Professional Praxis
I set my heart in the field of higher education and student affairs because I find it fulfilling to support students through their collegiate academic and social development. I find it enticing to challenge student perspectives, so I may promote growth. I am consistently driven by the belief that if we support and educate our students, the world will be a better place for our future generations. Thus, I am a professional who is motivated by growth through knowledge, socially just practices, and equitable opportunities for collaboration.
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As an up-and-coming student affair professional, I hope to learn from my collaboration with colleagues and superiors, as we work toward bettering the student experience. I believe that open collaboration and transparency speak towards equity and continuous growth. I believe that I will expand my professional skill set significantly from engaging with my future peers and supervisors. Engaging with those around me will allow me to grow holistically which will then make be better equipped to support students and foster spaces of equitable growth for them. I believe that group interaction and diverse collaboration create the best working environments. I will advocate for dialogue and healthy conflict in my practice to foster spaces in which my peers, students, and I can develop mutually.
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I enter the field of student affairs with values grounded in collaboration, social justice, inclusion, respect, authenticity, and thirst for knowledge. As a Latina, it is important that I embody my authenticity and inspire those around me to also embody their authentic selves. I intend to learn from my colleagues, peers, and students, as I believe that individual narratives and experiences are crucial to our understanding of one another. I believe as individuals we need to engage in difficult conversations so we may educate ourselves. As a leader it is important to recognize how our understanding of diverse perspectives leads to greater collaboration, meaningful relationships, and respect for all. As a student affairs professional, I believe I must advocate for socially just practices, educate others, and empower our students to succeed. I strongly believe that college campus professionals should strive to promote inclusive environments in which students, colleagues, and community members of diverse backgrounds can collaborate, participate, feel safe, and experience a sense of belonging.
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My motivating factor for pursuing a career in higher education and student affairs is to be able to represent and advocate for students. Higher education is evolving into a more socially conscious discipline. Thus, student affairs professionals need to understand and advocate for the uniqueness of the student experience. This can be done through assessment, academia, and daily personal interactions. Understanding the student experience will allow student affairs educators to better support and advocate for a diverse growing student population. As a future student affairs educator my goal is to maximize student interactions and opportunities for students to voice their needs and concerns.
Leadership Philosophy
I enter the field of student affairs with values grounded in social justice, inclusion, respect, love for diversity, and thirst for knowledge. As a Latina, it is important that I embody my authenticity and inspire those around me to also embody their authentic selves. I intend to learn from my colleagues, peers, and students, as I believe that individual narratives and experiences are crucial to our understanding of one another. As a leader, it is important to recognize how the understanding of diverse perspectives leads to great collaboration, meaningful relationships, and respect for all.
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My definition of leadership is grounded in collaboration, the empowerment of others, self-awareness, ethical standards, and educated decision making. As a leader one should advocate for the needs of others and become aware of how they influence those around them. Thus, I made it a priority to advocate for myself and my fellow peers of color in a predominantly white institution. At my undergraduate institution I witnessed how staff and administrators failed to respond to racially motivated incidents towards students of color. I have felt unsafe at an institution that I was to call home, and I hope that students never have to feel unsafe or targeted. My passion for social justice allowed me to speak out against injustice alongside my peers, so that future students will be inspired to advocate against injustice as well.
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As an undergraduate student, I was fortunate to have participated in the Latinx Student Association (LSA). This student organization worked with late-night programming at SUNY Geneseo to provide cultural nights. This organization held weekly meetings and dialogues to shed light on the Latinx identity in the United States, and various issues occurring in Latin American countries. The Latinx Student Association held social dinners in which members of the campus community were invited to interact with students, faculty, and staff. Through this student organization, I learned the importance of collaboration, multicultural education, and community interaction. In collaboration with other student organizations, LSA allowed for the exposure of new perspectives, shed light on social issues, and allowed students to have a meaningful undergraduate experience. Through my involvement in student organizations like LSA and my time at SUNY Geneseo, I discovered that I wanted to create meaningful experiences, safe environments, and promote critical thinking amongst students.
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My previous leadership opportunities and guidance from student affairs practitioners led me to choose a career in student affairs. During my undergraduate education at SUNY Geneseo, I was fortunate to develop meaningful relationships with outspoken, intelligent, and personable individuals. I was inspired by individuals who prioritized student advocacy, success, and wellbeing. These professionals guided me through my various leadership roles at my undergraduate institution and thus I hope to someday inspire others as these influential leaders have inspired me.
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As a student affairs practitioner, I hope to advocate for students by listening to student experiences, concerns, and needs. As a leader, it is important for me to collaborate with not only students, but also my colleagues, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community. Moreover, diverse student perspectives, collaboration with my colleagues and members of the institution, along with my student affairs administration education, will allow me to make educated decisions in my practice. As a professional in the field of student affairs, I hope to implement programs and conduct research that will contribute to the holistic experience and development of students. I hope to continue to advocate for social justice, inclusion, respect for all, the importance of knowledge acquisition, and diversity.
Supervision Philosophy
My various supervisors throughout my student leadership and semi-professional roles have exemplified supervision styles rooted in collaboration, transparency and communication, efficiency, and intentionality. I believe that the traits define some of the best supervisors I know. As a future supervisor I would like to promote the importance of purposefulness and intentionality in the workplace. I believe it is important for supervisors to promote communication by creating spaces for dialogue so that we may learn from one another. Listening to those around us can provide a clear perspective, eliminate confusion, and create room for dialogue (McNair, 2011).
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I value when supervisors make room for dialogue and allow their supervisees to contribute ideas and promote transparency. Thus, I feel it is important to openly discuss complications, initiatives, and any prevalent topics. Leaders are often frightened of debate and conflicting ideas within their teams. However, healthy conflict is beneficial to the department because team members will discuss different ideas that are good or bad. Through healthy conflict individuals will feel that they can express themselves honestly in front of one another and their supervisor (Lencioni, 2012). As a future supervisor I would aim to encourage others to speak up and express themselves honestly. I believe that a supervisor should spend the minority of their time making consulting with themselves, especially in a field like student affairs. As a future supervisor, I believe in creating a culture of collaboration and mutual respect, so that everyone can engage in meaningful dialogue in the hopes of learning from one another.
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In my opinion, supervisors need to promote a culture of efficiency. I value efficiency and believe that it can be achieved through organizational tactics. I believe that a supervisor needs to provide agendas, set expectations, and create action plans alongside their team. Given that student affairs is a collaborative field, supervisors need to be transparent with employees and stakeholders while maintaining organizational habits. This will allow everyone to work efficiently because if individuals consciously know what is expected of them, action will follow. Supervisors can enlist the help of their staff to come up with team action plans and other organizational strategies to maximize efficiency and produce great work.
During my time at SUNY Geneseo, our College Union Manager staff would compile a contract with our personal and professional values. Though this contract we would hold each other accountable to fulfill our duties and work towards our goals. Supervisors can implement full-value contract like activities to hold employees accountable, while understanding their employee’s purpose for being in the position. Understanding an employee’s ‘why’, will allow supervisors to understand their employees at a deeper level. The ‘why’ can be defined as the profound purpose or personal stake an employee has in their career field. In other words, how does this job identify personally with the employees (Sinek, 2021).
I hope to guide my supervisees in being intentional and purposeful through their work. In my supervisory practice I would like to engage in practices that support minoritized individuals. My goal is to aid removing any barriers that may hinder the professional and personal fulfillment of minoritized individuals in the workplace. I hope to be transparent and honest, so that my supervisees can openly discuss things with me. I also aim to engage in self-reflective practices like the Inclusive Supervision Inventory, to ensure that I am doing my part in supporting my staff and providing an equitable working environment (Wilson, McCallum, & Shupp, 2019). Overall, I will aim to create meaningful relationships so that I may determine how to support students, peers, and the staff around me.
References
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Lencioni, P. (2012). The five dysfunctions of a team: Team assessment. Jossey-Bass.
McNair, D. (2011). Developing a philosophy of supervision: One step towards self-
authorship. New Directions for Student Services, 136, 27-34.
Sinek , S. (2021, September 7). The Golden Circle Presentation. Simon Sinek. Retrieved March 13, 2022,
from https://simonsinek.com/commit/the-golden-circle.
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Wilson, A. B., McCallum, C. M., & Shupp, M. R. (2019). Inclusive supervision in
student affairs: A model for professional practice.