Narrative
Having a strong personal foundation is critical to me both personally and professionally. Relationships are of top priority to me and help me to grow continually in this competency. I value my relationships with God, my family, friends, colleagues, and students. Relationships are important to me
because I draw energy from being around others. I find joy in connecting with others, sharing in others’ triumphs and achievements, and encouraging others in day-to-day occurrences and major challenges. In order to invest in relationships and be who I want to be for others, I need to continue to grow in my faith. Life is full of both wonderful and trying experiences. It seems as though, at any one time, there is always something good happening and something challenging happening. I cling to my faith because it provides the best frame of reference for me to persevere during times of testing and it humbles me and reminds me how blessed I am during times of favor. My faith helps to restore my enthusiasm and attitude daily, too. In addition, good health allows me to focus on taking the best care of me so that I can be a positive influence in the lives of others. I trust that God has a plan and a purpose for everything, that everything does happen for a reason, and all things (even challenging circumstances) work together for good.
I value eating well and exercising regularly. Focusing on my physical health makes me feel better emotionally, and mentally, too. When I first started my master’s program, I set a goal that I wanted to lose 30 pounds by the time I graduated. I am excited to share that I have recently recommitted to this goal and through the support of Weight Watchers, and one of my best friends who meets me to workout at 5 am every weekday morning, I have lost eighteen pounds to date and am on track to meet my goal. (See weight loss chart below.) In the past, focusing on my health has allowed me to accomplish other achievements such as completing a 10K, a half marathon, and a marathon. Having work-life balance is also an important component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for me.
Lastly, enthusiasm and a positive attitude are two attributes that are evident in everything I do. I believe that happiness is a choice one makes on a daily basis, no matter what one’s current circumstances entail. I enjoy using my energy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude to encourage others to take action. Enjoyment for me comes from coaching, motivating, and inspiring others to pursue their passions.
This past summer, as I was finishing a practicum experience, my father-in-law passed away on the same day that I learned that my dad had to have emergency brain surgery. I was in disbelief that these events were happening simultaneously. As difficult as it was to transition from full-time professional to graduate student and intern, as challenging as it was for my husband to relocate and change jobs when I started my master’s program, and as emotional as it was for us to walk away from our beautifully remodeled home in Columbus, Ohio, we were so thankful that we were living back
northern Ohio near both sets of parents. We felt that things happened for a reason and we were supposed to be living near our parents to help them during a very tough time. I am thrilled to report that my dad has made a full recovery and we (his doctors included) consider it nothing short of a miracle.
As part of our master’s program each semester, we met once a month with our Bowling Green State University advisor and members of our cohort to discuss our internships, celebrate our successes, and work through challenges. A requirement of the course was to keep a reflective journal of our
internship experiences and how we were growing in each of the student affairs competency areas. In addition, each semester, we evaluated ourselves on the competencies and received evaluations from our internship supervisors. (See evaluations below.)
Part of this competency area includes being comfortable with ambiguity. I demonstrated this in my training to be an academic advisor at
Owens. There was no formal type of training program set up for advisors. I was handed a three-ring binder that served as an academic advising
handbook and a course catalog to review. Because I am a hands-on learner, I took it upon myself to arrange short informational interviews with advisors from each of the schools (arts and sciences, technology, nursing, health, business, and public safety). I also made a point to meet with representatives from each of the student services offices to learn more about the resources I would be referring students to when I met with them. While it was humbling to go from a full-time professional to a graduate student and intern, I realized the importance of collaborating, sharing information and ideas, and building relationships with faculty and staff across the campus.
In addition, I also grew in this competency by writing an autobiography for my career counseling class. The purpose of the assignment was to experience the process of self-discovery and personal assessment. In addition, I did a researched a career of interest to me and did a career presentation to experience first-hand the research and self-discovery we ask students to take part in as part of career advising. (See copies of these projects below).
