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Narrative Reflection

ePortfolio

Sarah Creeden

Loyola University Chicago

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Narrative Reflection

Knowledge Gained from the Program

The past two years in Loyola University Chicago’s Higher Education & Student Affairs

master’s program has immersed me in numerous theories, pedagogical practices, and academic

settings. The twelve rigorous courses that I have taken during my time in this program have

introduced me to concepts and thought-provoking work that I had not engaged with beforehand.

This content has required me to think critically about my own perspectives and experiences as

well as stepping into a new narrative within my life that has allowed me to engage with these

new practices with which I am reliant on now for my own work.

The courses that I believe I look back on and utilize the most are Leadership in Higher

Education, Student Development Theory in Higher Education, Multiculturalism, and Evaluation

in Higher Education. These courses are the ones that I feel that I utilize on a day-to-day basis in

my own work. Leadership in Higher Education taught me that leadership is not always that

managerial-style that we are so accustomed to seeing in society. Leadership looks different for

every individual practicing it (or not practicing it) and leadership philosophy should be as unique

as the individuals engaging with it. The Student Development Theory course made me reflect on

my own experiences during my undergraduate career and see that the student affairs

professionals that I was supervised and advised by mentored me in theoretical ways. Student

development theories, in my opinion that is based upon what I learned in class, should not be

used in a singular manner. Instead, they should be mixed and combined to create the right fit for

the students that I advise and supervise. In my own work, I typically find myself utilizing

involvement theory, transition theory, and validation theory. The Multiculturalism course I took

challenged my perspective of my own identities. In this class, I learned that a person’s identities
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are critical to their lives in every aspect, including their professions and how they interact with

the world and those around them. An individual’s salient identities, including their race,

religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender and sex, their accessibility, and more are constantly

and consistently influencing their life and, therefore, should be always viewed, acknowledged,

and respected. Lastly, Evaluation in Higher Education taught me the value and necessity of

assessment. In my own work, I am requiring the students that I advise to participate in a post-

event assessment in order to critically assess how effective and successful the event is and to see

how we can better engage students, increase recruitment and retention, and, overall, better our

programming.

Knowledge Gained from Assistantship and Internship Experiences

In addition to my academic experiences during my time at Loyola University Chicago, I

also had two very different assistantship and internship experiences. Both of these experiences

offered me the opportunity to grow professionally and develop my own arsenal of skills related to

advising, programming, conduct and conflict resolution, fraternity and sorority life, governing

boards, and more. Furthermore, I believe that these two positions and experiences were some of

my most significant learning during my time in the program.

My first internship experience was as a Graduate Extern in Roosevelt University’s Center

for Student Involvement. In this role, I was responsible for being the sole advisor for the student-

run programming board, Greek organizations, and thirty student clubs and organizations. I was

also responsible for co-advising the student activity fund allocation committee and student

government. To be transparent, the Center for Student Involvement, at the time while I was

working there, was understaffed. However, being understaffed led me to opportunities that I would

not have gained if I was working in a traditional graduate intern role. For example, I was able to
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advise more students and organization and plan more programs and events than a traditional

graduate student in that role would have been able to.

My second experience was as a Graduate Assistant for the Department of Programming

within Loyola University Chicago’s Student Activities & Greek Affairs department. The

Department of Programming (DOP) is a student-run programming and event planning board. In

this role, I am responsible for managing DOP’s approximately $300,000 budget, hosting weekly

one-on-one advising sessions, implementing both small- and large-scale programs from the

beginning contractual processes to the breakdown after the event, managing relationships between

vendors and middle agents with the Student Activities & Greek Affairs department, and more.

Since starting this role, there has been a lot of transition in my office regarding staff members

leaving their roles. Due to this, I was responsible for being the sole advisor for DOP for nearly

seven months before a full-time staff member filled the vacant role.

I have gained numerous skills and professional experiences from these roles. By working

for two very different institutions, I was able to see varying institutional processes and standpoints.

Additionally, I was able to work with and engage with diverse populations of students from

traditionally aged students to adult learners.

Self-Reflection and Personal Changes

The past two years in this program has led me to growing and developing both personally

and professionally. I believe that I have grown personally because I have let myself self-reflect

more and really consider how my identities and experiences are impacting the work that I do. Self-

efficacy is also something that I have begun to develop in this program and this is because of

knowledge and confidence that I have gained from my courses and in my professional roles. When
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I first began the program, I believe that I was more introverted and not as open to being vulnerable

with my peers. This left me feeling intimidated and uneasy about my own feelings, identities, and

experiences. However, after seeing that the faculty that I look up to as well as my peers being

open about their life experiences, I was able to share mine. Professionally, I have learned to stand

up for myself in a space where I am the only, or one of a few, graduate students amongst full-time

staff members. By having done this, I find that I am being taken more seriously and that I am

learning more from my full-time professional supervisors and colleagues regarding the work that

we are doing both autonomously and as a team. Moreover, I have also learned that in a professional

capacity, it can be difficult to incorporate theory to practice. However, incorporating the theories

that we have learned in our courses is critical to the work that we are doing with out students and

it creates a more positive experience for them when we are working to our best ability.

My Future with Social Justice and Student Affairs

Social justice is critical to the work that I want to be doing in student affairs and it has

shaped how I approached both of my graduate professional roles. This program has taught me to

examine social justice from a reflective standpoint. I know that as a White woman, I hold more

privilege than most based on my salient identities. It is essential for me to evaluate my privilege

and establish myself as an ally and friend for individuals in oppressed groups. Being an agent of

change and deconstructing dominant systems is critical to the work that I want to do. Social justice,

in my opinion, is one of the key components to a successful career in student affairs for me.

Serving all student populations through a theoretical social justice narrative will allow me to use

the knowledge that I have gained in this program and the knowledge that I will continue to gain

through my own endeavors to successfully support my students.

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Conclusion

The practical and professional knowledge that I have gained during my paraprofessional

experiences in this program have affected my student affairs practice and taught my that there is

so much importance to the work that I am doing, especially in the development of students. The

intellectual knowledge that I have gained during this academic program has taught me that critical

reflection, social justice initiatives, and the importance of validating my students’ lives, identities,

and experiences is critical to creating a memorable, educational, and transformative student

experience during their college years. I am thankful for all that I have learned in this program

because it has led me to learning both more about myself and about the field that I am passionate

about. Now that I am preparing for graduation and to enter the field as a full-time professional, I

am ecstatic to look back at my graduate school experience at Loyola University Chicago with such

fondness towards the relationships that I made, the knowledge I gained, and the bright future that

this program has prepared me for.