Running head: AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Areas for Development

Matt Lyons
April 29, 2016
Portfolio
Thai Nguyen, Ph. D.

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Areas for Development (LO 1, 6, 7, 8, 9; Artifact C1, C2, E, F, G)

Introduction
The Seattle University (SU) Student Development Administration (SDA) program has
allowed me to examine my strengths and my experiences on a regular basis. However, another
important aspect of the SDA program and this portfolio presentation is the opportunity to reflect
on the improvements I can make as a professional. Through my coursework, discussions with
peers, and employment experience I have learned many ways to be a more successful
professional than when I entered the SDA program. While my six years of education at Jesuit
institutions have allowed me to constantly reflect, I lack the practical experiences I would like to
have. My coursework has allowed me to explore the theories of Student Affairs and what they
look like, but unfortunately I have not had a lot of hands-on experience with students to put that
theory into practice. Overall, I have found and will reflect on how I can develop my theory to
practice, technical skills, and knowledge of the law.
Theory to Practice (LO 1, 6; Artifact C2, E, G)
Theory to practice has become something that I enjoy learning about, the only problem is
that I have begun to enjoy it as I wrap up the SDA program. My ACPA/NASPA competencies
(artifact E) that I reviewed for this project allowed me to look at my development in leadership,
as well as, the history, philosophy, and values of Student Affairs. In regards to leadership, I have
found that my experience as a Program Coordinator with SUs Center for Community
Engagement allowed me to gain my first experiences in a leadership role. As I recruited, hired,
trained, and advised a group of undergraduate students, I was able to see the theories I learned in
class come to fruition. Improving and gaining experience with theory to practice will allow me

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to improve both my understanding of the foundations of Student Affairs (LO 1) and developing
and demonstrating skills in leadership and collaboration (LO 6).
In addition, my experience in the SDA program has given me a strong foundational
knowledge about Student Affair and some of the primary problems we have facing us as a field.
However, I did not of seek out articles and discussions about present problems and possible
solutions. Going forward, I will have to stay educated with what is happening in Student Affairs.
Staying current on what is happening in the world of Student Affairs, as well as learning about
developing theories will allow me to be a constantly improving professional.
The primary theory that applied to the different students I worked with was Yossos
(2005) idea of community cultural wealth. Being able to learn about students aspirational,
navigational, social, linguistic, familial, and resistant capital allowed me to determine which
capital each of my student employees could bring to the table. My experience with the Center
for Community Engagement provided me with a leadership position, however I was early in the
stages of my leadership development. I have not held a position with a strong leadership role
since that time, therefore I do not know how I have developed by putting leadership theory into
practice. I would like to have another leadership role either before I go into my career, or as an
entry-level position just to see which theories I am the most comfortable with, and which
theories work best in different situations.
The Leadership I class that we took in the SDA program allowed me to take on a paper
(Artifact C2) where I reviewed leadership literature and created my own definition of leadership.
With this assignment, I found that each person will have their own definition of leadership and
how they want to demonstrate their leadership. A theory I try to apply to my definition of
leadership is Baxter Magoldas (2001) theory of self-authorship. I use Baxter Magoldas theory

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as a leader by understanding that all students will take different paths through their educational
journey. If I can adapt my personality and strengths to fit their needs, I will be a stronger
practitioner. By taking my experiences and the crossroads I have come across, I will be able to
improve my leadership skills (LO 6), as well as apply them to real life situations.
My work with the University of Washington (UW) in their Student-Athlete Academic
Services (SAAS) department allowed me to work with student-athletes in a general studies class.
Working with these student-athletes, I was able to present on topics such as transitions and time
management. This internship allowed me to work with a segmented population and make a
distinct contribution to the SDA program that my cohort mates did not have the opportunity to.
Artifact G, which showcases a presentation I did to summarize my internship, shows the distinct
contributions and experiences that working in SAAS allowed me to have. My time in SAAS
allowed me to apply Schlossbergs (2006) transition theory to students making a transition to
college that few students have to make. What makes the student-athletes experience different is
that they come into college with high expectations for academics, but higher-expectations for
athletics. Going forward, I hope to specialize in working with certain student groups. Right
now, my focus is to work with first-year students. I would like either be hired for a position or
join a committee that will allow me to enhance how I put transition theory into practice.
Technical Skills (LO 7, 8; Artifact F)
The professional positions I have held during the SDA program have been helpful to my
development as a professional. My current position in Graduate Admissions has allowed me to
improve my skills in communicating effectively in speech and in writing (LO 8) through
engaging with prospective graduate students via e-mails and campus tours. Communicating
through e-mail has been more difficult than I anticipated however. I engage with international

