Portfolio Strenghts Narrative

1

Running head: STRENGTHS

Learning Outcome Narrative: Strengths Tasmia Moosani Seattle University

STRENGTHS Portfolio Narrative: Strengths (LO #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 & #10; Artifacts A, B, C1, C2, C3, & G) Introduction From academic coursework to professional assistantships and internships, the SDA program has enabled me to develop certain strengths that contribute to my promise as a practitioner in this field. This learning outcome narrative highlights such strengths (or subthemes), including leadership and collaboration, advocacy for students, and intersectional lens, all of which form the overarching theme of my professional identity. Leadership and Collaboration (LO #5 & #6; Artifacts A & C3) Collaboration is one of the essential driving forces that help improve student success in higher education; it has not only dismantled silos, but it has also prevented them from existing to begin with (Manning, 2013). My experiences at Seattle University have highlighted my growth in LO #6. LO #6’s defining dimensions encompass the ability to collaborate professionally with other departments on campus, the means of having a student focused mentality that advocates for underserved populations, and the capability of working together to put the needs of students first. During my first quarter at Seattle University, I took on the role as an academic advisor in academic affairs. As I got more involved in my role, my curiosity began to grow, and I wanted to gain experience and understanding in other functional areas of the university. I then began to proactively seek out opportunities throughout the Seattle University campus. This curiosity for my field led me to apply for the Orientations Programs NODA Intern position at Seattle University. One of my main roles as a NODA intern included collaborating with campus partners to ensure presentations, workshops and information sessions were ready to go for each orientation (LO #6). Through my most notable presentation (Artifact C3), I discuss in depth the

STRENGTHS first-hand collaboration experiences that I have encountered at Seattle University. By having worked closely and collaborated with Disability Services and Housing, for example, I ensured that accessible housing and proper accommodations were met and made available throughout each program, as students arrive to campus for each of their orientations. In addition, I have also collaborated with Housing and Conference and Events Services to provide a LGBTQIA+friendly housing space and community. Altogether, if we want resources to be accessible and available for students to help improve success in higher education, then we first need to have open access to each other (Manning, 2013). In creating my resume (Artifact A) in SDAD 5900: Student Development Capstone Seminar, I have broadened and deepened my professional experience in academic advising, orientation, and diversity and inclusion. In addition to being an academic advisor and orientation intern, I also had the opportunity to intern at the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) at Seattle University. Partnering with OMA and faculty, ODI invited a speaker to highlight and elaborate the experiences of Trans students through an event called Trans Allyship: Welcoming Trans Students. This partnership entailed and fostered a strong collaboration between multiple departments, all focused on bettering the overall student experience at Seattle University. According to Manning (2013), “collaboration will not only improve working for all in higher education, but can create meaningful roles for staff, students and others who traditionally have been excluded from the power structures within colleges and universities” (p. x). Both academic and student affairs staff are undoubtedly critical to student development. They play a major role in orienting students on and off campus, helping students transition into college, and advising students in various aspects of personal and professional growth. My experiences have helped me build strong relationships in which I can tap into when I see opportunities for

STRENGTHS collaboration. As a result, this has allowed me to serve as a bridge between academic affairs and student affairs to continue supporting Seattle University students, both personally and academically (LO #5). The defining dimensions for LO #5 include having the ability to understand the history and power structures in higher education, collaborating with campus partners to discuss the emerging issues in the field, and thinking about how current practices can be improved to better support the student population. With that, I now see part of my work as a student affairs professional is to find opportunities to collaborate to better the overall student growth and experience. Advocacy for Students (LO #4 & #7; Artifacts B & G) Through my leadership experiences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) I was able to dive right into the SDA program with the background in social justice and advocacy. Some of these roles at UCI included being the Resident Advisor for the Diversity: Advocacy & Activism hall for two years, and the Director for Community Outreach through ASUCI, which focused on community issues such as homelessness, human trafficking and food insecurity. As a first-generation woman-of-color who is still navigating the world of academia, fighting off imposter syndrome, and finding a sense of belonging that is not created for me had ultimately sparked a passion in me to dive deeper into higher education. As an indirect result, one of my strengths throughout my time at Seattle University has been developing a professional identity around advocacy for marginalized students. Coming directly from being an undergraduate student to being a professional in higher education, my reflection revolved around how I use my narrative to break down systemic barriers that continue to negatively impact our students (LO #4). Advocating for marginalized populations, breaking down systemic barriers, and reflecting on the role I play in this field are my defining dimensions for LO #4. Peter Bahr (2010) states

