social media

[the other day]: i came across an incredible infographic comparing the millenial generation to the ones before us. not surprisingly, one of the defining features of our generation is how much technology is a part of our lifestyle. this is one of those things you just take as common knowledge, but when  i really stop to think about it, technology... more specifically social media... literally somewhat rules my life!

[for example]: at dinner time, my dad was watching the news on tv, they were showing a cute video of how a baby stuck its hand in the president's mouth and my dad had a smile and his face and said "hey, look at that!" my immediate response was "dad, i totally saw that on my tumblr blog like 8 hours ago."

[realization]: as simple and lighthearted as this moment was, i started to think back on all these little instances where i would actually inform my parents of important news-related things because i saw them online on social media sites like tumblr, facebook, or even yahoo news.

[point is]: everyday, i realize more and more just how much social media and the internet in general is so much a part of how i live my life. the concept of constantly having the ability to be connected to the world truly defines how much of an amazing time we are living in.  

[role in student affairs]: a huge takeaway from my acuho-i internship this summer was our focus on recognizing social media was an incredibly valuable form of communication to our residents. pretty much everyone has a facebook so with intentional and consistent updating, it really did wonders for making communication more feasible on both ends. as i enter this field, i see that i do have a strong interest in developing the use of social media to enhance the student experience and connection to university administration. 

"lol"

at first, i was feeling anxious about this last grad school application i am working on right now. part of me feels like this school is my #1 choice at the moment so i think that creates a little added pressure as i sit here and try to type out essay responses that somehow express everything about who i am. 

basically, i was feeling stressed. then i realized that every time i would read over something i just typed, for some reason, the voice in my head was reading with an english accent!!! 

that's the point where i literally laughed out loud. why in the world am i re-reading everything in an english accent?? and not even out loud, but just in my mind! 

i think it's healthy to have ridiculous moments like this once in a while. it reminds me to just relax and enjoy this process. lol :)

thankful

thankful.

for not only great news...
but also an army of supporters to share this exciting time with.

my NUFP mentor: SARAH!

so i haven't posted about my NUFP mentor yet because i think i just don't know where to start! so maybe i'll do like a series of posts about her. haha

every day, i grow more happy to be a part of NUFP.

&& i am so incredibly thankful to have the perfect mentor.

we have a great balance of professional and personal aspects to our talks. most importantly, i feel like i can just be myself around sarah. she is so supportive about my entire process of working towards being a future student affairs professional. from talking about how the residents from tenaya are grown up now (the residence hall she was my supervisor in last year), to reviewing my personal statements for grad school applications... i am so thankful for this NUFP mentor/mentee relationship and i can't wait to see how much it will grow even more!

one example of how awesome she is: before my take it slo a capella singing group holiday show, sarah texted me she was feeling sick and wouldn't be able to go. but only a super supportive mentor would come anyways!

just ask

 

Last year, during a community service event with my sorority Chi Delta Theta, I noticed that one of the attendees was Mr. Cornel Morton, the Cal Poly Vice President of Student Affairs. I quickly ran over to my friends and excitedly whispered, "You guys! He has my future dream job!"

I thought about the value of being proactive that I learned from my mom so I decided to have a seat next to Cornel and just introduce myself to him. He was very friendly and we started to talk about my interest in Student Affairs. 

I ended up following up with him through a simple e-mail. All I did was ask if he would be available to meet sometime to further discuss his experiences. Since then, we have met several times and just having discussions with someone with his kind of experience and wisdom creates space for me to simply think more deeply about the student affairs field and what my role could be in it one day.

Eventually, I had another "just ask" moment and I have been talking to him about the possibility of shadow/informal intern experience with him. My hope is have exposure to what it means to be a high-level student affairs professional. I am excited to see where this goes next quarter.