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students with different fluency levels in English and possible language barriers on a weekly
basis. These engagements tend to run smooth as I have created templates that I use as responses,
but I think that I will need to become better at having conversations and answering more specific
questions I am asked. To develop in this learning outcome and area, I will need to create a plan
using Pope, Reynolds, and Muellers (2004) multicultural competence tenants: multicultural
awareness, multicultural knowledge, and multicultural skills.
My 5-year development plan (artifact F) showcases where I would like to be as a
professional over the next five years, and research is a heavy focus. Research plays a heavy role
in my development as a professional. I want to improve my knowledge of new research and
assessments because I feel be more marketable and desirable to employers as my career evolves.
Doing research is something I never would have thought to be interested in, however when I read
LO 7, utilizing assessment, evaluation, technology, and research to improve practice it really
stuck with me that I need to continue to learn in order to improve my practice. At this time, I am
unsure about a topic I would like to research. I have have found that I am fond of working with
first-year, first-generation students who come from low-income families, because thats how I
identify as a college student.
Overall, I feel that my communication skills and my ability to constantly learn about new
information to put into practice will help me in the long run as a professional, but even more so
on a daily basis.
Law (LO 9; Artifact C1)
The SDA course thankfully requires us to take a course the centers on law in higher
education. In my course, Dr. Allison Lau was creative with our syllabus and brought in two
different guest speakers to learn about how they encounter the law in both of their fields.

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Hearing from two different professionals, along with Dr. Laus about how the law can impact
ones work on a daily basis was a surprise. Before this program and the Higher Education Law,
the only law I consistently heard about on college campuses was Title IX and FERPA. My work
in Graduate Admissions has allowed me to gain a better grasp on FERPA because of the
confidential files students send during their application process. Also, thanks to the Higher
Education Law class, I was able to better comprehend how the law comes up for Student Affairs
professionals, better understand issues surrounding law, policy, finance, and governance (LO 9).
Artifact C1 presents a research paper I did for this Higher Education Law class. Through
this paper I was able to comprehend some populations that still face discrimination in our
society, and can continue to face discrimination because of precedents set in previous court
cases. The population in the paper I discussed was two pregnant high school women and their
dismissal from their local National Junior Honor Society chapter. Going forward in my
professional development, I will need to read current articles about laws, and especially protests
that are happening around the country. Discriminated populations are beginning to advocate for
their rights and safety on college campuses. This is a great opportunity to learn about how
colleges navigate their way around the law and introduce best practices into the field. Applying
Bronfenbrenners (2005) developmental ecology model and its four stages, process, person,
context, and time, will allow me to learn about the precedents made both before my time as a
professional and during my time as a professional. Especially in regards to context and time, as
these are vital to why some cases are being introduced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the SDA program has done a fantastic job in preparing me for life after
graduate school. I feel confident with where I am heading as a professional. The opportunities I

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have had as an intern and as an employee in this program have created a strong base for my
professional future. However, to develop my knowledge and technical skills, I will need more
practice and exposure putting theory to practice, gaining the technical skills like communication
and using research, and learning about how the law is handled in higher education. Increasing
these experiences, along with reflecting how my experiences have helped me, will make me
more marketable during my job search now, and in the future.

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT

References

Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human
development. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Goodman, J., Schlossberg, N. K., & Anderson, M. L. (2006). Counseling adults in transition.
New York: Springer.


Pope, R. L., Reynolds, A. L., & Mueller, J. A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student
affairs. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

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.