes how its many components sprouted due to conflict in the early stages of higher education. Long (2012), proclaimed that the services student affairs are composed of were established due to the necessity to address problems revolving around student behavior and faculty/administrative roles on campus. Another obligation the student affairs profession has adopted is the idea of focusing on a student’s development holistically.
Thus, at the start of my Junior year, enrolling as a full-time Running Start student at Everett Community College introduced me to the fast-paced, flexible learning environment that I craved. After a strenuous first two years of high school, my grades improved instantly and I became passionate about what I studied, in both business and nonbusiness courses. Eventually, I found my place in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and received frequent praise from my professors and peers. However, the college environment also transformed my habits and influenced me to develop new skills. A combination of hundreds of challenging assignments, countless hours of studying, and my drive to succeed allowed me to master the art of time management without sacrificing the quality of my work.
Unfortunately, many student leaders struggle to find a sense of moral compass and drive to achieve anything they might desire as little as obtaining their diploma or large as bringing social change to a struggling community. Not only does spirituality help the individual students but it can also benefit the university by helping completion and improving retention rates. Many students drop out or transfer because a feeling of defeat, no support from home, or overwhelmed by the many changes and challenges of a becoming an independent young adult. Student affairs professionals can obtain the knowledge and skills to help ensure students have an equal opportunity to flourish academically, personally, and professionally during their collegiate experience and beyond.
Francesca is a 30-year old college student. College courses are not new to her, with her being a recent graduate for the second time. Francesca enrolled into Liberty University because she wanted to further her education in the area of helping people, with hopes to obtain a career within the social work profession. Taking online courses is not anything that is new to Francesca, however the approach is slightly different than what she is familiar too. Francesca has placed a great deal of pressure on herself to succeed within her coursework.
Foundational Studies/History, Philosophy & Values As a young professional, one of the most important competencies has been learning about foundational studies and the history, philosophy, and values in student affairs. Three months before graduating from Appalachian I was unsure of the direction my post-graduate life was leading me, and I took a leap to apply to the College Student Development program. I had been heavily involved in Greek Life as an undergrad and found that the relationships I formed with professionals during my three years in an organization developed around student affairs and the people leading the Engagement and Leadership offices. It was during the last few months of my time in Boone that I decided that pursuing this career path might be for me.
As the market is becoming flooded with undergraduates and the workforce is requiring more advanced degrees to advance in their career, universities are trying to keep pace with the need. At my current university, seven new graduate program have been added in the last two years. This has more than doubling the number of applications the university received before the new programs were in place. To help make graduate program more accessible to in the current workforce, another trend in graduate admission is the formation of partnerships in helping adult learners in the workforce.