Running head: AREAS FOR GROWTH

Areas for Growth

Thad Teo
Seattle University

AREAS FOR GROWTH

2
Areas for Growth

Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5, 7, 9; Artifacts A1, B1, B2, C2, C3 E, G

The overarching narrative theme that encompasses my areas for growth following the
Student Development Administration (SDA) program is translating theory to practice for
specific student populations. This is important for all educators as the student population is
becoming more and more diverse in this country, moreover, it is especially imperative for me as
a graduate from the SDA program to be critically aware of who is represented and who is not
when it comes to research and theory in the field of higher education and student development.
Multicultural Competence
I am a strong advocate for the importance and value of multicultural competence in the
field of student affairs. In addition, I recognize that gaining multicultural competence is a neverending educational journey and that I cannot just stop learning about diverse student populations
and appropriate ways to support them once Im done with my graduate program. As I move
toward the future, I aim to proactively engage with different student populations physically and
through literature in order to keep learning and growing. This area addresses Learning Outcomes
(LO) two, three, and five.
Learning Outcome 2: Understanding students and student issues
My key dimensions for this LO are relevant student development theory, listening to
students stories, and empathy. Student development theory that is grounded in strong research is
useful when looking at students as a large group or from a broader macro perspective, however,
theories that apply to some students might not be appropriate or relevant to others. And this has
been one of my biggest takeaways from my SDAD 5400 Student Development Theory, Research,
& Practice coursework. Although theories provide the frameworks that guide our practice, it

AREAS FOR GROWTH

will never fully define who the student is. Therefore in order to better understand individual
students and their issues, I believe in opening up our minds and ears to truly listen to students
unique stories. Im especially glad I had the opportunity to co-teach a course at the UW
(Artifact E) where I was able to provide space and airtime to international students to share their
backgrounds and experiences with me.
There is so much to learn from students, and this belief is emphasized in my higher
education philosophy (Artifact C2) that was developed in SDAD 5300 Foundations of the
Student Affairs Profession. Adapting Paulo Freires (1970) concept of a teacher-student with
student-teachers into my philosophy, I reiterated my belief in learning through interaction and
dialogue that allows both parties to grow. Similarly, I aim to actively listen to the stories of
students from diverse backgrounds in order to better understand them and their issues. As an
extrovert, I am drawn to interact and listen to other people, nevertheless, it is the notion of
empathy that will produce the most effective understanding, an asset that educators should have.
Learning Outcome 4: Understanding and fostering diversity, justice, and a sustainable
world formed by a global perspective and Jesuit Catholic tradition
My key dimensions for this LO are students feeling valued, students feeling included,
and students feeling represented. Prior to the SDA program, I had little understanding of what
diversity meant beyond race, but through coursework in SDAD 5300 Foundations of the Student
Affairs Profession, SDAD 5400 Student Development Theory, Research, & Practice, and EDUC
5200 Social Justice, I have come to understand diversity as a celebration of infinite backgrounds,
beliefs, ideas, stories, and the list goes on beyond just race and salient identities. This realization
has made a strong impact in how I personally view the world and my place in society, and the
idea of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), an asset-based approach to diverse student

AREAS FOR GROWTH

groups, has now become a large part of who I am as reflected in my personal mission statement
(Artifact B1).
In order to foster diversity, we as educators need to break down barriers and open up
doors for students to feel valued, included, and represented in higher education. Due to my
background as a quasi-international student, I have always had a strong interest in supporting
international students because I believe they bring tremendous amounts of diversity to American
higher education. As part of my internship with Academic Support Programs at the University of
Washington, I was involved in developing a curriculum (Artifact E) and teaching an
interdisciplinary course for international students with the goal of helping them better understand
the history and structure of the American higher education system and their place within it. On
the first day of class, the first thing we did was thank our students for bringing their wealth of
experiences and diverse backgrounds to the university, and that we were ready to learn from
them. That simple act of appreciation made our students feel empowered to share their stories
and knowledge with us, and it made them feel included at such a large university. The
experience of working with diverse groups of students will continue as an opportunity for me to
further develop multicultural competence.
Learning Outcome 5: Adapting student services to specific environments and cultures
My key dimensions for this LO are flexibility, collaboration across campus, and student
success as the end goal, as defined by being open to working with campus partners in order to
develop programs and services that are most effective in supporting students. Continuing with
the subtheme of multicultural competence, higher education professionals have to remain
flexible in our practice in order to best serve a diverse variety of students, environments, and
cultures. Flexibility means taking a step back when circumstances are not ideal to implement

