Strengths

Learning Outcomes 4, 6, 7, 8, 9; Artifacts A1, A2, B1, C1, C2, E, G

The theme to best articulate the strengths I have cultivated in the Student Development
Administration program is relationships. Throughout my time here, I have realized that
relationships are not only important in my both my personal and professional philosophy
(Artifacts B1 and B2), but relationships are an integral part of leadership style and my
professional values. Three unique areas in which I highlight this relationship strength are
program development, collaboration, and community.
Program Development
Learning Outcomes 7, 9; Artifacts A1, A2, G, J
When I first started the SDA program, I intentionally wanted to gain specific skills in
program development. Prior to beginning graduate school, I had some experience in
programming, but it was a very narrow focus (as seen in Artifact A1). I have grown most
significantly in this area through my graduate assistantship and internships (as seen in Artifact
A2). In Spring 2014 and Fall 2014, I oversaw programming for SexLIFE; a sexual health
education program for undergraduate students that focuses on values clarification, STD
prevention, and resources. As seen in the SexLIFE manual I created (Artifact G), I intentionally
helped create a program that was rooted in current student data from NCHA (2013) and research,
as well as had strong learning outcomes and assessment components. At a Jesuit-Catholic
institution, I became aware of how policies help determine and guide sexual health programming
at Seattle University, which contributed to my understanding and application of Learning
Outcome 9 (understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and governance).
Additionally, programming in the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion has helped me

create strong and well written learning outcomes and assessments, which demonstrates my
commitment as a professional to Learning Outcome 7 (utilizing assessment, evaluation,
technology, and research to improve practice). Moving forward, I intend to ensure every
program I help coordinate or oversee includes learning outcomes and assessments. This will not
only strengthen programs I oversee, but it will also ensure I continue to bring evaluation and
assessment into the forefront of my work.
In addition to gaining programming experience in the Office for Wellness and Health
Promotion, I have also intentionally sought internships that will enhance my skills as a
programmer. During Summer 2014, I interned with Career Services and created an online web
resource tool to engage online and distant learners in career services advising tools (Artifact J).
As universities transition to engage online and distant learners in new ways, I wanted to
challenge myself to also program for this specific student population using technology, which
highlights the skills I have developed in connection to Learning Outcome 7 (utilizing
assessment, evaluation, technology, and research to improve practice). From this experience, I
learned that all students today are online learners so it is vital to ensure educational content are in
online accessible formats. Additionally, I gained more breadth in best practices knowledge, such
as the importance of using interactive mediums and videos to highlight key content rather than
solely utilizing text to convey information. In my next professional role, I will continue to
engage with students using technology, especially in regards to ensuring content is available in
online mediums and as a way to create access to departments that do not stay open past 5pm.
While I have grown in programming development, I recognize I have a lot more to learn
in this area. Specifically, I hope to grow in developing stronger finance and budget management
skills such as how to design a budget and zero-based budgeting (LO 9), connecting diversity and

justice work to my programming efforts (LO 4), and grounding my programming in research
based programs like Green Dot (2010) that show high efficacy.
Collaboration
Learning Outcomes 6, 8, 9; Artifacts C2, J
As a result of the program, one of the most notable strengths I have identified is my
collaborative nature in my professional and personal identity. To me, collaboration requires
strong partnership between departments and staff prioritizes their departmental relationships.
This notion is complex in nature since strong partnership does not mean equal distribution of
labor or resources, but instead focuses on using collective resources towards a shared common
goal. Before I began this program, I was an individual who worked more efficiently
independently. However, since I began this program I have learned the importance and value of
working collaboratively as a professional and as a student, which enhances my understanding
and application of Learning Outcome 6 (developing and demonstrating skills in leadership and
collaboration).
As a student, I disliked group projects because I found myself often taking on the
majority of the work. However, during SDAD 5590: The American Community College, we had
to collaboratively write a paper about a local community college; Highline College (Artifact C2).
As a collaborative member of the team, I developed stronger skills in Learning Outcome 8
(communicating effectively in speech and writing), particularly in a group setting, as well as
shared leadership and collaboration in working together, which demonstrates my growth in
Learning Outcome 6 (developing and demonstrating skills in leadership and collaboration). The
most significant learnings throughout the process were skills in conflict management, learning
how to be able to verbalize my own needs as a team member while understanding the needs of

others, and utilizing questions as a way to honor my relational strengths while still helping the
group make forward progression. These skills have not only enhanced my professional identity
in my current role by allowing me to advocate for my own needs while still demonstrating care,
but have also inspired me to collaboratively write a submission for the 2015 NASPA Western
Regional Conference.
Outside of the classroom, I have shown significant growth and strengths in my ability
collaborate. One of the clearest examples of this is through my internship experiences. During
my internship with Career Services, I helped to create an online web resource, which highlighted
both academic and career information (Artifact J). In order to effectively create this tool, I had to
collaborate with several departments on campus including Arts & Sciences Academic Advising,
COPE (Continuing, Online, and Professional Education), and the rest of the Career Services
staff. Ultimately, this internship project helped me better understand what it means to be a
collaborative professional and demonstrate Learning Outcome 6 (developing and demonstrating
skills in leadership and collaboration). Since finishing this internship, I have continued to
demonstrate the knowledge and skills I gained in working collaboratively. As a result of the
internship, I am now intentional about scheduling meetings with campus partners to talk about
partnership expectations as well as supporting campus partners by attending and promoting their
events or programs. In addition to my internship through Career Services, I have also
demonstrated strength in collaboration through my internship at Athletics. During my internship,
I, along with the other intern, created a Career Development Handbook for all student athletes.
This project helped me enhance my skills in collaboration using technology since we were not
able to meet face-to-face, as well as taught me the importance in delegating tasks when working

collaboratively towards a common goal, which also enhances my understanding of Learning

