Culmination Paper

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Running head: CULMINATION PAPER

Culmination Paper
Leah Sadoian
Azusa Pacific University

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As I prepare to graduate with my Masters degree, I find myself reflecting on these last
two years in my college student affairs program. I am struck by the tremendous growth in myself
as I begin my journey as a Student Affairs Professional. When I began my graduate program, my
limited scope of this field influenced how I approached my practice with students. Now, with a
growing understanding of Student Affairs, foundational theories, and best practices, I feel
prepared to go into the field and better impact students throughout their college journey. This
also influences how I view my future personal and professional goals, and inspires me to
continue growing as I establish my identity as a Student Affairs professional. Although my
graduate school experience is coming to an end, I know my journey into this influential field is
just beginning.
My understanding of student Affairs has shifted and changed throughout my experience
in my college student affairs program. When I began my program, the only exposure I had to
Student Affairs was through my undergraduate experience. I was introduced to Student Affairs
throughout my work in Residence Life, and because of that, my understanding of this field was
limited to primarily supporting students in the Residence Halls. My practices were limited to the
25 women I advised in our living area, supporting them throughout each of their individual
experiences. I found myself struck by how much I enjoyed supporting my fellow students,
feeling like I made an impact in their life by helping them better understand their individual
struggles and working to find resolutions. I enjoyed the art of active listening, helping students
feel heard, and affirming their experiences and emotions. As I began my second year in
Residence Life at Westmont, I began to expand my sphere of influence, to a staff of Resident
Assistants I co-led with my Resident Director. Support changed from just listening to students,
into intentionally creating programming and opportunities for education and development.

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Supporting was not just helping students understand where they are, but creating spaces to help
them develop into who they want to become. I think back to my experience serving as student
representative on our Spring Focus Week Committee, which planned a week dedicated to
programming around racial and ethnic diversity. It was so rewarding to see students attend
programming and process their experiences. This continued motivating me to explore a potential
career in Student Affairs. I entered my graduate program with a very limited view of Student
Affairs, but eager to learn more and enhance my skills to continue supporting college students in
my future career.
Although our field does advocate for holistic support for students, I have learned through
my college student affairs program that Student Affairs professionals advocate for so much more
than just support. I was impacted specifically by the notion that Student Affairs Professionals are
educators. In college I had a firm separation of who was an educator, and who provided general
out-of-the-classroom support. My professors were the educators, they taught the material in
classes. My club advisors, Resident Directors, and other staff were not educators. They did
everything at a college that professors did not. I now know that understanding to be false,
Student Affairs professionals are educators too. Our education may not take place in a classroom,
include a lecture, or require homework assignment from our students, but we value student
learning nonetheless. The idea of co-curricular learning has dramatically impacted my
understanding of Student Affairs. When I began to wear my co-curricular lens as a Student
Affairs Professional, I felt more like an educator, with educational opportunities for students and
designated learning outcomes in my programming. This definitely instilled more purpose in my
work in Student Affairs, because I know student learning is at the forefront of my practice. I
moved from just planning programs to help students connect with each other, to programs with

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concrete educational outcomes, enhancing the idea of connecting the curriculum with the cocurriculum. Most of this growth occurred in my Student Learning in the Co-Curriculum class,
where I was exposed to many different approaches to education in Student Affairs. I also believe
my understanding of support has grown throughout my graduate program. I really appreciated
learning counseling practices in my Counseling: The Helping Relationship class. Working in
triads and case studies prepared me for when I sat down with students in my assistantships and
provided counseling for them. What I understood as support in my undergraduate experience in
Student Affairs now looks different, with practical approaches and theories that helped inspire
my practice. This knowledge helps me feel more prepared when I work with students, creating a
foundation for my work.
Apart from both of these concepts, my understanding of Student Affairs has also grown
in logistical aspects. My understanding of higher education institutions has expanded past small,
private colleges like my alma mater, to the greater variety of institutions: large public, researchbased, community colleges, etc. I have grown in knowledge of different issues college students
today face, in regards to financial concerns, identity development, and the value of a college
degree. Part of fostering this knowledge came through learning different theories and exploring
perspectives related to student development. In particular, development theories helped provide a
roadmap for identity, racial, and moral development. Different perspectives related to privilege
and inclusion continued to influence my practice when working with underrepresented students.
Finally, approaches to co-curricular learning have influenced my understanding of holistic
college student learning.
Gaining a theoretical foundation was a significant part of expanding my knowledge and
understanding of the current issues for college student learning and development. The metaphor

