To my portfolio committee,

 

Thank you for your support as my time in the Student Development Administration (SDA) program comes to a conclusion. The past year and a half have been brimming with new discoveries and moments of critical reflection and discernment. I began my SDA journey with the singular goal of obtaining my master’s degree to make me a more qualified student affairs job applicant. My aspirations and visions for the future have rapidly evolved as I deepened my commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice while cultivating a scholar-practitioner identity. Among my most surprising self-discoveries was realizing my passion for research within higher education—leading me towards a professional trajectory that I never would have anticipated.

 

I was continually exhilarated by coursework during my time in the SDA program. While enrolled in SDAD 5750: Best Practices in Student Services, I explored the Curricular Approach to Student Affairs (Kerr et al., 2020) and developed my personal definition of student success through interviews with student affairs professionals. My learning in this course helped me arrive at a place where I can confidently articulate the relevance of the student affairs profession. In SDAD 5990: M.A. Graduate Project, I learned the fundamental components of educational research while seeing my original research project to completion. This process of inquiry allowed me to deepen my understanding of student development theory in practice, particularly as it pertains to furthering inclusion within higher education.

 

As a new professional, I have bolstered my strengths and leaned into areas for my growth. I cultivated my identity as a leader within each of my three 100-hour internships while leading teams, conducting research, and developing resources for broad student audiences. My professional formation has been further supported through my experience as a Program Coordinator for Wellness & Health Promotion at Seattle University, where I have continued to gain skills in program development and advising to student wellness. Lastly, my time as a leader for Seattle University’s Student Development Association has challenged me to incorporate the student voice into the resources that I provide for my peers in the SDA program.

Overall, my education in SDA and at Seattle University has taught me how to embody my values. In conversations surrounding equity, inclusion, and justice; I have learned how to go beyond verbalizing my commitments and instead, engage in the work necessary to make a tangible, positive difference within higher education. I view this type of change-making as an essential component of Cura Personalis—the Jesuit value centered on care for the whole person—which I believe is critical to student affairs practice. Learning from the example of my faculty and professional mentors, I anticipate Cura Personalis showing up in my work through my continued and deliberate efforts toward making higher education a radically inclusive space. The skills and lessons that I have learned in the SDA program will empower me to work towards this goal through critical inquiry, humble leadership, frequent self-reflection, and care for the students that I serve.

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With gratitude,

Andi