May 22, 2025
In the most recent episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, recorded at the 2024 NASPA Annual Conference in New Orleans, host Dr. Jill Creighton invites us into a vibrant tapestry of real stories from practitioners at every level of higher education. The episode centers around a powerful question: Can you share a moment or experience in student affairs that you feel embodies the spirit of this profession? The result is a chorus of voices revealing the deep, often unseen impact student affairs professionals have on their campuses and on each other.
From directors and deans to graduate students just starting their journey, one theme rings clear: student affairs is about people. Stories of mentorship, community, and personal growth abound. Many professionals recounted full-circle moments—guiding undergraduates, only to see them return years later as colleagues or even scholars in the field. Listening in, you’ll hear how those simple, day-to-day interactions—a word of encouragement, honest conversation, or helping hand in crisis—can change a student’s path or even their life.
Community and connection surface as vital throughlines. The NASPA conference itself becomes a symbol—a place where hugs, laughter, and candid discussions help professionals recharge, collaborate, and remember why this work matters. There’s a raw honesty, too: several speakers acknowledge the unique challenges facing higher education today. Yet, in the face of adversity, they highlight the unwavering spirit of resilience, support, and advocacy that defines student affairs.
Listeners will also appreciate the emphasis on equity, inclusion, and the holistic development of students. Whether it’s empowering first-generation scholars, supporting students in crisis, or building bridges across functional areas, the profession’s commitment to fostering belonging and success shines bright.
What elevates this episode is its authenticity. These are not scripted testimonials: they're person-on-the-street interviews, each voice echoing with genuine passion and care—for students and for one another. It’s an episode that will remind you of your “why,” whether you’re a new grad or a seasoned pro.
If you’re seeking inspiration, camaraderie, or simply a reminder of the everyday magic in student affairs, tune in to this episode. It’s a celebration of the profession’s heart—and a call to keep showing up, for our students and for each other.
Listen now and let these stories rejuvenate your passion for student affairs!
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where
we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to
seasoned experts. Brought to you by NASPA, we curate free and
accessible professional development for higher ed professionals
wherever you happen to be. This is season 12, continuing our
journey through the past, present, and future of student affairs.
I'm doctor Jill Creighton, she, her, hers, your essay voices from
the field host. Hey, SA voices. We are back with our third and
final episode from this year's annual conference. This is our third
person on the street style interview, and we're so thankful for
those of you who chose to share your voice with us. Today's
question was on theme three, which was sustaining and celebrating
the student affairs profession.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:44]:
We asked you, can you share a moment or experience in student
affairs that you feel embodies the spirit of this profession? Once
again, thank you so much if you shared your voice with us today.
And for those of you who are unable to attend annual conference, we
hope that these three episodes plus our three interviews from the
conference gave you a bit of a taste of what was going on, in New
Orleans. And if you were at the conference, we hope that this
reenergizes you and brings you some of that joy and passion that we
get when we are able to be together in community. Thanks so much,
and enjoy your conversations.
Eileen Hentz [00:01:14]:
Hello. My name is Eileen Hentz. I am the program director of
academic and student services at the University of Maryland
Department of Aerospace Engineering celebrating sustaining student
affairs profession. I think a moment that I can remember that I
feel embodies the spirit of the profession is just through
mentoring. I remember meeting a student their very first semester
as a first year student and not knowing they'd had no idea what
they wanted to do or where they wanted to go. And I'm kind of
working with them all throughout their time as an undergraduate
student. And at some point, they kind of recognized that they
wanted to do something that I did. They wanted to go into student
affairs, and now they have gone through both their master's
program.
Eileen Hentz [00:01:50]:
They have really done a fantastic job with their work, and they're
now even a PhD student going all the way through with their PhD in
student affairs. And we have been in contact every single moment of
the way, and I'm really proud of them. And they've, you know, of
course, said thank you to me for helping them find their way
professionally, but I really, really put a lot of things in them
because they are exactly what helps make me feel passionate and
excited about doing the work that we do. We're certainly a team in
student affairs.
Dr. Alyssa Bivens [00:02:23]:
Hi. I'm doctor Alyssa Bivens. I'm representing George Mason
University. I'm in their very new graduate division as a graduate
career and professional development program coordinator. I'm still
pretty new to the profession, but in working with some of my
graduate professional assistants, seeing them improve on something
that I've mentored them in and and seeing actual growth, I think,
is one of the one of the reasons we do this, is seeing that
incremental growth in the students around us.
Amerette Renieri [00:02:54]:
I'm Anurant Ranieri. I'm from Texas A and M University in College
Station, Texas. I am currently serve as the associate director of
career services for Mays Business School. This is one's a hard one.
I've been in the profession now for almost twelve years, and I
think, honestly, NASPA has really brought me a lot of joy because
I've been able to connect with professionals from all over the all
over the, like, country and really finding a space where while I
work in career services, I very much identify as a student affairs
practitioner in a career services space. Whereas a lot of career
services people identify more on the career services side, but I
very much view my job as a student affairs educator in a career
services world.
Amy Law [00:03:34]:
Hello. My name is Amy Law. I am a GAP from the graduate associate
program with NASPA. I am from California. I currently attend the
University of Southern California for my degree in post secondary
administration and student affairs with my master's program. I
actually, like, just ran into my undergraduate student affairs
mentorship team with enough program with NASPA here at the NASPA
annual conference. And I had not seen them since undergrad, but I
got into the field of student affairs in undergrad. And so now as a
master's student, being here as a annual conference intern, being
in this space as a graduate associate as well, it is such so full
circle to see the people that contributed to where I am standing
here today in this role.
Amy Law [00:04:23]:
And I feel like that is what embodies this profession so much
because this profession has so much mentorship, so much guidance
and support that we don't even realize it until you're standing in
this position looking at the people who who had a hand in bringing
you here today.
Angela Watts [00:04:39]:
Angela Watts, the University of Texas Health Science Center in San
Antonio School of Nursing. I'm the director for student success.
This may be not a very original answer, but for me, commencement is
always one of those moments where I am not only proud of the
students, but I feel rejuvenated. And because oftentimes, you know
the struggles that students have gone through to be able to make it
to the point where they're crossing that stage. I mean, you see
their families and their friends so excited for them. And so I
think that those are moments where I feel like my work has made a
difference in someone's life. And not only in their lives, but
often in their family's lives and the trajectory of future
generations of their families.
