Personal and Ethical Foundations (PEF)
Level: Proficient
I developed in the following areas related to this competency:
“Articulate one’s personal code of ethics for student affairs practice, informed by the ethical statements of professional student affairs associations and their foundational ethical principles” (p. 16).
"Articulate awareness and understanding of one's attitudes, values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and identity and how they affect one's integrity and work with others" (p. 16).
“Recognize the importance of reflection in personal, professional, and ethical development” (p. 16).
"Identify one's primary work responsibilities and, with appropriate, ongoing feedback, craft a realistic, summative self-appraisal of one's strengths and limitations" (p. 16).
Academic Experience
EAF 428: Personal Philosophy Statement:
My EAF 428 Foundations of Student Affairs Practice class required me to write a personal philosophy statement representing my educated impression about working as a student affairs professional. This research project involved synthesizing ideas from multiple research sources, in-class readings, presentations, and student affairs philosophy statements to develop my own philosophy within the work I do. This project demonstrates articulating my own personal code of ethics within student affairs and recognizes the importance of reflection in personal, professional, and ethical development.
Work Experience
Self-Evaluations:
My position as a Graduate Assistant in Heartland’s Community College’s (HCC) Student Engagement Office requires ongoing self-evaluation and a formal self-evaluation at the end of each semester. This process, which includes one-on-one meetings with my HCC supervisor, continuously helped me to identify areas of improvement, note progress toward goals, and determine whether I am making adequate improvements. The end of the formal self-evaluation asks one to identify two strengths and two areas of improvement. Last semester, I identified adapting and advising as my strengths, and collaboration and delegation as my areas of improvement. Adapting has been a consistent strength for me across both semesters, especially having to move my work over to an online format during a Global Pandemic. My advising experience for Student Government took time to develop, and I have seen significant improvement in my abilities over the past year with working one-on-one with my student leaders and facilitating SGA programs and events. In terms of both presenting and delegation, I want to improve upon my ability to reach out and work with other organizations on campus. I also have been one to independently work on projects, but I hope to improve this by delegating different tasks to my co-workers and student workers so I can have more perspectives on the project and so I do not burn out. The self-evaluations assist in articulating my awareness and understanding of my own strengths and areas of improvement. I hope to continue this self-reflection by setting goals early in my first job and consistently assessing my progress.
Self-Assessments:
I truly believe the key to success is knowing who you are and your values through self-discovery. During my time as a graduate student, I have taken two formal self assessment tests to provide myself with a clearer idea of my own strengths, limitations, skills, personality, values, and interests. I continuously refer to the results of these assessments as I progress not only though the CSPA program but through life. Knowing myself and defining who I am has assisted me in identifying what areas I work well in, how I work with others, and polish my own values towards my student affairs work
Reference:
ACPA: College Student Educators International & NASPA − Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (2015). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Retrieved from http://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf