Erika Orman

Personal Foundations

 

Category: Proficient

 

Description: "The Personal Foundations competency area involves the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to maintain emotional, physical, social, environmental, relational, spiritual, and intellectual wellness; be self-directed and self-reflective; maintain excellence and integrity in work; be comfortable with ambiguity; be aware of one’s own areas of strengths and growth; have a passion for work; and remain curious” (p. 26).

 

I have improved my personal foundations in the following ways:

• “Identify key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments, as well as the source of each” (p. 26)

• “Identify one’s primary work responsibilities and, with appropriate ongoing feedback, craft a realistic, summative self-appraisal of one’s strengths and limitations” (p. 26)

• “Articulate awareness and understanding of one’s attitudes, values, beliefs, and assumptions, biases, and identity as it affects one’s work with others’; and take responsibility to develop personal cultural skills by participating in activities that challenge one’s beliefs” (p. 26)

• “Identify and employ resources to improve one’s own wellness” (p. 26)

• “Analyze personal experiences for potential deeper learning and growth, and engage with others in reflective discussions” (p. 26)

 

Activities:

 

Capstone.  A component of the Capstone Seminar of the BGSU College Student Personnel program is completing a Personal Statement of Mission and Knowledge Evaluation and Professional Development Plan.  Through these exercises, I identified my personal and professional values, strengths, and weaknesses.  I also created a professional development plan for the first five years of my professional career to strengthen certain areas. 

 

Before completing these assignments, I had never written down my values.  I probably would have been able to vaguely talk about some things that I value, but to actually refine a list of several things that are most important to me was an extremely worthwhile process.  This helped me to understand how my personal and professional values interact to inform my practice.  I believe this will make me more self-aware and congruent as a student affairs professional. 

 

International study and work. Traveling abroad and learning about other cultures has always been tremendously important to me.  However, the level of reflection in which I engaged during and after my international experiences during the summer of 2014 made them some of the most impactful experiences I have had thus far.  I participated in a study tour to Western Europe through the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs at BGSU.  This study tour lasted approximately three weeks and involved meeting with staff at universities and other educational stakeholders to better understand higher education and student affairs in Europe. 

 

Before the trip, I thought I was already familiar with higher education in Europe; I studied abroad in France for a semester and have many European friends, some of whom who have lived with my family.  Although I understood some similarities and differences between U.S. and European higher education, I had never before examined this issue through the lens of a U.S. student affairs practitioner.  I challenged myself to critically think about my U.S.-based training and the dissonance between the U.S. and European approach to student affairs.  I consider myself a cultural pluralist, meaning I choose not to place value on one culture over another. 

 

During the trip, I felt conflicted between my pluralist approach and believing in the good work that student affairs professionals in the U.S. do with college students.  I reflected on this internally and with other participants on the trip and was able to find the value and necessity of both approaches in different contexts.    

 

Following this study tour, I completed an internship at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa.  In my internship, I witnessed practices that are nearly opposite of ours in the U.S.  For example, at UWC there is a shortage of housing available on campus.  The staff spend much of their time managing the wait list and creating equitable policies to that end.  This was fascinating to me, and highlighted some major differences in the cultural and financial contexts between the U.S. and South Africa.  Through these observations and reflection, I questioned my own assumptions about the way we serve students in the U.S. and gained a new perspective on other ways to do so.   

 

 

Reference

ACPA & NASPA (2010).  Professional competency areas for student affairs

               practitioners.  Washington, DC: Authors.