James Quisenberry [00:05:21]:
Asia Jones, associate director at the National Association for
Student Affairs Professionals, AKA NASPA. My defining moment in my
experience in student affairs was when I came to NASPA. Working on
college campuses for the last ten years was great. And I was
worried when I first came because I was such a student friendly
person. Like, how was I gonna be able to do that work and not be in
the face of students? And what defined me is to see that I can do
this work, and I'm doing it at a greater and broader level that
flows down to the students that create retention and graduation
programs for students to be able to excel. And so that has really
helped define me that no matter where I go in student affairs, I
can find my mission and get it done.
Dr. Bernard Little [00:06:07]:
I'm doctor Bernard Little, vice president for student affairs at
Prairie State College. A moment or experience in in student affairs
that embodies the spirit of this profession, I would say one of the
best experiences that I've had is attending the new VPSA Institute.
And coming from a community college, I was a little nervous about,
right, what that would be for me, given I was in the room with some
heavy hitters. And it was truly a remarkable experience because I
was embraced and was able to really lean into professionals who
were not only feeding me, but also learning from me as well. And I
think that's just really what student affairs is about. It's just
not about the show, really about truly, people and how we can help
one another on this journey that we're in together.
Camden Doolittle [00:06:52]:
My name is Camden Doolittle. I use they and them pronouns. I'm
coming to you from the NASPA annual conference in New Orleans, but
I am from the University of California Davis in the Sacramento
region of California. I think a lot of things two things that stand
out to me. One is being consistent. Showing up every day, every
month, every year over a career and standing for what you believe
in as that evolves and changes. And I think that's that's
excellence and that's the spirit of what we do and who we are. And
I think the other piece is just resilience.
Camden Doolittle [00:07:23]:
I went to undergrad at the University of San Diego, a Catholic
institution, and I was there right as we were talking about what
does it mean to be gender expansive in a Catholic setting. And we
put on a drag show and kind of talked about what does it mean to
celebrate gender expression. And there was a lot of pushback
because it was change. And so it's how do we engage change. And I
think that doing that drag show over three to four years really
embodied that for me, and that's the spirit I try to bring in my
career. That was ten years ago now, but it still stays with me.
David Zemoyski [00:07:57]:
I'm Charles.
Speaker K [00:07:58]:
I think if you just look at this conference I did a pre conference
yesterday at the Black and African Men's Summit, and there's so
many people who are going through the same things everywhere, but
we're finding ways to support each other. And I think that's
probably the most important thing for me, just finding that
community and supporting each other. It doesn't even have to be
someone in your school. You gotta find someone, a way that you can
just unpack and talk about the things at your that's happened at
your university or in your everyday life that you can be unfiltered
with.
Jessica [00:08:33]:
My name is Jessica. I think it's important for conferences like
this and other student affairs profession conference for us to
connect and network because we are going through similar things
either on the state or federal surface. And so it's really
important for us to have those connections and making sure that we
can lean on each other, whether you are from the East Coast, the
West Coast, Canada, Mexico. Higher education impacts us all. And so
it's always nice to bounce ideas
Clarissa Lau [00:09:01]:
off one another as well.
Chris Hall [00:09:04]:
Hi. I'm Chris Hall. I'm the director of residence life and student
housing at Georgetown University Law Center. I would say that daily
we have moments in student affairs that embody the spirit of this
profession, whether that be something as simple as just helping
somebody out, with a simple question that they may have or figuring
out a very complex challenge and finding the solution to yes rather
than they trying to get to no. I think that's one thing that we
believe in very much is how do you get to yes. I think if we keep
that and embrace that as a concept, we can do really well for our
students.
Clarissa Lau [00:09:37]:
I am Clarissa Lau. My pronouns are she and her, and I work at the
University of Toronto. I work a lot with student data, and I also
work a lot with student staff trying to understand student data.
And I remember very fondly moments when I was actually leading a
set of focus groups with staff, trying student data to improve. And
hearing their excitement about that, not only did they share about
experiences of how they engage students to understand their student
data, but then as well as how they personally feel revitalized,
empowered in their work, I think that was a real highlight for
me.
Speaker O [00:10:18]:
My name is Dan Maxwell. I serve as the interim vice president for
student success and student life at the University of Houston
downtown. I think the way that can sustain and celebrate student
affairs is, again, this is about reaching not only our students
where they are, but it's also about reaching our staff and our
individual staff members where they are and helping them to embrace
the moment, think about the future, and have some patience as we
navigate sometimes these turbulent waters that we're in.
Speaker P [00:10:47]:
Dan Balchak, interim dean of students at Harvard Graduate School of
Arts and Sciences. Sharing a moment, I can tell you when I was a RA
as an undergrad, there was an RD there who I became very good
friends with, got very involved with NASPA, was a NASPA president
at one point, got me involved with NASPA. I've done a lot of stuff
with NASPA, and to me, that's part of the profession, how we mentor
young people, we work with young people, and we hopefully learn
well.
Speaker Q [00:11:14]:
Hello. My name is David Chow. I am currently the chair of the
technology knowledge community for NASPA. So the moment in
experience that's that I really cherish almost every year is
attending the NASPA conference. It's a time for me to recharge and
just remind myself why I believe in student affairs as a profession
and the energy, it just nudges me and just helps keep me going.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:11:33]:
My name
Speaker S [00:11:33]:
is David Zemoyski. I'm senior associate dean of students at Boston
University. The most recent example for me is the moment I learned
that Betty Simmons is receiving this year's Fred Turner award for
outstanding service to NASPA and that Maureen Keefe is receiving
the Scott Goodnight award for outstanding performance as a dean. To
me, they're two friends and colleagues I have enormous respect and
affection for, and what a great moment for the association and the
foundation to recognize excellence in this way.
Speaker T [00:12:04]:
I am doctor Deborah Wright, and I am with the George Washington
University in Washington, DC. I love to think about times when
students come in to our organizations, to our institutions where
they are, for example, first generation students or other students
don't have support in helping them navigate college. And as student
affairs professionals, we do what we do best, help students gain
connection and belonging. We do that well during our orientation
programs and just finding ways to especially engage them so that
they can feel part of our university communities and cultures.