STRENGTHS that “Race itself is not a cause of the disparities; rather, it is the many correlated facets of inequality that lead to lower preparation and achievement among historically disadvantaged racial groups” (p. 212). In turn, my personal mission statement (Artifact B) speaks to my ability to reflect my own intersecting identities, and to translate that into working, supporting and advocating for marginalized students to empower them and provide them a sense of belonging at their institutions. With my overlying passion for advocacy, I have gained a strong dedication to work with marginalized students on academic probation. My defining dimensions for LO#7 cover the use of assessment to reach actionable results, the application of research to find areas of improvement in the field, and the improvement of current best practices or implementation of new practices. During my time as an academic advisor, I built a program called Academic Coaching (Artifact G), which focuses on coaching marginalized students whose grade point average (GPA) is no longer meeting the minimum requirements. Such marginalized students include first-generation students, students of color and/or students who have other intersecting marginalized identities. Deil-Amen (2011), for example, suggests that relationships and meetings with faculty, counselors or advisors provide the social capital needed to strengthen academic knowledge, and provide the positive encouragement necessary for success in classes, college and careers. The Academic Coaching program is designed to help students deepen their relationship with their success coach, and help them connect to campus resources, one of which being their faculty. In addition to helping students navigate the university, the program’s goals are to also help students feel a sense of belonging – ensuring students feel respected, valued, accepted, cared for, included, and making them feel that they matter (Strayhorn, 2012). Lastly, I worked on general assessment by gathering data after running the program for its first year to learn how the program

STRENGTHS can be improved, to know what students need, and to determine how successful it was overall (LO #7). Intersectional Lens (LO #2 & #10; Artifacts C1, C2) My time in the SDA program has given me the opportunity to learn about student issues, and how intersecting identities play a role in each student’s college experiences. Kimberlé Crenshaw, for example, stated that “if we aren’t intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable, are going to fall through the cracks.” That said, I have defined LO #2 to fit the following dimensions: understanding how student issues vary amongst the different types of institutions, assessing student needs more accurately through research, and using such research to advocate for institutions to better support their students. In the classroom I was able to dive into research on specific issues that students face. My MA graduate project (Artifact C1), for example, focuses on how feeling a sense of belonging and a sense of preparedness impact first-generation students of color, and their experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Terrell Strayhorn (2012) mentions that sense of belonging is whether or not students feel respected, valued, accepted, cared for, included, and feeling that they matter in the classroom, at college or in their respective career field. Artifact C1 gave me the opportunity to provide recommendations on how institutions can better foster a more socially just campus environment, where students, specifically first-generation students of color, are more likely to succeed. My research, along with others, have shown that minorities or marginalized groups such as first-generation students of color “have value but we do not see it as value because it is not the norm (white, upper and middle-class)” (Yosso, 2005), which ultimately affects the success of students (LO #2). My defining dimensions for LO#2 have helped me reach a better understanding of LO #10: Establishing and enhancing my professional identity. The defining dimensions for LO #10

STRENGTHS involve being able to lead with authenticity, using passion for justice by challenging current systems in place, and continuing to seek out ways to learn and advocate for underserved populations. Through my SDAD 5590: The American Community College class, my research paper focused on food insecurity and how it directly impacts student’s physical and mental wellbeing, which in turn impacts their academic success as a whole (Artifact C2). Recent studies show that almost fifty percent of the college student population struggle with food insecurity, which includes community colleges as well (Maroto, Snelling, & Linck, 2015). When students feel compromised by lack of access to basic needs, their ability to focus on schools is also compromised (Goldrick-Rab, Broton, & Eisenberg, 2015). That said, food-insecure students have a higher possibility of being first-generation, low-income, and/or students of color. As a result, reflecting on the importance of intersectionality, it is important to me as a professional in this field to challenge all systems of oppression and continue to ask critical questions that challenge current policies and practices, and promote new ones instead (LO #10). In addition to my experiences inside the classroom, I have also gotten the opportunity to be a graduate intern for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Seattle University. One of my tasks included developing toolkits that consisted of resources, both for on and off-campus use. One toolkit, for example, focused on undocumented students; it included a variety of resources that ranged from community support for UndocuQueer students, undocumented students with disabilities, and low-income undocumented students. These toolkits helped me reflect on the importance of recognizing the intersecting identities that may have an impact on our students. In addition to providing resources for students, I was also able to find trainings that can be facilitated to our faculty and staff, so they can better support their students who come from such marginalized backgrounds. Lastly, as I build these toolkits, I incorporated ways students, faculty,

STRENGTHS and/or staff could begin to recognize the multiple forms of systemic discrimination, and how intersecting identities can present unique and multiple barriers for students (LO #2). Through my coursework, assistantship and internship experience, and my constant reflections, I have strengthened my understanding on intersectionality, not only among my own identities, but also through salient identities that many of our students carry (LO #2). This has ultimately led me to gain a deeper understanding of students and student issues (LO #2). In addition, these experiences have also enhanced my identity as a professional, as they have allowed me to reflect on how I can continue to break down systemic barriers through my professional practice (LO #10).

STRENGTHS References Bahr, P. R. (2010). Preparing the underprepared: An analysis of racial disparities in postsecondary mathematics remediation. The Journal of Higher Education, 81(2), 209237. Deil-Amen, R. (2011). Socio-academic integrative moments: Rethinking academic and social integration among two-year college students in career-related programs. The Journal of Higher Education, 82(1), 54-91. Goldrick-Rab, S., Broton, K., & Eisenberg, D. (2015). Hungry to learn: Addressing food & housing insecurity among undergraduates. Wisconsin Hope Lab, 1-25. Manning, K. (2013). Organizational Theory in Higher Education. New York, NY: Routledge. Maroto, M. E., Snelling, A., & Linck, H. (2015). Food insecurity among community college students: Prevalence and association with grade point average. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39(6), 515-526 Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge. Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race ethnicity and education, 8(1), 69-91.