// So I leave you with this thought, if you have an idea... why not just ask? The worse thing someone would do is say no. But if they say yes... well, that just opens the door to incredible potential. And all it took to get it started was for you to just ask.

dean's list

grades just came out today. 

it made me remember that at 1:47am the monday night of finals week i wrote this as my facebook status:

when did i allow my self worth to be dependent on whether or not i make dean's list? trying to remind myself to reassess and just be in love with education. #finalsweekdeliriousness

but really, when did that happen? despite all my belief that personal development in the higher education setting is about so much more than grades, i still find myself completely dependent on that "dean's list" stamp of approval to make me feel like everything i worked for that quarter really mattered. but it shouldn't be like that at all. i think it's good to work towards ambitious academic goals. but i think i have to be careful not to completely devalue the complete educational experience by just making it about "making dean's list" instead of "genuinely learning." and at the same time, i truly believe that you get out of it what you put into it... and if i honestly put everything i have into my academics, it will pay off in the end... even in the form of the coveted "dean's list" ;)

$$

everyone knows that going to grad school costs money, but i didn't even think about some of the random costs that go into just APPLYING for grad schools:

• application fees
• official transcript request fees
• mailing/postage costs
• airline flights for potential interview weekends
• hotel costs for potential interview weekends
• & the munchies you eat while you work on your applications at coffee shops or something :)

... it's all worth the investment though!

first night of winter break

fall quarter is officially over. i survived finals & all those big projects with a smile on my face! but it's my first night at home for winter break & i'm sitting here at 4 in the morning filling out grad school applications & doing things like making online requests to have my transcripts sent out. i have a feeling my mind won't be at rest until these applications are all done. but it's a good feeling.

calpolysloadvisors guest blogger: acuho-i internship

my mentor asked me to be a guest blogger for the cal poly community/resident advisors blog! with acuho-i internship applications due soon, we wanted to post something to hopefully encourage some of them to look into this great opportunity so that they might have as amazing an experience as i did. check out the blog here: http://calpolysloadvisors.wordpress.com/

-----------------

&& here's the post i wrote about my acuho-i internship experience:

ACUHO-I Internships (Guest Blogger: Isabella Villacampa, DM Sierra Madre)

I always knew that one of my goals before graduating was to have some kind of internship experience. But I had no idea what that internship would be, what it would have to do with, or how I would get it. I always knew that my RA experience was one of the things I have felt most passionate about and then I realized… why not do an internship that has to do with housing… something I already know I love?

 

This past summer, I had the opportunity to be an intern for the ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program with Canadian Campus Communities in Calgary, Canada. What’s ACUHO-I? “The Association of College and University Housing Officers – International is the preeminent professional association that supports and promotes the collegiate residential experience.”

 

I loved everything about my internship. Professionally, I was able to not only apply the skills and knowledge I had from being a Cal Poly RA but also gain a deeper perspective into the field of student affairs and college/university housing. Personally, working in a different environment was an opportunity to challenge my comfort zone and experience something new and exciting.

 

The process is simple:

1. Create a profile on the ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program site 
2. Upload your resume 
3. Look at the list of host colleges and universities from all over the world offering internships 
4. E-mail the host sites you are interested in 
5. Set up a phone interview… show them everything you got! 
6. Accept an offer Have the time of your life!

I can honestly say my ACUHO-I Internship was one of the most significant development experiences in my life both professionally and personally. I can’t encourage you enough to go for it. Applications are due January 6 (so you have winter break to get everything together!) Check it out now! http://www.acuho-i.org/Default.aspx?tabid=620

finals week

[finally realized the most effective way for me to study for exams]: 

• understand what the lectures were about: go back and look at the course outline to identify the key concepts
• know the toolbox i have: this will prevent random "blanking out" during the exam. if i at least know what i have learned, then that will give me a starting point for answering questions
• take notes on small note cards: this will ensure i am reviewing concepts in a basic form i will likely remember & are a convenient way of looking over what i have studied while walking around campus

grad school applications

random advice:

• be sure to also develop relationships with professors. you may have some solid relationships with student affairs mentors but some applications require letters of recommendation from academic sources.
• be very aware of deadlines and take into account processing time of things like gre scores, transcript requests, and even giving people writing letters of recommendation ample time. you may be ready to turn all your things in, but you won't be able to control these outside things.
• be prepared to have important academic things like tests or papers come up around the same time applications are due and give yourself enough time to balance everything so you don't get overwhelmed the week applications are due.