David Zemoyski [00:12:33]:
Hi. My name is Diedra Cobb, and I am from Fairmont State University
in West Virginia, and I am the student success coordinator. I was
hired under the title three grant with the intentions of being,
first and foremost, a bridge between academic affairs and student
affairs along with other responsibilities such as forming a student
success support team and also overseeing a student ambassador
program called the student empowerment liaisons. I'm actually hired
under academic affairs, but my office is in the student affairs
area. So I get to interact with a lot of student affairs
professionals as well as academic affairs professionals. So I think
that is very important to be able to collaborate and communicate
across departments. But I also think one of the best things that
has come out of this grant, and embodies the spirit of the
profession is actually having that student ambassador program, the
SELs, or student empowerment liaisons, because it's a way of having
a liaison between the students and administration to get the
students' perspective. And absolutely enjoy working with those
students and have learned a lot from them, probably as much as they
have learned from me.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:13:53]:
Hello, everyone. My name is Eddie Martinez. I serve as the
associate dean for student affairs at Suffolk County Community
College. When I go to NASPA annual conferences and I walk from one
place to the other and you just watch all of the hugs, the kisses,
and the deep conversations, the light conversations. People from
all over the world who just gather one time a year and it is what
gives me the goosebumps. It's what gives me joy to come to annual
conference every year and just hug people, have conversations, and
truly commiserate sometimes and appreciate each other. That's the
spirit of our profession, and NASPA provides that venue for us to
do it.
Speaker V [00:14:37]:
My name is Ellie McMillan. I'm the graduate apprentice at the
Center for Leadership in Elon University. I use sheher pronouns,
and I'm a graduate student in the Master of Art in Higher education
program at Elon. So a moment that I feel really embodies this
profession is actually something at the NASBA conference. So
yesterday, we were kind of going to a opening night reception over
at Mardi Gras World, and I actually got to introduce my graduate
supervisor with my undergraduate supervisor. And it was just a
really, like, full circle moment for me. And I'm originally from
the Northeast, So I also was encouraged to move down south for
graduate school by my dean of students. And it was really powerful
because I actually got to see him again and be like, hey, I'm here,
and I'm successful and I'm loving graduate school, in the
South.
Speaker V [00:15:35]:
And so just reconnecting with everyone at graduates at my undergrad
institution and having kind of my grad school and undergrad school
connect, has been really, really special for me.
Speaker W [00:15:48]:
Erica Stocks, director of student affairs at Boston University's
Henry m Goldman School of Dental Medicine. I think honestly, like,
starting, getting involved in a gaps. I mean, this year, I feel
like I'm coming full circle because 2015 was my first NASPA
conference. It was here in New Orleans, so I feel like I'm back.
And it was really where I found, like, a really professional home
and really welcoming individuals. And I think that's kind of the
spirit of student affairs, right, is we're all welcoming. We wanna
interact with students, but also, you know, supporting each other
in the work that we do. It can be taxing at times.
Speaker W [00:16:17]:
It can be draining and particularly in graduate and professional
student affairs where sometimes you might be the only person in
that office or the only person in the department. So you need that
kind of community and it may not be at your institution. It may be
within sort of a larger professional organization. So I think that
one in particular for me because I was coming by myself as a new
professional, and I was like, I don't know any of these people, but
everyone was really welcoming. And then I have sort of found my
professional community. While I have a a little bit of a larger
team, it's still not huge in in respects to other schools. So I do
tend to use my colleagues to bounce ideas off of sort of across the
country, particularly because we're working on sort of the same
issues and topics that come up in graduate and professional student
affairs.
Speaker X [00:16:56]:
I'm George McClellan, professor of higher education at the
University of Mississippi. So I'm gonna tell you two stories. I was
lucky enough to be in a room. There was a time when NASPA's
archives, you know, at Bowling Green, was trying to interview some
of the founding original student affairs greats because they were
all getting older. And so they went out to capture the voices of
these living folks. And so it was basically student affairs giants
interviewing other student affairs giants, and I was not a giant. I
don't know if I am now, but I certainly wasn't that. And so Peggy
Barr said to me, she was gonna interview James Radagon.
Speaker X [00:17:30]:
It was one of my favorite people. People. Passed away. Great loss
to the field. Wonderful human being. Anyway, Peggy says, you can
sit in a room, but you can't talk and you can't ask any questions.
So I'm sitting in a room while Peggy Barr is interviewing James
Radagon. And she asked him I don't remember what question was, but
he started talking about he was the long time vice president of
Wichita State.
Speaker X [00:17:49]:
And he he was there when they lost their basketball team and a
bunch of coaches in a plane crash. And decades had gone by, and he
started crying. The pain continued to be real for him. And I've
seen too many people stay in this business too long to the point
where they lose the magic with students. And I always thought, I
don't wanna be one of those people. And that day with Radegan
reminded me. And And I've said since then, I never wanna be here so
long that I don't cry over students. I cry when they graduate
because I'm happy.
Speaker X [00:18:21]:
I cry if one of them doesn't make it through. I'm a willeller. I'm
a crier. But I never wanna be at a place where I don't cry about
students. And and then I'll tell you the other story. So this
profession brings you lots of wonderful things, meeting people like
you, all the friends I've made over the years, and all of that sort
of thing. But the coolest thing for me is every place I've ever
been, literally every single institution, staff that have worked
with me, for me, students that I've met, etcetera, to this day,
they will send me little cards that'll say, hey. Just wanna let you
know I had my first child.
Speaker X [00:18:54]:
Wanna let you know I got this job. Wanted to let you know this,
that happened. My mom died. Those cards let me know whatever else
I've managed to accomplish, there's somebody out there, a real
person, who knows that I care about them and that I'll want to know
that news about their life.
Speaker Y [00:19:13]:
Hello. My name is Hallie Vavris. I am a graduate student at Baldwin
Wallace University in the leadership in higher education program
here. Right now, I am working in the STEM scholars program at
Baldwin Wallace University. So I am working with a woman named Cat
Katie Adkins. She and I are working on writing grants for the
Choose Ohio First program. And sharing a moment in that office is
amazing because I used to work with a student who was hard of
hearing. And this student was a STEM student, hard of hearing, and
I realized that she needs a role model.
Speaker Y [00:19:48]:
You know, the student was really looking for somebody who was I
believe it was chemistry, and finding a role model was difficult.
And I had to really use, like, my outside resources outside of the
university to really do my own research, and I think that that was
really a learning moment for me as a graduate student that we might
not have all of the resources here at the university. You know,
it's a lot of, like, brainstorming and creativity to kind of think
outside the box. So what I did in that scenario was that I
contacted, I believe it was the deaf hard of hearing community in
Columbus. I contacted them and I was like, hey. Would you have any
mentors for this student? And, you know, I kind of helped bridge
that connection. And let me tell you what, that student, I believe
it changed her life because she really got to see, you know,
somebody who relates to her. And and then she graduated, and
yeah.
Speaker Y [00:20:39]:
And she is doing so well. And that really kind of helped build the
connection to with her professionally.
