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ePortfolio Narrative Description

Loyola University Chicago

Paola Carrera
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As I reflect on the last two years, there were so many “lightbulb” experiences from

opportunities and engagements in the classroom and in professional settings. Having worked full

time for two years before starting this program, I have now realized how beneficial and essential

it is to have an understanding of student development theories. Having knowledge of these

theories gave me a foundation to fully understand my interactions with students and also support

students. Also, assessment has proven to be an important part and can be an incredibly intense

process. After taking the evaluation required course, I felt confident in my assessment abilities

and learned tools and tricks to help me produce assessment in my own functional area that have

been helpful to understand the success of our events and programs.

Whether it was in an academic space or in a social setting, I have learned quite a bit about

myself and those learnings have helped me develop into a better professional and person. For

example, I have always expressed my need of feedback in order to feel that I have grown in any

role and can continue to improve. Throughout graduate school, I realized that it takes me some

time to fully process feedback in a way that will be helpful for me to improve in any role. From

feedback, I have been able to improve in my own communication skills with other colleagues

and increase transparency with students. I have always considered myself to be an empathic

person, even before I really understood what the term empathy meant, but this program required

me to do a lot of internal reflections through class assignments and readings. The self reflections

and self work from this program showed me that I need to give myself grace in many situations.

While I strive for excellence, I need to understand my own limitations and come to terms with

what I have accomplished, instead of striving for excellence or even perfection. I find myself to

be in community with some amazing friends who constantly remind me to take pressure off of

myself and to reach out to others for support in order to accomplish whatever it is that I am
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working on. I am truly my worst critic and this program and people have shown me the

importance of letting go of the things that are beyond my control and be content in what I am

able to complete.

Lastly, graduate school was the first space in my entire life, outside of my family, where I

had and relied on the love and support from a Latinx community. My mijos, comadres, and

compadres, as I affectionately refer to them, have given me a deep appreciation for our culture

and have reminded me to be proud to be Latinx. There has been a sense of comradery amongst

this group to support each other so we can all succeed.

There have been a lot of learnings from my graduate assistantship with the student

programming board, DOP, and through internships while in this program. I have seen how

important it is to build partnerships and connections with other campus departments and staff

members. Countless times I have reached out to the student complex staff to help us for a last

minute request or relying on housing to share program flyers with their residents. In addition to

saying thank you, it has been important to return the favor when possible in order to have

campus partners. DOP has provided popcorn for different events, shared our large yard games

for a number of other programs on campus, and shared marketing materials to their large

following on social media for other campus events. Another important lesson that ties well into

the academic course learnings was regarding assessment and how it is important to include

assessment as part of the planning process for any event to ensure that it is not forgotten. Not

planning it into the event timeline does give an opportunity to hear praises or improvement for

future events which could result in loss of funding since there is no data to support the event.

Based on my experience in two different full time roles, a graduate assistantship, and two

internships, I have learned how absolutely important it is to understand what supervisory style
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creates the best working environment for me. This required a lot of self reflection to understand

what kind of supervisor I was to students and even asked them to share their thoughts on what

kind of supervisor I was to them. I have come to understand that this is very important,

especially as a new professional in the field, as I want to have a supervisor who will be

committed to my professional development in student affairs and challenge me with care.

As a two time graduate of Loyola University Chicago, social justice is a concept and

practice that is embedded into my daily life. I have spent six years at Loyola, as a student and a

staff member, and can speak on how the institution’s mission has become a part of my personal

mission. I believe that I have the ability to incorporate social justice into everything I do as a

professional and that is an important tenet that I personally hold. If social justice values or

practices are not welcomed in my future work then that might not be the best place for me as a

professional. I believe that social justice does not solely mean Catholic or Jesuit values. I believe

that anyone, from a strong religious affiliation to an atheist, can contribute to a society where

identities are recognized and work towards just and equitable opportunities for all people.

Recognizing that my next “home” might not be Loyola or even a religiously affiliated institution,

social justice is a topic that I can still share with others but have to understand that not everyone

will have foundational knowledge of social justice and to make sure that my passion for social

justice is translated in a way that connects with people, no matter their level of understanding.