sign of the times

loved seeing this on my facebook newsfeed! NASPA is so hip and with it! lol

"I'm a Res Life person"

One of the best parts about doing all this traveling for grad school interviews is meeting all the amazing people out there so passionate about entering this field. It's funny because someone always ends up asking, "So what are your interests in student affairs? What do you do?" 

My immediate response is always "Umm well... I'm a Res Life person." haha But ya, a lot of my undergrad experience is related to Res Life.

I still remember that day during freshman year when I was walking to the bathroom down the hall and saw a poster with Adam Sandler, Katie Couric, Wesley Snipes, and Sheryl Crow and it said something like "Be a Leader" and I just felt so innately drawn to the idea of being an RA. It wasn't about money, it wasn't about a guaranteed place to live... it just honestly sounded like exactly what I wanted out of my college experience at that time. Then from there, it was becoming a Desk Manager to see the administrative side of things and incorporate my Business major to my University Housing experience. Then it was becoming more serious about student affairs and pursuing the ACUHO-I internship. ResLifeResLifeResLIfe. But what is it about Res Life that makes me so passionate about it? 

Here's another excerpt from an application that is kind of my general thoughts on Res Life. Another kind of like "let me just put this here so I can look back at it one day and say awww I was such a cute and naive little undergrad who had no idea how all of that would lead to all the amazing things that have happened since then" haha:

I envision myself professionally entering the field through a Residence Life position. I recognize that my Resident Advisor experience is what ignited my passion for the Student Affairs field. I now see my residents in leadership roles on campus and pursuing their career goals. In reflection, I recall conversations I had with them about self-awareness and educational pursuits. I can’t help but feel my RA role had some type of influence and purpose. Student development is what keeps me motivated and inspired to pursue this as my career path. In a professional Residence Life position, my goal is to develop true student leaders in my RA staff so that they may in turn positively affect the lives of their residents and discover self-awareness in a way similar to my experience.

In Residence Life, I also have a strong interest in Living Learning Communities. As a first year student living in an LLC for my major, I truly felt that community supported my academic success. This past summer, I pursued an ACUHO-I Internship for Canadian Campus Communities in Calgary, Canada. In this role, I had an opportunity to develop a 3-phase action plan to implement an Arts Living Learning Community. It first focused on the RA role in programming, then expanding to involvement with the Arts School programming and resources, and eventual plans for mentorship from Arts leaders in the community. This experience furthered my appreciation for LLCs and as a professional, I hope to play a role in developing LLC programs to support academic and professional growth within the Residence Hall in a way that enhances the student experience. 

a working thought

I recently sent in my application for the NUFP Summer Leadership Institute. One of the questions asked about my long-term career goals in student affairs or higher education. Thinking back to when I first started this blog, I don't think I had any idea what my long-term career goals were so this really gave me a chance to think about where I could possibly see myself.

Below is an excerpt from my response to the question. I think that this is definitely a working thought and I have a lot more to learn before I can really solidify what it would mean to be a leader for AAPIS in higher education, but I think it would be interesting to just put this excerpt here and see where my understandings of this pathway may grow in the future.

My long-term career goal is to be a leader for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in higher education. Exploring my potential role in this field has truly allowed me to shape my understandings of self-identity and purpose. As a student who identifies as Filipino-American at a predominately white institution, I have had many experiences that have inspired me to be a voice for my community.

My NUFP mentor recently gave me a book featured at the NASPA Conference titled Asian Americans and Pacific Islander in Higher Education: Research and Perspectives on Identity, Leadership, and Success. Among the many themes of the book, I felt the authors spoke of the need for a response to the underrepresentation of this growing population. As mentioned by the book editors, very little has been published on AAPIs in higher education student affairs. I know that I have a lot to learn in this area but I am inspired to be a leader in the development of information because I truly feel there is a story to tell.

Specifically, I have a growing passion for research interests centered on the college experiences of Filipino-American students. I was surprised to learn that according to the most recent U.S. Census, Filipinos were reported as the second largest Asian group. How can a population so significant in number be a relatively invisible topic in academics? I envision myself playing a role in advocating to increase Filipino studies in higher education programs and developing student leaders in these communities to also work towards change.