Speaker Z [00:20:47]:
I'm Jackie Yoon. I take the she series, and I serve as the
executive director of the student center at at Harvard Griffin
GSAS. It feels hard to talk about celebrations right now as we're
in this moment in higher ed where we're having a lot of challenging
days. There's, like, a little bit of occupational hazard to our
work right now, but I think it's even more important during this
time to think about our students. And for me, it's it's all about
folks being successful and growing. And so watching students cross
the stage that for commencement that had struggles in their
graduate in their graduate journey, which everyone has struggles in
their graduate journey. But watching a student leader really grow
in their leadership identity and really work on things in their
time with us, seeing student groups come together around
celebration. I just, this year I was watching a Diwali event in the
student center from the balcony and just the color and the dancing
and the festivity and the joy and people inviting each other into
each other's cultures.
Speaker Z [00:21:45]:
I just feel grateful for those moments of fun and celebration. I
feel lucky to work with such amazing students.
Dr, Jacob Diaz [00:21:54]:
My name is Jacob Diaz. I serve as the associate vice chancellor for
student success at the University of South Florida, Saint
Petersburg campus. Being at the NASPA conference right now reminds
me of the importance of community. And I think now it's what
dropped me into the field, and I think I'm realizing now it's what
sustains me is that being in community with my colleagues on my
campus, my colleagues nationally and internationally helped to
remind me that I'm not in this alone. And then that helps give me
energy to keep doing the work that's needed.
Herbie Gibson [00:22:30]:
Hi. This is James Quisenberry. I'm executive director of student
affairs technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana
Champaign. One of my most exciting moments being a student affairs
professional is every year at our IT professionals conference on
campus, where all the IT leaders and professionals come together in
the fall, I host a panel for students to share their experiences
with technology, and I and I bring them there, and I I actually
make our IT professionals just sit and listen because we need to do
a better job as technology leaders and leaders in student affairs
to listen to what the experience of our students are so we can move
things forward. And it and it's always great to give the students a
voice, and I enjoy those moments very much.
James Stewart [00:23:18]:
Hi. I'm James Stewart, associate vice president for student
development and achievement at Coppin State University. You know, I
think NAS conferences do that. I think that we come together in
support of each other in our common experience and community.
That's exactly what we want our students to do, and so I look
forward to it each year. It's my chosen family in the
profession.
Jamie Haney [00:23:41]:
Hi. I'm Jamie Haney, associate dean for the graduate college at
University of Illinois Chicago. I feel like I see a lot of small
moments. You know, staff and faculty put themselves on the line
every day, especially in the current day and age. And so letting
students again know that we are human, and the ways that we want to
support them are the ways that we wanna support everybody in the
world.
Dr. Jamie Washington [00:24:06]:
Hi. I'm Jamie Washington, and I am the president and founder of the
Washington Consulting Group and of the Social Justice Institute
Training Institute. I've seen so so much good, and being here at
NASPA for me gives me an opportunity to just be reminded of how far
we've come and all of the good work that's happening around all of
what we do, whether that's in student health, whether that's in
diversity, equity, and inclusion, and belonging, whether that's in
residence life. There's so many things that in this forty first
year of my professional life that I've had an opportunity to see.
Just stories after stories of people coming up to me and I remember
when I was a student, I was an RA and I was doing this and and now
I'm doing this and, you know, and so just as I said at the
beginning that we are preparing the next generation of leaders, I
get to see that live in this space. So that's what it means to
me.
Dr. Jeanna Mastrodicasa [00:25:03]:
Hi. This is Gina Masterdecasa, Casa, and I am the director of the
office of institutional assessment at the University of Florida.
And I've been there for more than twenty seven years in a total of
six roles. I am a student affairs professional not working in
student affairs. I do work on a college campus, and I can tell you
that I can pick up a conversation I haven't had in a year or two
with people here at NASPA or from a out of the blue phone call or
text or email and feel like I am part of something. And that is why
I've remained committed to attending NASPA and being a member, but
more importantly, I'm finding wonderful connections and
professional development to happen.
Dr. Josie Ahlquist [00:25:47]:
Hey. My name is Josie Alquist. I use sheher pronouns. I am a
digital engagement consultant, executive strategist, coach, and
speaker. You know, we are at a moment that fully represents this
profession to be able to be in community and connect. When we're on
our campuses, it can feel so siloed and shielded in bubbles and
don't forget to break out whether if that is is coming to a
conference, finding someone on LinkedIn, on Instagram, pick up the
phone. You are a % not alone and deserve to have other people
around you.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:26:29]:
Julie Payne Kirchmeier, sheher pronouns, vice president for student
success for the Indiana University System.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:26:34]:
That's not a system.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:26:35]:
We can
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:26:35]:
call it a multi campus university if you would like. I'm gonna take
this from the NASPA board chair space and say when COVID hit and we
shut everything down, we remained supportive of each other in very
specific and very broad ways, whether it was the association coming
together and figuring out how we were gonna best support folks in
need that were either losing their jobs or losing access to
professional development funds, flipping things online, and how we
worked very intentionally to bring people back together in
meaningful spaces. Because as we heard Amelia say the other day,
one of the best ways to get through a really difficult time is to
be in community with each other and with people who care about you
and know what you're experiencing. So.
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:27:16]:
So I
Dr. Julie Payne Kirchmeier [00:27:16]:
think about a moment that embodies the spirit of student affairs. I
think back to my undergraduate experience and all the advisors I
had, especially when I was, president of Kent Interhall Council at
Kent State University and just what they poured into me as advisors
and just having some of those tough conversations as a young man
that was still pretty bold and unaware of the the world around just
having some of those steering conversations. And to this day, I
take that forward and think about the conversations I have to have
with students, that might be still developing and growing in their
maturity.
Jawan Jacobs [00:27:46]:
Hey, y'all. My name is Jawan Jacobs. I am currently an assistant
director in the Student Involvement and Leadership office at Duke
University. Really, the one thing that comes to mind is the
Undergraduate Student Conference, which is a pre conference through
NASPA. I had the privilege of attending in 2021 and 2022. And
truly, it is such an intentional space because I don't think that
you ever really get to talk with students, particularly
undergraduate students who are so invested in higher education.
They're student leaders, they're really active on their campus, and
they really wanna make an impact. So what does it really mean to
have a dedicated space and a full day conference for those folks
where we can have the candid conversations about making sure that
you are prepared, but also exposing them to so many different
fields and functional areas.
