Under the A/S competency, I overall see myself fulfilling the requirements closest to the Advanced level. My experiences as a Resident Advisor Mentor (RAM), College Adviser, Community Director, and Graduate Assistant have helped me fine-tune my skills listening, understanding, reflecting upon, and supporting students in meangingful and appropriate ways.

 

As the RAM, I was often the first link for Resident Advisors who had concerns with their residents, our professional supervisor, and campus policies. I established my role as a sound listener, moving from offering advice to listening to the subtle, unspoken aspects of concerns and complaints. I always maintained confidentiality, and when appropriate I funneled information to the appropriate personnel.

 

Advising high school students in rural NC about the college application process taught me to include and support the needs of the community, and I learned that my idea of accessing a college education was not the sole perspective for all people. Considering the differences of others and supporting unique needs enabled me to perceive that differences meant more about empowering others to follow a path similar to my own, but to ensure others received the support necessary to secure their own version of a productive and meaningful future.

 

Over the last four years, I have supervised a number of students, witnessing group conflict, staff frustration with university policies, and student crises. By enhancing my network and forging relationships with campus resources, I swiftly addressed multiple conflicts at once with the support of mentors, campus counselors, and supervisors. I grew confident with resolving multiple issues, often at the same time, and continued to monitor mishaps and address them as they arose.

 

In graduate school, one prime example of supporting differences in communication (an outcome of the A/S competency) is highlighting with my students and colleagues the power of language in liberating/constraining others. Currently, many of the aforementioned groups assume that all others have the same access to technology (smart phones, laptops, cars, etc.). By challenging others, as well as myself, I believe we paint a broader picture for supporting students who do not have the same assumed experiences and tools that we have.