In addition, it is my understanding that there are very few Asian American women in senior-level leadership positions in higher education. I am still discovering the realities of career pathways in this field but I would like to strive towards an eventual senior-level position in the student affairs community and on a personal level, simply be that example to inspire AAPI students to achieve their own successes.

I truly believe...

I truly believe Higher Education and Student Affairs is instrumental in helping students build self-awareness, discover their passions, and align it with their professional goals. I am passionate about pursuing a career in Student Affairs because I want to play a role in helping others discover 1) who they are, 2) what they strive to be, and 3) how they can reach their highest potential.

2011-2012

the past year of my life has been about these places. these are the experiences that are shaping my student affairs future!

havent posted in a while

...because i've been traveling for different grad school interviews and whatnot. honestly, i've just been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting. and i think i felt like because i had so much to think about, i didn't want to solidify anything in writing and in public because i was still thinking things through. but i think i'm almost ready to start writing down all the thoughts running through my head... almost :) these are definitely exciting times with big decisions to make!


one thing's for sure: i am definitely going to go to grad school out of state this fall! ahhh!! is this real life???

spring break: day 1

driving along the coast with mom & dad, reading this book and thinking about how i want to change the world.

just clicked print.

officially printing out my cover letters and resumes for my first on-campus grad school interviews!! for months now, this has all been something i've just been talking about. but now... it's really happening! it's unreal. ahhhh!!!

The NUFP Fellows Community!

Around here, it seems like I am literally 1 of 4 people interested in pursuing Student Affairs in graduate study and as a career. I honestly feel like I spend most of my time trying to explain to people what I am passionate about doing with my life (not to mention, convincing them that this is can actually be a career... gotta love Cal Poly, land of the Engineers who doubt that being a Business Major can actually lead to a job one day haha <3). 

One of the things I am so thankful for with this NUFP opportunity, is how much it as connected me to a great community of other students just like me, going through the exact same process. For once, I don't need to explain myself or my career interests because they already have the same passions! And you know me, I love my social media. Facebook has been an incredible resource for really connecting with other NUFP fellows.

With the understanding that we're all in the same boat right now, everyone seems really genuinely supportive of each other. And reading through all the casual group discussions about different issues in higher education keeps me motivated because it is exciting to see that other people out there are already so intellectual about this field. With so many people with different backgrounds and experiences all talking in one place, it inspires me to challenge the limits of my knowledge about current issues in higher education and to just be open minded to always learning more and expanding my view.

It took a lot but one day, I mustered up the courage to share the link to my blog on the NUFP group page. I think I was pretty nervous about it because part of me was intimidated by how smart all the other fellows seemed. Would they think my thoughts on Student Affairs aren't legit? Am I fool for thinking I could be successful in this field? Would they just brush it off and not care? Would anyone even click on it??

Pretty soon after, Ivana messaged me saying:

I hope you don't mind, but I saw on your blog that you had an ACUHO-I internship, and noticed that it was in Canada because of your pictures. I would love to hear more about that experience. I had a NUFP internship at the University of Kansas last summer and it was such an awesome experience. But I bet seeing student affairs in another country was really cool.

And with that, it was like the gates of heaven opened up and I realized just how exciting it was to be a part of the supportive NUFP community. Here was a real person genuinely interested in my experiences that also had her own story to tell that I could learn from. We messaged back and forth and I was seriously in awe of how eloquent she was about Student Affairs. I was like... oh man! These are the type of people applying to grad school too? I need to step up my game! haha

The other day, I saw a post on one of our NUFP group pages from Ryan asking about ACUHO-I Internships. asdjfl;asdjfkl! I was incredibly excited to share my experiences to help someone out with the process that I was going through last year. The crazy thing was that literally as I was typing out my response to Ryan's message, Ivana facebook chatted me asking about grad school interviews at IU! (It was such a cool moment that ya, I printscreened it... hahaha)

So thank you NUFP Fellows 2011-2012 for being a great community. And I look forward to meeting you all in person out in the field one day... maybe at grad school interviews next month??? Ahhh!!!

just checked the weather...

i'm pretty sure that all 3 grad schools i applied to will not have this kind of weather in the middle of winter. 

but as amazing as this paradise is, i really am excited to experience something different. i don't want to just be a "california girl" my whole life and have that be all i know.

there's so much more to the world & i'm excited to discover that with these next steps in my life. enjoying the last few months here & excited to see what the future holds!

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