Resources:
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Photo from http://www.cfka.org/vital-signs-2012/personal-health
because I draw energy from being around others. I find joy in connecting with others, sharing in others’ triumphs and achievements, and encouraging others in day-to-day occurrences and major challenges. In order to invest in relationships and be who I want to be for others, I need to continue to grow in my faith. Life is full of both wonderful and trying experiences. It seems as though, at any one time, there is always something good happening and something challenging happening. I cling to my faith because it provides the best frame of reference for me to persevere during times of testing and it humbles me and reminds me how blessed I am during times of favor. My faith helps to restore my enthusiasm and attitude daily, too. In addition, good health allows me to focus on taking the best care of me so that I can be a positive influence in the lives of others. I trust that God has a plan and a purpose for everything, that everything does happen for a reason, and all things (even challenging circumstances) work together for good.
I value eating well and exercising regularly. Focusing on my physical health makes me feel better emotionally, and mentally, too. When I first started my master’s program, I set a goal that I wanted to lose 30 pounds by the time I graduated. I am excited to share that I have recently recommitted to this goal and through the support of Weight Watchers, and one of my best friends who meets me to workout at 5 am every weekday morning, I have lost eighteen pounds to date and am on track to meet my goal. (See weight loss chart below.) In the past, focusing on my health has allowed me to accomplish other achievements such as completing a 10K, a half marathon, and a marathon. Having work-life balance is also an important component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for me.
Lastly, enthusiasm and a positive attitude are two attributes that are evident in everything I do. I believe that happiness is a choice one makes on a daily basis, no matter what one’s current circumstances entail. I enjoy using my energy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude to encourage others to take action. Enjoyment for me comes from coaching, motivating, and inspiring others to pursue their passions.
This past summer, as I was finishing a practicum experience, my father-in-law passed away on the same day that I learned that my dad had to have emergency brain surgery. I was in disbelief that these events were happening simultaneously. As difficult as it was to transition from full-time professional to graduate student and intern, as challenging as it was for my husband to relocate and change jobs when I started my master’s program, and as emotional as it was for us to walk away from our beautifully remodeled home in Columbus, Ohio, we were so thankful that we were living back
northern Ohio near both sets of parents. We felt that things happened for a reason and we were supposed to be living near our parents to help them during a very tough time. I am thrilled to report that my dad has made a full recovery and we (his doctors included) consider it nothing short of a miracle.
As part of our master’s program each semester, we met once a month with our Bowling Green State University advisor and members of our cohort to discuss our internships, celebrate our successes, and work through challenges. A requirement of the course was to keep a reflective journal of our
internship experiences and how we were growing in each of the student affairs competency areas. In addition, each semester, we evaluated ourselves on the competencies and received evaluations from our internship supervisors. (See evaluations below.)
Part of this competency area includes being comfortable with ambiguity. I demonstrated this in my training to be an academic advisor at
Owens. There was no formal type of training program set up for advisors. I was handed a three-ring binder that served as an academic advising
handbook and a course catalog to review. Because I am a hands-on learner, I took it upon myself to arrange short informational interviews with advisors from each of the schools (arts and sciences, technology, nursing, health, business, and public safety). I also made a point to meet with representatives from each of the student services offices to learn more about the resources I would be referring students to when I met with them. While it was humbling to go from a full-time professional to a graduate student and intern, I realized the importance of collaborating, sharing information and ideas, and building relationships with faculty and staff across the campus.
In addition, I also grew in this competency by writing an autobiography for my career counseling class. The purpose of the assignment was to experience the process of self-discovery and personal assessment. In addition, I did a researched a career of interest to me and did a career presentation to experience first-hand the research and self-discovery we ask students to take part in as part of career advising. (See copies of these projects below).
Resources:
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Photo from http://www.cfka.org/vital-signs-2012/personal-health
Artifacts:
Weight Loss Progress Chart:
CSP 6890 Evaluations of Internship:
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Career Autobiography:
Career Research Paper:
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