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of developmental theories as a roadmap has helped inform my practice and create a foundation
from which I can continue learning. In particular, three different developmental theories have
been influential to my understanding: Chickerings (1969) theory of identity development
Phinneys (1990) model of ethnic identity development, and Kohlbergs (1958) theory of moral
development. Checkerings seven vectors were the starting point for understanding college
student development. Each vector of development contributes to the formation of identity, and
students move through these vectors at different rates, times, and sequences (Chickering, 1969).
Sophomores may be more prone to development in managing emotions and developing
competence, while seniors make more progress in developing purpose and mature interpersonal
relationships (Chickering, 1969). These developmental vectors helped inform how I understood
college students, what they were going through, and how I could help them in their development.
The roadmap was detailed even further through Phinneys model of ethnic identity development,
which provided understanding for ethnic students, who face a different set of developmental
challenges. Phinney (1990) argued that for minority adolescents, ethnic identity is crucial to
developing a positive self-concept. I am very interested in working with ethnic minority students
in the future, so understanding the roadmap for their development continued to help me inform
my practice and understand challenges they may face. Finally, Kohlbergs (1958) theory of moral
development continued detailing my roadmap to include development in decision-making among
college students. This theory focused on how individuals make moral judgments, the process
they go through to reach their decisions, and how that develops throughout an individuals time
in college (Kholberg, 1958). Any student you interact with will be making decisions for
themselves at one point or another, and having a roadmap can help you understand why they
sometimes choose to make poor decisions. Having a theoretical foundation has provided me with

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a valuable roadmap for working with college students, and understanding how to support them
best in their individual development.
However, I have also encountered a variety of perspectives that have expanded my
knowledge about our field and student development. Two of these have been particularly
significant to me: McIntoshs (1988) concept of privilege, and co-curricular student learning as
explained in both Learning Reconsidered (2004) and Learning Reconsidered 2 (2006).
McInstosh (1988) details white privilege through the metaphor of an invisible knapsack, which
she encourages individuals to unpack in order to confront and understand their privilege. This
has been a very significant perspective for me, as I work with students from underrepresented
populations who feel as though their peers have not unpacked their knapsack. In addition, I
have also worked to identify my own privileges as I prepare to work with students from a variety
of backgrounds and upbringings. Creating an inclusive environment requires me to confront and
understand my privilege. Another perspective that has been influential in my understanding of
college student develop is the idea of co-curricular learning. I understood the idea of
developmental or educational programming when I started my graduate program, but it was a
surface-level understanding. I now know the importance of not only creating co-curricular
programming, but also how to develop learning outcomes, measure assessment, and the
significance of collaboration. Both Learning Reconsidered (2004) and Learning Reconsidered 2
(2006) expand my understanding of what student learning is, and how it directly contributes to
college student development. I feel better prepared now to develop intentional, co-curricular
programming that contributes to the curriculum of a college and encourages holistic
development. With this new understanding of college student develop influenced through

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foundational theories and new perspectives, I am ready to achieve both the personal and
professional goals I have outlined for myself over the next few years.
I anticipate the next three to five years to be a transformative season for me as I establish
my identity as a professional in our field. With that, I have many personal and professional goals
for myself during this new season. My personal goals include managing transitions, balancing
self-care, and exploring more educational options. My professional goals include engaging with
professional organizations, growing in competence of large, public universities, and working
with multicultural offices serving a variety of students. All of these goals are aimed at helping me
become a better individual and professional, during these next three to five years where I will
establish my identity in this field.
My personal goals target strategies to help me outside of work. As I develop my identity
as a professional in this field, I also know I need to take care of the person I am outside of the
office. My first goal is to learn how to manage transitions. I am anticipating moving to a new
city, beginning a new job at a new school, and putting down my roots in a new community. All of
these puzzle pieces can be overwhelming to figure out, so a major goal I have set for myself is to
learn how to manage transitions. This may mean moving outside of my comfort zone and
intentionally connecting with other people to build a community. My introverted self will want to
retreat back alone, but I know the importance of community and the key piece it plays in helping
one transition well. I also want to continue improving my practice of self-care. Student Affairs
can be a very draining field, and having good boundaries to encourage self-care is another
personal goal. I have started working on this already, especially this year working in Residence
Life. As I anticipate the possibility of continuing to work in Residence Life, I know learning how
to create a good approach to self-care will be very important. I will achieve this through creating