Jawan Jacobs [00:28:32]:
We know a lot of our undergraduate students say, I am in a Greek
lettered organization, so I want to go into fraternity and sorority
life. And while that is great, it is so important that we are
exposing our emerging professionals into what it looks like to just
have variety of experiences. So really going to that conference and
participating on the committee during the planning process and
being able to see the intentionality behind it, I think is
something that is honestly second to none. It is so intentionally
done, so intentionally driven. Lots of work goes into it and then
we are intentional about putting them on college campuses that are
nearby where the conference is actually being held. So we are
giving them a snapshot as to what it looks like to have
conversations about being a graduate student, have conversations
about being a professional within higher education. And I think
that is so, so important because so many questions go unanswered
and there are so many different ways to do things and we're just
never really actually sure sometimes. The best way to steer someone
when they're like, I wanna get involved in higher education.
Jawan Jacobs [00:29:30]:
I wanna get involved in student affairs. So, the Undergraduate
Student Conference, again, if you are listening to this right now
and you have an undergraduate student, please find the means to
invest in this opportunity for them. I've been able to see students
attend that undergraduate student conference and then become
graduate students and then serve on the undergraduate student
conference committee. And now, they're full time professionals
doing good the good work. Some Some of them are on doctoral
programs and it really the foundation and the root of that was us
being able to expose them to all of the different kinds of
opportunities via the undergraduate student conference. So Go USC,
has a special place in my heart and yes, go NASPO.
Kevin Willis [00:30:11]:
Hi. My name is Kevin Willis. I am a membership manager with NASPA's
membership team. I'm originally from Kentucky. A moment that I feel
embodies the spirit of the profession is when I was a student
supervisor and I got to actually work with students from freshman
to senior year at my last position. And I really got to see them
grow and flourish, and we got to develop a wonderful mentor mentee
role where I was able to support them and help them grow and become
the best versions of themselves. I actually got the chance to walk
in the graduation of one of my student managers as part of the
staff commencement, and I was able to see her from when I first met
her as a freshman to now being a confident, amazing graduate of her
institution. And that moment always sticks with me because it's the
end goal.
Kevin Willis [00:30:54]:
It's what we always hope to have is to get our students across the
finish line. And I think for me that embodies not only the
profession, but it also embodies why I went into the profession,
which is to help students and support them the most.
Herbie Gibson [00:31:07]:
Herbie r Gibson, sheher, associate director of residence education
for student learning and leadership, Michigan State University.
Shout out to the NASBA undergraduate fellows program. I am a proud
alum of the program. And if it wasn't for enough, I wouldn't be the
practitioner that I am today. And so the ways in which we pour into
these students and mentorship and giving them opportunities to
learn more about the field, the Dungey Leadership Institute. Coming
to NASPA, those are just really great opportunities for people to
connect and those connections are still something that I cherish
today.
Dr. Laura Devoe [00:31:42]:
Hi. My name is doctor Laura DeVoe, and I'm a visiting assistant
professor at Boston College. The moment in student affairs that I
think embodies, the profession is when we are actually the first
people that students come to when they are in need. And that's what
we're here for. We are here for the students. We are servant
leaders, and we see that every day. And I think anyone listening to
this can think of that in their own life.
Mylon Wallace [00:32:11]:
My name is Lauren Zelensky. I'm the associate director for student
affairs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Office
of Graduate Studies. And a moment or experience in student affairs
that embodies the spirit of this profession would definitely be my
office taking over some of the orientation responsibilities of all
of our graduate programs within the School of Medicine just to make
sure that we are hitting all of those baseline needs for all of our
students to ensure that they're receiving all of the necessary
resources and information above and beyond what their program
specific needs and information for orientation would be.
Marcus . [00:32:47]:
My name is Marcus. I'm from Singapore, and I'm representing a
social enterprise called Sojourner's Agora, but I also work in
student affairs in the National University of Singapore, taking
care of student life for the undergraduates. It's sometimes helpful
just to see my younger self in the students whom I'm serving. It
reminds me also of the many decisions and challenges that I've had
to face while I was younger, but also to remember that my
experiences are not all the experiences that they're facing. Now I
have the opportunity to be a conduit of a whole hybrid and synergy
of different stories and narratives and how can I best facilitate
that information for the students whom I'm serving? So that
mentoring experience really is the most fulfilling thing for me and
I feel it's what keeps me going.
Mary Pat Morgan [00:33:35]:
My name is Mary Pat Morgan, and I am a program coordinator with the
mechatronics engineering program at the universities at Shady
Grove. When we're working with students, I think the most important
thing is just to connect them to resources beyond the university
community to get to know the greater community and to see higher ed
as an equalizer that can transform their lives and their
trajectory, not just of their own lives, but that of their
families, and I've seen it.
Dr. Melanie Mitchell [00:34:05]:
Hello. My name is doctor Melanie Mitchell, and I have the pleasure
of serving as the director of the Impact Leadership Village at
North Carolina State University. A moment that comes up for me when
I think about embodying the spirit of the profession is when I have
seen the benefits of having an open door policy and empowering
students to stop by and connect. It it helps the students see you
as human and as a person that they can talk to and share what's
going on for them. And so there's value in that, and I think that's
something that's important. Relationship building is at the heart
of what we do, and being able to have that open door policy, to
engage with students really is how you meet their needs and support
them where they're at.
Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:34:56]:
Hi. I am Melinda Stoops. I am currently serving as the interim dean
of students at Bay Path University, and I've been working in higher
education for over twenty years at this point. From personal
experience, recently, my job was eliminated back in January. And as
I've worked the past couple of months in terms of transitioning to
an interim role and letting people know about my change in
circumstances, I I've had so many people reach out and provide
support to me. Some of these people I know well that I've worked
with for a number of years. Other people, I didn't know at all, and
they reach out to me and just, you know, express support for me.
And I think that really embodies the spirit of student affairs that
as a profession, we are a bunch of helpers, and I mean in a good
way, not in a way where we're walking around over helping
people.
Dr. Melinda Stoops [00:35:46]:
But I think we look at people, and we want people to thrive and to
succeed, and that applies to our colleagues as well. And I have
just been so amazed by the support from this community, and I think
that embodies the spirit of the profession.
Melissa Aponte [00:36:01]:
I am doctor Melissa Aponte. I serve as assistant dean of students
at Rochester Institute of Technology. I am being overwhelmed with
the memories of actually being in NOLA ten years ago when I hosted,
at the time, my college's first ever alternative spring break and
spending a week with our students, sharing time, doing volunteer
work. And now ten years later, reflecting on where all those
students have gone, some of them have pursued student affairs roles
and careers. Others have gone on to do doctoral doctoral work and
then also pursued giving back to the community because of some of
the impacts of that trip, actually. So I think that really embodies
the spirit of really connecting with students, seeing who they are
individually, and helping them grow and guide them to whatever
opportunities might be there for them.
