Education
Being a life long learning is a the way I value education. This includes seeking wisdom and knowledge from both formal and informal sources.
My graduate program has prepared me to apply theory to practice using a critical social justice framework. Pursuing a concentration in Student Development Theory has allowed me to explore the dimensions of human development as they relate to college students. For example, I have been able to informally assess students during dialogues using Cross’ Model of Black Identity Development. When I began advising the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), students were unhappy about council size. I challenged them to think through reasons why Black students might be hesitant to join a historically Black Greek organization. We then came up with recruitment strategies to address potential concerns. As a result of these ongoing conversations, students in NPHC decided to host a Welcome Week event in order to introduce themselves to new and returning Black students on campus in order to create a positive narrative of what it means to be Black and Greek affiliated. After this event we saw a visible increase in attendance at programs.
I volunteered to teach a semester-long Educational Leadership course on nature of group leadership to a group of first year students during my last year of graduate school. Each week I facilitated discussions around different aspects of leadership. It was important to me to enter the classroom authentically and use an intersectional approach when discussing the perceived traits, and often ignored challenges, of leaders. To encourage 18-year-old college students to talk about new and sometimes difficult topics (such as the role privilege and oppression plays in leadership) it was important to set up a space of trust. For the first two sessions, I focused on building that trust by leading the class in team builders and bonding activities. At the beginning of each class we sat in a circle and talked about the highs and lows of the week. It was also important that I met with each student individually to get to know them personally, to provide resources, and to support them during their college transition.