GRE test done!

  just took the GRE. 

for weeks, that test was constantly in the back of my mind as something to be anxious about. so i just feel relieved! i had a moment in the middle of the test where the whole idea of my applying for grad school finally became very real.

about the test: i think that for most people it's honestly not that bad. my main problem is that as a business major, i literally have not done math in YEARS. so although the material was fair, i basically had to relearn everything. and even if you understand the concepts, you have to actually do everything right to get the right answer. 

advice: invest in getting the practice book. it's exactly like the test so you will know what to expect. oh and download the iphone app so you can always review the vocab words!

in 500 words or less...

"Write a brief statement, of at most 500 words, describing your background, work experience, plans for graduate study and professional career, qualifications that make you a strong candidate for this program, and other relevant information. The personal goal statement is an important part of the application review process, so you should take care to produce a carefully planned and written statement."

-Indiana University Higher Education & Student Affairs Personal Statement Instructions

// just sat down to really start thinking about my IU application. how do i even begin to articulate everything about who i am, what i've experienced, and how all of that culminates to my driving forces for applying for this graduate program and my professional goals?

big decisions

talked to alvin today

alvin was the coordinator of student development of the hall i was a resident advisor in during my second year. being an RA was one of the first milestones that inspired me to go into all of this and alvin was one of my first mentors that helped me figure out this is what i wanted to do with my life. it was crazy to have a short conversation with him on the phone today. two years later, so much has happened and i had a thousand things to update him on.

right now, i just feel really supported by a lot of different people to pursue all of this. thank you to everyone.

interview: dave vale

Dave Vale

Residence Hall Director at San Diego State University

This interview was a little bit of a different experience because I actually knew Dave Vale. He was a Coordinator of Student Development here at Cal Poly when I was a Resident Advisor my second year. Back then, I had no idea that this cool CSD I would randomly interact with would later be someone I talked to about grad school and my future career. Just goes to show, you can never predict the different roles someone can play in your life.

He's from Ohio

Dave came from a small, private liberal arts school in Ohio and knew he always wanted to teach. Studying abroad in Australia opened his eyes to experiencing as much as he can and he immediately started getting really involved on campus. Dave eventually found himself talking to one of his advisor’s about how he got his job in Student Life and this opened Dave’s eyes to the whole idea of grad school. After graduating from the Colorado State program, he accepted the CSD position at Cal Poly and that’s where I got to meet him!

Different Paths

One of the things I learned from talking to Dave was that paths can really change and I need to be open to that. All I’ve ever known of Dave up to this point was the Res Life aspect of his career. But it’s interesting to think people can have great experiences in one thing but these might actually lead to other paths. At this point, Dave sees himself going in different directions: stick with student affairs and become some kind of program director, go back to school for a PhD and become a faculty member, or even go back to his original plan of high school teaching and coaching. I think it’s really important for me to realize that as much as I try to plan everything out, my passions and interests my shift and it’s actually ok for me to have different paths to choose from.

What ideas or thoughts inspired or motivated you to get started?

Early on, Dave saw the need for education and thinking about the number of teachers that stood out to him made him want to go into that profession. He has this beautiful idea of wanting to play a role in students discovering what they are passionate about, inspires them, and developing their intrinsic motivation. This thought is definitely one of my driving forces that inspires me to pursue this kind of career. I also agree with his thought that working with college students is key because this is the time they are doing things that shape the rest of their life and college can be the forefront for a lot of change in the world. He also talked about how the college campus has a lot of positive energy and because it is such a good environment, it is a motivating setting as a professional.

What are some of the challenges you have had to face?

Work/life balance of course. Dave mentioned that ever present mantra of “If you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you help others?” I have a feeling that’s something I definitely need to keep in mind.