Melissa Ward [00:36:55]:
I am Melissa Ward. I am director of student engagement at the
College of Engineering at Oregon State University. That moment for
students when something clicks is my drug and why I I show up to
work every single day. So whether it's they get a concept or they
get the job or they get the leadership
Melissa Ward [00:37:25]:
prevention outreach and education department at Michigan State
University as our director for employee and graduate student
programs. I think about multiple crises that are taking place. I
look at what has happened in North Carolina, Florida, California
with wildlife disasters. I think about hurricane responses for our
campuses that are in the South. And when I see and when I learn and
when I hear about these experiences, that is what embodies the best
of us. When student affairs professionals are the ones that come
together, support folks going through crises, provide the
resources, work to get people what they need, that is what I think,
is the at the heart of the student affairs profession.
Dr. Michael Sheehane [00:38:01]:
Howdy. My name is Michael Sheehan. I work at Texas A and M
University in career services. Specifically, I'm the director of
campus programs in the career center. Been there for about fifteen
years now. I've been doing this for a while. I would say, to date,
it's still fascinating to me how students absolutely remember how
you made them feel. And so, to date, I'll still get random emails
from students that maybe I interacted with a decade or more ago,
and they'll update me about where they are now and what they're
doing now.
Dr. Michael Sheehane [00:38:28]:
And so I think that speaks to the power of the little moments and
and making sure that you understand that even though it might be a
conversation that you've, as a professional, had 500 times before,
it could be the first time that student's hearing it. And so making
sure you you give care to each one of those moments.
Dr. Michelle Burke [00:38:45]:
Michelle Burke, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I work with the Michigan
Center for Adult College Success. I've been a NASPA member for a
long time. I think coming to the NASPA conference almost every year
and seeing the people that you have mentored that have mentored
you. And what I love is when I have my undergraduate student from
years ago who's now getting a doctorate and gonna be a professor in
higher ed. That's amazing.
Dr. Mimi Benjamin [00:39:11]:
I'm Mimi Benjamin. I'm a professor in the student affairs in higher
education program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I think
that when I come to the national conference and I run into former
colleagues and former students who tell me about their successes
and are so excited about everything from passing their comps to
getting a promotion to doing the kind of work and making the kind
of impact on students that they always talked about doing. Those
are really the times that I know I picked the right profession, and
I'm really excited to be part of of the field.
Mylon Wallace [00:39:48]:
Mylon Wallace. I work in the Office of Student Conduct at the
University of Alabama. I've had the opportunity in the Office of
Student Conduct where I've been able to make a decision that could
have faced somebody's life and chosen not to. I feel like that
embodies compassion and empathy because at the end of the day, I do
still have a job to do and they do still have to be held
accountable, but that doesn't mean I have to be malicious with
it.
Narelle Njok [00:40:12]:
Hi, everyone. My name is Nairole Njok. I'm currently a first year
graduate student at Iowa State University in the student affairs
master's program, and I am from Omaha, Nebraska. As a first year
graduate, I really reflect on my experience in undergrad as a
member of a a black Greek letter organization and a member of a
scholarship community that I was involved Those individuals really
embodied what it means to be a student affairs professional to the
point where now I'm in the field now and being able to live out my
purpose. And so shout out to those individuals who've just been
been on my side and sat with me when I've had hard conversations.
And they've had those conversations with me even when I didn't
wanna hear it. But overall, like, they've really shaped the
individual that I am today, and I I appreciate them so.
Pedro Ramos [00:41:00]:
Hi. This is Pedro Ramos. I am the student engagement manager for
the program Exploratory Studies at CU Boulder from Boulder,
Colorado. So hello. I remember leading a student leadership
conference maybe, like, three years ago at Adams State University,
go Grizzlies. And one of the things that I remember asking the
students is, where do you come from, who are you now, and where are
we going in the future? And it was an embodiment of true inner
reflection that we were able to get students to really reflect on
their values. And I think that's one of the things about the
student affairs professionals is that we're constantly going back
to the drawing board and being, alright. Where do I come from?
Where am I? And where am I going in the future? So in the same way
we ask that for our students, I hope we ask that for ourselves too
and really, I don't know, hoping for a really prosperous journey
for all of us.
Pedro Ramos [00:41:51]:
So thank you.
Dr. Peggy Crowe [00:41:54]:
Hi. I'm Peggy Crowe. I serve as the director of the counseling
center and the student accessibility resource center at Western
Kentucky University. I think this conversation right here with my
dear friend, Chris, is a way that we embody the spirit of the
profession. I think all the sessions that we're at, all the
reunions that we're having, you know, we're talking about Chris and
I are part of the inaugural serve academy and trying to find ways
for us to get together and just be in presence with one another. I
think we are forgetting the importance hugs that we're receiving.
That's the spirit of this profession. That's why we come back
here.
Dr. Peggy Crowe [00:42:30]:
That's why we feel engaged and rejuvenated to go back and do our
very important work.
Dr. Phil Covington [00:42:36]:
I'm Phil Covington. I serve as associate vice vice chancellor for
student success at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Fortunately, those are things that seem to happen almost every day
and that's just the point in time where a student finally sees you
not as a suit, not as an administrator, not as somebody who's there
just checking boxes, but realizes, oh, this guy really cares about
me and my experience and my future and my family. So taking the
time to slow down long enough to see people for who they are and
for who they're becoming and hoping in return that they can do the
same for us, it's just so beautiful in this profession. And then
getting to come to places like the annual conference and seeing
colleagues that we've known for a long time, as well as connecting
with new folks and being encouraged and being encouragers. There's
so much negativity going on, but there's also incredible
opportunity for us to make a difference for one another right
now.
Rachael Amaro [00:43:33]:
Rachel L. Morrow, admissions and academic advisor for the
Department of Educational Leadership at Cal State Fullerton. I
think recently, for me, a moment that really brings the spirit of
student affairs is that we had a student in crisis very recently,
and what I appreciated was the connection our students have to not
just myself as the advisor for the department, but to my EDD
director and even to the faculty made them feel comfortable to let
all of us know, hey, there's another member in our cohort who we
are concerned about. And going through all of that made us feel
like, oh, good. The students trust us to help, and they help each
other in moments of crisis. And so we really felt like a team in
working through the situation and getting help for the student, and
now things are a lot, have improved. And so it's nice for us to
know that not only are we doing a good job at connecting with them,
but they feel comfortable with us and reaching out when even it's
not themselves that need help, but someone in their cohort.