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intentional space outside of work for myself, establish routines, and staying connected with
friends and family. My last personal goal is to explore further educational options. I am currently
interested in pursuing my P.h.D., and I want to take some time to explore options, institutions, as
well as areas of research I would want to study during a doctoral program. I am a learner, and I
want to continue growing in my personal education goals. Completing my doctorate will also
help me in a variety of the professional goals I have outlined for myself as well.
My professional goals are directed at helping me establish an identity in our field and
continue pursuing new opportunities to challenge myself. The first is to engage with professional
organizations. I have learned a lot about NASPA, ACPA, and other Student Affairs organizations,
but have not taken the initiative to become a member and engage with them. This is an important
professional goal of mine, because I know establishing a network within our field is a great way
to get your name out there and connect with other people doing similar work. Ive enjoyed
networking as I continue searching for jobs, and I want to continue building a professional
network through organizations as I step into my first full-time role. My next professional goal is
to become more competent of the characteristics of large, public universities. This includes both
institutional characteristics as well as unique aspects of their student body. I want to transition
into a large, public, four-year institution, and becoming more competent about their
characteristics is a key piece of this. If I take a role at a university like this, I want to challenge
myself to learn as much as I can about this institution type through the various resources
available to me on campus and beyond. My last professional goals is to continue working with
multicultural offices and learning how to engage with diverse students. I would like to work in
this functional area, and have targeted my job search to positions in multicultural offices and
cross-cultural centers. After working in an entry-level position for a period of time, I would like

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to move up the ladder to a Director position and continue establishing my professional identity in
this functional area. If I do not work directly in this area, I have set a goal to have some aspect of
multiculturalism in my job, such as working as a Resident Director in a living and learning
community around racial and ethnic diversity. All of these professional goals will help me grow
into this identity as a Student Affairs professional, and establish my presence in our field.
Reflecting on everything I have learned over the past two years has affirmed that I am
ready to begin my journey as a Student Affairs professional. My understanding of our field has
grown, it is now richer and more prepared to address the different issues college students face. I
have set personal and professional goals to help direct me on my journey, providing road marks
along the way as I establish my identity in our field. But along with this confidence comes fear
and anxiety about the unknown. As I prepare to leave the familiar world of graduate school into a
new season, I am drawn back to a quote by Wendell Berry.
Always in the big woods when you leave unfamiliar ground and step off alone in a new
place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of
dread. It is the ancient fear of the unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness
you are going into. (Berry, 1991)
I am balancing both the excitement and fear of the unknown, but I know that this is my first bond
with this new season of my life. As I prepare to enter the field of Student Affairs, this bond will
prove to be foundational, something I can look back upon years from now to remember where I
started. The journey is just beginning, and I eagerly anticipate students I will impact, knowledge
I will gain, and my future in this field.

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References

ACPA, ACUHO-I, ACUI, NACADA, NACA, NASPA, and NIRSA, (2006). Learning
reconsidered 2: Implementingacampuswidefocusonthestudentexperience.
Berry, W. (1991). The Unforeseen Wilderness: Kentuckys Red River Gorge. Emeryville, CA:
Shoemaker Press.
Chickering, A. W. (1969). Education and identity. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Kholberg, L. (1958). The development of modes of moral thinking and choice in the years ten to
sixteen. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago.
McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In Rothenberg, P. S.,
Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study (163-168). New York,
NY: Worth Publishers.
NASPA/ACPA (2004). Learning reconsidered: A campus-wide focus on the student experience.
Published by NASPA.
Phinney, J. S. (1990). Ethnic identity in adolescents and adults: Review of research.
Psychological Bulletin, 108, 499-514.

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