When reflecting on how my professional goals intersect with my personal values, several words and phrases came to mind. These words have become the “themes” for my professional philosophy and approach to student affairs: Compassion, Intentionality, Dignity and Worth of Others, and Access & Support.
I value hearing the stories of others and believe that people are more than the single story we tend to build, based off of either assumptions or a single aspect of their identity. Realizing that I am more than a single story has helped me to listen to the stories of others first before making judgements or coming to conclusions.
I definitely do not do this perfectly, but I believe that part of expressing and extending compassion to others is being a learner of who they are. I see this as crucial to my work with college students because as they are juggling academics and activities, they are also wrestling through who they are and who they want to be.
I value intentionality in relationships; from strong friendships to daily interactions with students and classmates. I have learned to value this by feeling and knowing that others have been and continue to intentional with me. In order to truly learn and hear others, it takes being fully and mentally present. In the distractions and busyness of school and life in general, I sometimes find it difficult to be mindful about this in my daily interactions and conversations. However, life is always going to be busy and distracting so I have decided that my two “words” for this season of life are rest and invest.
Practicing knowing when to rest or engage and invest in others can be hard. But practicing this has allowed me to be more present in the moments where intentionality matters. I am continuing to realize the significance that modeling care and intentionality has in contributing to positive and caring environments.
This wording is from the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics. It is one of the standards of care social workers must show to clients. It really resonates with me because most social injustices stem from not seeing others as possessing dignity and worth. Upholding this value for me requires that I consistently check my biases and seek opportunities to grow and learn from others.
In a research class, I took the opportunity to dig into the literature and issue of the impact of access and support for first generation college students of color. I saw the positive effects that obtaining a post-secondary degree had in decreasing several social, economic and health disparities. This sparked my interest in post-secondary degree attainment and desire to learn how to create opportunities for low income students of color to gain access to and succeed in the college experience.
Also, my desire to provide access and support to students undergird my skills in organizing information and thinking of creative ways to engage students. I enjoy supporting and helping to improve projects and programs that engage with and provide information to students.