Rachel Duvall [00:44:42]:
I'm Rachel Duvall. I'm the associate director of volunteer
engagement at NASPA. I am from Memphis, Tennessee. I think seeing
the KCs and some just all professional organizations who share
resources without a sense of competitiveness is what I really have
valued in getting to know folks around here. We are all doing the
same work, and so rising tides lift all boats kind of situation.
And so when we don't compete, but we build on what everyone is
doing in a way that feels supportive, I think that's when we are
the most successful.
Ray Fisco [00:45:14]:
Hi. Ray Fisco, he, him pronouns. I am from Colorado Springs,
Colorado, and I serve NASPA as the assistant director of Statewide
Coalitions Trainings and Partnerships. Certainly, there was a time
that I was helping a student that got into trouble for drinking on
campus, And, you know, I got to talk to them about making better
choices, talking about their goals, talking about, you know, what
they want to do in college and how this experience, how getting in
trouble shouldn't define who they are. And they really took that
conversation, that meeting with me, and really allowed them to, you
know, really reflect. And from that moment, it felt like they
really grew and really knew what they they wanted to do moving
forward and to not allow this experience define who they are. And
I, you know, I got to see this student continue to grow and prosper
beyond that meeting that, you know, one mistake doesn't define what
is what a student does for for the rest of the time in their
career, and that really defines to me the moment that experience
that I have in student affairs of, like, why I'm in this
profession, why I love the work that I get to do.
Sean Devoe [00:46:21]:
Hi. Sean DeVoe. I serve as the associate vice chancellor for
student affairs and dean of students at the University of
Massachusetts Boston. At UMass Boston, where we are a primarily or
majority minority institution and also majority first gen, on a
daily basis, I get to help someone out. And that's that's really
sometimes it's as simple as making sure a student understands who
to connect with on campus. And sometimes the other day, I met with
a student who arrived in our campus and had been, designated as an
unhoused student in her high school years, transitioned to us from
out of state. And after doing some research, I was able to provide
her with what's called in state residency as a state institution,
which knocked her tuition down tremendously. And she was thrilled,
and I know that I have a student that I've really impacted.
Sean Devoe [00:47:10]:
So it's a good place to work.
Sarah Edmonson [00:47:15]:
Hello. I am Sarah Edmonson. She, her pronouns. I serve as the
associate director for student involvement at Washington University
in Saint Louis or WashU. I think it's such a small example, but to
me it is a really good one. In my top five strengths is this
developer strength. I lean into heavily in my developmental work
with students, and I had a student. They were actually one of my
very first student leaders in my full time professional role, and
several years later, they had ended up going to grad school.
Sarah Edmonson [00:47:40]:
They took a job in higher education in student affairs. They were
working with teams of students, kind of supervising teams of
students like I was when I was in the position where I knew them.
And they had a group chat. And this group chat, I was in housing at
time when I worked with this student. The staff of that building
had a really robust, really funny, clever group chat. I mean, just
a lot of kind of funny inside joke, and that culture really that
staff team bonded really, really well.
Sarah Edmonson [00:48:03]:
And
Sarah Edmonson [00:48:03]:
but now she's managing one of those. And a great team, but it's
blowing up at all hours of the day. And you come back and you've
been away from your phone for twenty minutes, and you come back to
a 50 missed messages in the group chat. And it was just fun to see
her reach out to me and say, I had no idea what that was like for
you as a professional until I am now in this position. And thank
you for the ways. You are always gracious with us and
understanding, while also, like, setting those boundaries, turning
off the group chat when you needed to have kinda your space and
check out. But I thought it was really fun to see her go from being
a student to being the professional that is loving working with
students and really following a very similar career path and
finding just as much meaning and fun, but also balancing some of
those tricky pieces that come with working with students and having
a very different kind of life than they have. But for me, that was
a really beautiful full circle moment and how I got to kind of
contribute to sustaining the profession, getting to inspire the
next generation of leaders.
Sarah Edmonson [00:48:57]:
And I hope to do that with my staff and to keep building them up so
that they continue to move up and we continue to have a really
robust, healthy field. Hi. I'm doctor Sheila Carussell.
Dr. Sheila Carusel [00:49:09]:
I work at Ohio Northern University, and I'm the director of
pharmacy student affairs. Thinking about an experience that really,
I think, embodies the spirit of this profession, the thing that
recently happened with me, a mother called me and said, whatever
you did with my student, I do success coaching, whatever however
you worked with her, she's blossoming in her second year. She was
never the strongest student in high school and she came to ONU and,
yeah, didn't have a good first semester but then worked with you in
the spring semester and now she is a TA in a biology lab and she
got over a three point o GPA this past fall and I congratulated her
and said keep up the great work and I think that really is what
embodies our profession.
Sylvester Gaskin [00:49:55]:
Name is Sylvester Gaskin. I'm a leadership development program
leader for the Association of American Medical Colleges. I think,
you know, now that I'm kinda adjacent to the field, just hearing
from former students saying, like, they're going off to do great
things, they're getting great jobs. They're getting promoted or,
like, they struggle, then you don't hear from them for a while and
they kinda get back to you like they've done well. Like, I I posted
a picture on LinkedIn with a colleague of mine that I worked with,
like, fifteen years ago and had a bunch of students reach out and
be like, y'all were there when we needed you. And, like, I'm I'm
thriving now. I bought my first house, paid off my car early. I'm
like, I'm having a family.
Sylvester Gaskin [00:50:32]:
Those are the things I think you don't see immediately, but down
the road, you'll see you'll see that result. And I think that that
to me, those are moments that, you know, like, okay. Like, yeah.
Like, we did something good.
Taylor Henderson [00:50:45]:
Hi. This is Taylor Henderson. I'm the director of the Reliance
Student Experience office at Texas A and M University's Mays
Business School. So I've been in this work for about fourteen years
now, and I worked in various offices, academic programs,
advancement, career services, now student experience office. And
watching the student journey
Taylor Henderson [00:51:03]:
manifest in many different pockets of campus,
Taylor Henderson [00:51:03]:
I think, is always the different pockets of campus, I think, is
always the experience that matters most. And it's it's what
embodies the spirit of student affairs because seeing students in
all of these different corners and all of these different
functional areas kind of growing simultaneously as as individuals
and as a collective body is, I think, what student affairs is all
about.
Terrence Duffy [00:51:28]:
Hi. My name is Terrence Duffy, t. I'm a first year graduate student
at Baldwin Wallace University in the leadership in higher education
program. One that I've definitely noticed is right now, I do an
internship with Residence Life and Housing. So seeing a lot of the
residents connecting with their RA is has been something that I
think has been really rewarding, specifically in their programming.
