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! :)