Outcome 9 (understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and governance).
Finally, I have demonstrated my skills in collaboration through my graduate assistantship
in the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion. In co-advising a team of undergraduate
students with the other graduate assistant, I have learned the importance of utilizing each
individuals strengths in collaborative work. By highlighting each others skills as advisors, we
have created a dynamic advising team that has supported our students in effective ways. Utilizing
Yosso (2005) as a framework, the unique strengths based approach to leadership and
collaboration has also helped me re-define how Learning Outcome 6 (developing and
demonstrating skills in leadership and collaboration) applies to student teams as well. In
addition to co-advising a student team, I have worked as part of a collaborative team to put on
our offices annual Anne Carragher Wellness Challenge. Again, this team has taught me the
importance of delegation, individual and group leadership, and collaboration when planning
large-scale programs (LO 6).
Moving forward, I intend to bring this strength of collaboration into my role. Without this
experience during the SDA program, I would not have realized the importance and criticalness of
utilizing collaboration to enhance academic, professional, and office initiatives. In my next role, I
hope to use technology to enhance this collaboration (LO 9) as well as to critically examine how
collaboration can inhibit and/or promote justice and diversity (LO 4).
Community (B1, C1, E)
Learning Outcomes 4, 8, 9; Artifacts (B1, C1, E)
The final theme within my relationship strengths is community. I define community as a
group of individuals that support one another through providing feedback, who create space to

listen to one anothers stories and experiences, and who challenge one another to grow
personally and professionally. Upon entering this program, I would not have articulated one of
my strengths as having strong ties to the many communities I am a part of. As an introvert, I
have always felt that my close relationships are very important and salient to me, but my
expanded community (such as classmates, professionals in my network, students, and running
club mates) was never a large part of my identity. However, as a result of this program, I have
learned that community is not only an important value to me personally and professionally (as
articulated in Artifact B1), but enhancing community has become one of my strengths.
During SDAD 5760: Leadership in Governance in Post-Secondary Education, I critically
examined a crisis and how the University responded to the crisis (Artifact C1). During this
course, one of the most current events was the Isla Vista shooting in which several University of
California Santa Barbara students were killed. As an UCSB alum, this event affected me very
personally and allowed me to see the meaning and value of community. Throughout the crisis
paper, I was able to articulate the Universitys response to the incident, which enhanced my
understanding of University policy and governance, which connects to Learning Outcome 9
(understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and governance), while demonstrating
Learning Outcome 8 (communicating effectively in speech and in writing). As a result of writing
the paper, I learned that policy and governance are designed to support and benefit the most
amount of people while encountering the least amount of legal responsibility. As an alumni, I
struggled with understanding why the institution was not doing more to support its constituents
and community. However, through the process of creating Artifact C1 I began to see that law and
governance are connected to liability and legal responsibility rather than the ethical support we
can provide students during times of grieving.

Outside of the classroom, I have learned the importance of community through attending
community events around the Black Lives Matter campaign. As highlighted in Artifact E, the
Black Lives Matter Pecha Kecha allowed me to be very reflective and becomes more aware of
the impact of movements on individuals within my Seattle community. Attending this event
contributed to my understanding and value of Learning Outcome 4 (understanding and fostering
diversity, justice, and a sustainable world formed by a global perspective and Jesuit Catholic
tradition) because I was able to make connections between a national issue and my community
at Seattle U as well as my broader Seattle community. As a White professional dedicated to
bringing a social justice lens into my professional work, attending this event gave me the
opportunity to reflect on how my actions mirror the value I have on community social justice
work. Incorporating my social justice values into my actions is a significant growth Ive had
during my time in the SDA program. Since attending the event, I have become more actively
involved in the Black Lives Matter rather than using my White privilege to choose to not be
engaged with this campaign. This experiences highlighted that I need to enhance my knowledge
and skills of marginalized racial identities (Pope, Reynolds, & Mueller, 2004).
Finally, I have been able to create a strong community among the students I advise in my
graduate assistantship. Rooted on the ideology of Brazzell & Reisser (1999), I work to create an
inclusive and supportive community within my student team. One of the most evident ways I do
this is through helping them make meaning from their experiences (Nash & Murray, 2010).
Additionally, as an advisor I utilize Yossos (2005) cultural community wealth model to help my
students see their marginalized identities as strengths and assets rather than deficits. An example
of this was when a student with an anxiety disorder expressed feeling her mental health didnt
allow her to be a successful peer health educator. In the moment, I was able to reframe the

conversation and help her see that her anxiety disorder allowed her to empathize with other
students experiencing mental health conditions in a way that none of our other peer health
educators could. This allowed the students to feel empowered to be a successful team member
and also feel that I value all of her identities, including her unprivileged ones.
Following the program, I look forward to continuing brining in research and best
practices to enhance my advising style and techniques to more effectively build community
within my staff and department.

References
Brazzell, J. C., & Reisser, L. (1999). Creating inclusive communities. In Blimling, G. S., &
Whitt, E. J. (Eds.), Good practice in student affairs (pp. 157-177). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Nash, R.J., & Murray, M.C. (2010). Helping college students find purpose: The campus guide to
meaning-making. Thousand Oaks: Jossey-Bass.
Pope, R.L., Reynolds, A.L., & Mueller, J.A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Yosso, T.J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community
cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91