I technically oversee the commuters, but I still work with some of
the RAs and go to their programming. So seeing them utilize this
lounge that I created is something really impactful for me because
not only is it being used by a underrepresented, community at
Baldwin Wallace University, but also students who now are like,
woah. Like, I didn't even know that this could be an option once I
loop move off campus or so I think just kind of having that
students realizing that there's other things out there than what
they know is something that I think has been really rewarding.
Dr. TJ Pegg [00:52:24]:
Hello. I'm doctor TJ Pegg from George Mason University in Fairfax,
Virginia. And then a moment in student affairs that, really
embodies the spirit of this profession is each year I serve on our
Welcome to Mason community committee on campus, and I lead our
kickoff to success resource fair where I get to collaborate with
campus partners across academic and student affair units. And
seeing over 30 units outside our arena, tabling with students and
welcoming them to campus really embodies the collaboration effort
across our profession.
Travis Tucker [00:53:02]:
Alright. Hello there. My name is Travis Tucker. I use him as
pronouns. I serve as the assistant dean and director of the Carley
Field Center at Princeton University. I also am a member of the
GSKC as the cochair elect. I mean, this conference really is it.
Right? Like, where I am being able to connect with individuals that
have made such a lasting impact on me and really being able to
reconnect with them in a way that feels just really personal.
Travis Tucker [00:53:24]:
It really has given me the opportunity to refocus my work and
refocus my passion in it, and so I get that every year. So as I sit
in this space, I have to honor the fact that this conference is
that for me today.
Val Shepherd [00:53:40]:
Hey. I'm Val Shepherd. I'm a senior analyst with UCLA Recreation.
I'm a long time member of the administrators and graduate
professional student services knowledge community, and it's such a
wonderful community. I've made great friends that I've known for
over ten years, and it's wonderful. And I feel like if everyone can
have that in student affairs where they make those friends, it
really does embody the spirit of this profession.
Sabina Kapoor [00:54:13]:
Hi, my name is Sabina Kapoor and I'm the new co chair, one of the
new co chairs for the SAPA knowledge community with NASPA. I've
been in higher ed for a little over twenty years, and in that time,
I've served roles in student affairs, academic affairs, student
success. And after a little over twenty years, I decided to go back
to school full time and pursue my PhD. So if all goes well, I'll
get that by the end of this year. So I was for a short period, I
was at a community college and it was a dual designated HBCU and
HSI.
Sabina Kapoor [00:54:47]:
So I
Sabina Kapoor [00:54:47]:
think they're one of the only ones in the nation. It was located in
a part of town where it's predominantly low SES. So on my second
day on the job, I met someone. I met a student who was walking away
from a abusive domestic situation. She was in her early twenties.
She had served already, and she had a child. And she was literally
living in her car. So I was able to connect her.
Sabina Kapoor [00:55:17]:
I didn't know all of our services on campus, but I immediately
connected her to, we had still some money left. That I knew my
first day was that we still had funding residual from COVID that we
were still trying to use out. And the institution was using that on
a as needed basis to help people with things like immediate needs
like housing, food, and so on. So I immediately connected her to
that service under my umbrella. But then I also connected her to
community connections that I had within the city. So she was able
to buy groceries on the immediately. And some of these non profits
that work in the community were able to help her find a place to
live. So in I'm lucky in that scenario in that I've lived in my
hometown for a long time, so I knew a lot of people across the
city.
Sabina Kapoor [00:56:09]:
And then the people and I just met some folks in my new at my then
new institution. So we worked with her and I kept in touch with
her, kept tabs on her. And then maybe a little about a month or
month later or so, she was settled and situated. She really had a
lot to offer. And then vice president of The United States has
having a symposium in the White House, and it was targeting HBCUs,
and the topic was on abortion rights. And so I said, let's have
this student represent. I think she can bring experience as a
nontraditional student. And the fact that she's a mother, she made
a choice, but she had that choice.
Sabina Kapoor [00:56:53]:
And so and that was a key thing. So I advocated for her to go, and
we were able to have her go to this. And when she came back, it was
like she was recharged, her energy was renewed, and she was just
really excited about being in school. I think this is what she
needed to continue going at this institution. And so I worked with
a lot of different people on campus and a lot of folks off campus
to make this happen, but I really feel like this was what student
affairs does is really help develop the student outside the
classroom in a holistic way. And so I really felt that that was
it.
Vanessa Vera [00:57:38]:
Hi. My name is Vanessa Vera. I'm a conduct education graduate
assistant at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. A moment
that I recently experienced in the field of student affairs as a
new professional of about two years in the field was having a
mentee of mine when I was an undergraduate student, which is where
I got my start in the field, approach me and tell me that it was my
mentoring and and my relationship with her during peer mentoring
that gave her the confidence to go for a student body president
position at our institution at Northern Arizona University. And I
think that moment was something that filled me with a lot of joy.
That was my first job in student affairs, and I didn't think that I
could have that kind of impact on somebody. And to hear someone
say, you gave me the confidence to believe that I could do that and
represent my institution and be a leader meant the world to me. And
so I think about that moment a lot and just me continuing to be
able to impact students in the different fields and areas that I
engage with.
Dr. Will Simpkins [00:58:37]:
This is Will Simpkins. I'm vice president of student affairs at
Metropolitan State University of Denver. So my grad school mentor
of twenty five years ago sends out an annual Christmas letter.
Marsha Gensler Stevens University of Maryland is one of my favorite
people in the world. And her letter talked about spending time with
students in protest, spring twenty twenty four, which many of us
did. And in her letter, she said how she spent time on the quad
engaging students around the question of how did you come to
believe that? And I just remember sort of sitting with that
December 29 when I got the letter at home. Like, we were so busy
trying to ask questions about demands and could we negotiate? Can
we get this encampment down that we forgot to actually be
educators? And say, like, tell me what you believe and tell me how
you came to understand that and what information are you pulling
in. So to me, that's the profession.
Dr. Will Simpkins [00:59:29]:
Educators asking deep questions.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:59:44]:
This has been an episode of SA Voices from the Field, a podcast
brought to you by NASPA. This show is made possible because of you,
the listeners, and we continue to be grateful that you spend your
time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email
us at essayvoices@nasa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for
doctor Jill L. Creighton. We always welcome your feedback and your
topic and guest suggestions. We'd love it if you take a moment to
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now. It really helps other student affairs professionals find our
show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting
community. This episode was produced and hosted by doctor Jill
Creighton.
Dr. Jill Creighton [01:00:23]:
That's me. Produced and audio engineered by doctor Chris Lewis.
Special thanks to the University of Michigan Flint for your support
as we create this project. Catch you next
Dr. Jill Creighton [01:00:33]:
time.