Choosing the right grad program

Dave gave me some insight on the types of things I should be considering when choosing the right fit. One thing to consider is the type of faculty I am interested in. Some schools have full-time faculty members that teach every class and are a great resource to get to know. Other schools have the administrators as the faculty members so not only do they teach the classes, they’re kind of living what they’re doing in their day to day work. Another thing to consider is the graduation requirement whether that is a thesis, final exam, or portfolio. Dave mentioned that at Colorado State, his culminating project was a portfolio that shows he met the competencies from all the experiences he had. My initial reaction was to laugh out loud when he said his final portfolio project was 328 pages. As unbelievable as that sounds at first, I actually think that’s really exciting to have such an extensive portfolio to really tell the story of all your experiences.

Colorado State SAHE Program

Dave was kind of my person to talk to about the Colorado State SAHE program and I definitely left the conversation excited about the possibility of that program. Dave loved the program, especially the faculty and the cohort system. Students are required to complete 2 practicum based experiences. Dave’s experiences included Res Life, Study Abroad programs, and a NODA internship. When I think about the outcomes I would like from a program, I honestly feel like the Colorado State SAHE Professional Competencies perfectly describe my vision.

Study Abroad Programs

One of my underlying thoughts has been considering possibilities outside of my love for Res Life. Dave mentioned the possibility of going into Study Abroad. This is a new possibility I have never really thought of before but the moment he mentioned it, I realized that’s something I would at least be interested in gaining some experience in if I can. Although there might not be as many positions as something like Res Life, I think there could be some interesting opportunities in it. Ever since I came back from my ACUHO-I Internship in Canada, I’ve pretty much been preaching the word to everyone of how much going abroad can be an incredible growing experience both professional and personally. Potential future assistantship interest maybe??

What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter this field should know?

“You’re going to get a lot of the program you’re going into.” Dave mentioned that although I might already feel like I could work with people in this kind of way, there’s so much more to learn and I need to be open to growing. It’s exciting to think about how there’s a lot going on across the country with all the dynamic changes of this field. I also like the thought that “this year’s students are always going to be different from last year’s.” It’s true, people/society/the student population is constantly changing and I can potentially be in the forefront of those changes.

What it really means to be a Student Affairs professional?

Too loosely quote him, “Being in a place where you’re supporting and challenging students… Helping them grow and develop on a holistic level… There’s more to the college experience outside of academics that can set yourself up for success… Making sure students are aware they can take advantage of that… Challenge their viewpoints, get them to think a little deeper about issues out there in the real world… Supporting students but also challenging them, expand their horizons… Developing intrinsic motivation, talk to students, tap into what really drives them or motivates them, making sure they are doing everything they can, they’re going to enjoy things and also make change in them…” Ohmygoodness, that’s exactly in line with how I think of everything! :)

WRCSAD Keynote Speaker

Dr. Anthony R. Ross 

Vice President for Student Affairs

California State University, Los Angeles

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams

With this first quote, Dr. Ross captured my attention. This is one of the motivating thoughts that inspires me to pursue a career in student affairs. My aim is to play a role in helping others discover who they are and who they strive to be so they can pursue their own passions and affect the world in their own ways.

Dr. Ross also provided some thoughts on how to go about that. It was good to be reminded that sometimes no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you think you know your path, there are other designs in place. Dr. Ross suggested the key is listening to mentors, being open to all that may come, and taking risks. 

His personal story exemplified just how much a path may change but each change may open the door to new opportunities... “You can’t be afraid to have your bags packed physically and mentally to be ready to move and take new opportunities.”

The more I learn about the career paths of different professionals, the more I realize that everyone has such a unique story. But there are definitely common underlying principles for success: keeping in mind your reasons for being passionate about this career, being open minded to change, and building meaningful relationships.