AREAS FOR GROWTH

certain programs or policies that might not work with some student populations. The higher
education field is one that is highly collaborative, and I aspire to continue being fearless in
seeking help from colleagues across campus in order to find the best solutions that are culturally
appropriate. I highlight the ideals of collaboration in my leadership philosophy (Artifact C3)
because I believe in the importance of teamwork and collective knowledge as a way to gain a
better understanding of diverse populations and how creative approaches might be better for
certain student groups and environments.
Although reaching out to colleagues across campus might be a practical approach to
gaining the knowledge and skills to appropriately adapt student services to specific environments
and cultures, it is vital for all stakeholders of the group to be in agreement that student success is
the collective end goal and not merely a means to a different end. In my professional position
with UW College of Arts & Sciences Advancement, I have had the opportunity to reach out to
departmental advisors across campus to aid in my program development of a student-alumni
career networking event (Artifact G). I needed their help to identify more females and alumni
of color to diversify the makeup of successful alumni in the room for diverse students to identify
with. As the departmental advisers learned more about my genuine desire and vision to develop
a program that benefits students, and not merely an opportunity for Advancement to raise money
from alumni, the process of working together became smoother. Moving forward, I hope to
continue improving my ability to work with other educators and professionals across campus
with the common vision of having students at the forefront of our work.
Research & Assessment
Critical research and assessment is another subtheme that will aid in translating theory to
practice for specific student populations. This is an important area that I want to grow in

AREAS FOR GROWTH

regardless of whether Im enrolled in a doctoral degree program or not. My desire to increase

the knowledge pool is clearly reflected in my professional mission statement (Artifact B2) as I
fully recognize the importance of conducting culturally appropriate research and assessment to
provide useful data and knowledge that will guide future practice. This area addresses Learning
Outcome (LO) seven.
Learning Outcome 7: Utilizing assessment, evaluation, technology, and research to improve
practice
My key dimensions of this LO are evidenced-based research, critical thinking, and
integrating effective and adaptive technologies. Prior to enrolling in the SDA program, most of
my professional experiences had been in life science and social research as evident in my preSDA resume (Artifact A1). My experience working with the Social Development Research
Group studying adolescent health and risky behavior exposed me to evidence-based research
where I was taught to be critical of whether a program or policy implemented actually works;
wheres the evidence? we would ask. Bringing this critical lens with me to the SDA program
has been useful in sparking discussions inside and outside classrooms, especially when
questioning research that omits students of color and/or underrepresented students.
Along with developing a pilot course as part of my internship (Artifact E), I also
developed an assessment at the end of the quarter to gain feedback from students because I
firmly believe that feedback and assessments are helpful to improving practice with respect to
both curriculum development and teaching approach. In addition, we sought feedback on
technologies that would be effective and adaptive for international students, and it was through
this information gathering that we expanded our understanding of adapting culturally specific
social media platforms to engage specific student groups. For example, students from China

AREAS FOR GROWTH

were more likely to utilize Chinese social media like WeChat, Weibo, and Renren instead of
typical American platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Looking ahead, I strive to continue
seeking out opportunities to conduct new research and assessments of current programs and
policies in order to enhance my understanding of culturally specific practice.
Understanding Government Policy and Issues
The third subtheme I hope to continue learning more about is how government policies
and issues affect theory and practice for specific student populations. These are aspects of higher
education that I need to be aware of in order to best serve students with integrity. This area
addresses Learning Outcome (LO) nine.
Learning Outcome 9: Understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and
governance
My key dimensions of this LO are institutional type, governance, and awareness of
current-affairs, as defined by whether an institution is public or private, two- or four-year, the
purpose, and how it is run. My coursework in SDAD 5800 Higher Education Law and SDAD
5850 Higher Education Finance have helped me better understand the differences between
public and private institutions in regards to how law and finance applies differently to institution
type. In addition, taking EDLPS 561 Education Policies & Leadership in Political Context at the
UW provided me with an introduction of the politics in educational policymaking, an important
aspect that complements my understanding of governance in SDAD 5760 Leadership &
Governance in Postsecondary Education. These courses have provided a much broader
perspective of the field which I believe is very relevant for professional practice. Policies (or
lack thereof) involving law and finance affect the way that student affairs professionals can
coordinate and implement programs, therefore knowing the ways around and through it matters.

AREAS FOR GROWTH

The combination of being a student in the SDA program and working professionally in
UW Advancement has provided me with a wide exposure to issues around law, policy, finance,
and governance. Staying up to date with current affairs that affect students, administrators, and
higher education in general is an area of continuous growth and professional development for me
so I can better navigate the complex relationship between government and institutions.

AREAS FOR GROWTH

9
References

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student
development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: The Continuum International
Publishing Group Inc.
Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community
cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 8, 1.