Listening to words of wisdom from successful professionals like Dr. Ross inspires me to think about what my future role could be and even though I’m not exactly sure what the future may hold, I try to keep in mind one of the last thoughts Dr. Ross shared… “You are capable for more than you know.”

balance

my true colors personality assessment: gold. i'm a gold through and through: consistent, goal-oriented, traditional, realistic, prepared, dependable, loyal, responsible & having leadership ability. and i really do believe that work comes before play. i'm the type person that literally gets joy out of planning every hour of every day. i like structure, i like creating tangible goals, and i like planning my schedule to best utilize my time to achieve what i need to get done. 

but the thing i am slowly realizing is that i can't always be so focused on the future that i forget to enjoy the present. and also, i have to learn that not everything is about me and what i want or what i think i need.

because i am getting so passionate about exploring student affairs, i was excited for wrcsad for weeks. but i had some big events going on in SLO the night before that really meant a lot to some of the people i care about the most. so, i reevaluated everything and decided to make some sacrifices. i stayed in SLO for the event and drove to LA at 11pm. i didn't get in until 2am and i woke up at 6am to make it in time for wrcsad. 

this was just one of those life experiences that made me reevaluate what is important to me and i'm sure i'll be making decisions about balancing my personal and professional worlds for the rest of life. 

western regional careers for student affairs day

 

today was my first opportunity to attend a large-scale student affairs event like this. there was a keynote speaker, program sessions, & a graduate fair. pretty typical conference format right? but it was so much more than that. i went in thirsting for knowledge & every single moment was a learning experience. i feel like today just made everything that much more real. there is a very real network of organizations & people out there passionate about dedicating their lives to the student experience. i am so inspired to work hard so that i can be a significant contribution to this field one day. 

Highlights...

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anthony Ross
• Student Affairs 101 Session
• Verifiable Contributions to Student Learning and Development Session
• Reflections on Master's Programs in Student Affairs Panel
• Professionals of Color Panel
• && crazy first hand experiences of the Student Affairs field being a very small world indeed! :)

interview: raja bhattar

Raja Bhattar

LGBT Campus Resource Center at University of California, Los Angeles 

What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter this field should know? “It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. Put yourself out there, explore as much as you can. Find a position that really fits your lifestyle. Figure out why you want to do this and be aware of why you are doing it. Know what you really want to get out of your experience and how you can make the most of it. The most important part is finding the right fit for you.” 

University of Vermont: Up to this point, a lot of my grad school influence has been from people who loved the Indiana University program so talking to Raja was my first real conversation about a different program. In reflecting back on our conversation, I can still feel the passion he had for the program because I look at my notes and it just seems like a genuinely passion-filled stream of consciousness: “full tuition and stipend, great quality and high caliber faculty, great social justice focus, felt like right fit, cohort experience 18-20 people, get to know people really well, actually get engaged in different parts of campus, medium sized school, assistantships all across campus, classroom was like mini board/regions meeting, strong UVM alum connection across the country.” // Beyond the facts of the program, what’s really noteworthy for me is how apparent it is that Raja truly felt like this program was simply the right fit for him. I find it intriguing that UVM is often described as a very white, low people of color, all about tradition kind of school because I also get the idea that this type of campus dynamic creates space for very interesting conversations about social justice and diversity within the supportive and intellectual student affairs program community. 

Assistantship/Internship Experiences: Raja appreciated that his program required experiences in 3 different departments. He worked with Community Service, Dean of Students recruitment for HESA program, and Athletics. Raja mentioned he was never the athletic type so I found it interesting that he wanted to challenge himself to see if he could work with that community. His thought process was if he was a VP one day, he now knows he can work with that group. (This is definitely going on the list of thoughts I will keep in mind for the rest of my professional career!) 

Being open regionally: Raja talked about going to a conference a couple years ago and not really seeing job opportunities in regions he was interested in working. His mentor said, “Why not look at location after you look at job descriptions?” It was then that he asked himself “Why am I limiting myself to region and getting frustrated?” This was one of those aha moments! // Being open regionally is one of the challenges I am dealing with in choosing grad schools. There are a lot of opportunities that I am interested in but coming from California (literally the best place in the world haha), it’s not that easy for me to quickly be comfortable with the idea of living in areas I never saw myself living before. But at the same time, I know that pushing my comfort zones is exactly what I need to do for the personal growth I am seeking. 

Just do it: Raja reached a point in his professional career where he knew he needed a different experience. He saw a job opportunity but questioned if he was qualified for it. One of his friends encouraged him to just apply and he thought if nothing else happens, then that’s it. He ended up being successful in the application process and three months into the job, he is loving his position. // I am a firm believer that there is no harm in putting yourself out there to just go for something. The worst case scenario is that it doesn’t happen but at least you opened the door to potential for something great.

interview: mark houlemarde

Mark Houlemarde, 

Residence Hall Director at Cornell University

Mark is one of the most intelligent people I have had the pleasure of speaking with. The second I got off the phone with him, I just had to pause to process how much I felt like I learned from him... 

Grad school advice? Mark chose to do his Masters through the HESA program at Indiana University because he was attracted to the faculty. In undergrad, he studied Race and Ethnic Studies and had an interest in how students define diversity and how they make sense of their social circles. He suggested I take a look at the research interests of the faculty at different schools and see if that matches up with my professional interests. Also, when I get involved in grad programs and assistantships, I shouldn’t be afraid to also ask for opportunities outside of what I am doing. He mentioned being a grad student is a great opportunity because people know I’m still learning so they are willing to help. 

Housing? Something different? Best of both worlds? Sometimes one of my concerns is that because I have so many great experiences within housing, I am not really exposed to the opportunities outside of it. So as much as I can see a career for myself in housing, maybe there is something else out there I can grow to be passionate about also but just haven’t had the chance to learn that yet. Mark mentioned that there’s housing but there’s a lot to housing. I know that there are a lot of opportunities to work with different parts of the University and also be a part of collaborating different divisions. For example, Mark mentioned being in Res Life but also working to collaborate programs with Greek Life. So basically even if I do choose to stay within my love for housing, that doesn’t close the door to working with other aspects of Student Affairs. 

Assessment again! The second Mark started talking about the importance of assessment, I could immediately hear the influence of Tony in his voice. Mark talked about the value in basing fundamental program development on assessment. I really liked the idea of “Here’s what we’re doing, here’s what we’ve done well, and here’s what we can improve on.” There really is so much potential for development if that data is used to assess why we do programs and justify what it’s being done. 

What ideas or thoughts inspired or motivated you to get started? Mark mentioned that as the diversity of the field changes, there are things we have to change. As a professional, he felt like he could be a part of that change. // Mark also mentioned the changing demographics on college campuses. I really connected to this idea about the demographics of the campus having a real affect on the student life experience. Being a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where the demographics are literally 65% white, our student life organizations look very different from the types of things my friends at UC Berkeley are involved in. Being aware of how different campus dynamics can be really inspires me to know that as a Student Affairs professional, I can play a real role in the learning processes in these different social experiences. 

What is your ultimate professional goal in this field? “I don’t know. I’m going to have to talk to some people before I figure that out. I feel like there’s a lot of opportunities.” // I think sometimes I can put too much pressure on myself to feel like I need to have the rest of my life completely planned out. It’s good to be reminded once in a while, that it really is ok not to have every single thing figured out. And to appreciate the support system I have around me as I try to figure things out. 

What are some of the challenges you have had to face? It can be challenging to work with people who think differently from you.  As a professional, Mark always tries to do his best to really articulate what he knows from a student’s perspective/experience and "triangulate" that with what data or theories suggest. For example, in order to say “Here’s why I need a better lounge space for a Res Hall” you need to be able to take that information to different departments that each has their own needs and focuses. In working with so many other departments, you have to figure out how you can transfer what you know so that it’s more appealing and relevant to them. One of those things I will keep in mind for the rest of my professional career: Being a professional is about taking what you know and articulating it in a way that is best for you are talking to. 

What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter this field should know? Networking. This field is notorious for networking and you’ll probably get sick of how much people say it is a small field. Mark said that actually motivates him to always try to do the best work he can because he knows that at any time, he can be working with people that will be his future bosses.