I went back through my higher ed program outcomes and I love them! I feel like this accurate describes what I learned during my time at Penn State.

 

Graduates of the M.Ed. in Higher Education Program will:

1. Demonstrate reading proficiencies to deal effectively with theoretical, empirical, and policy material in higher education.
2. Demonstrate writing proficiencies to analyze problems of practice, draw upon and apply concepts studied, and synthesize ideas into relevant and useful conclusions.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills that require suspended judgment and the application of relevant theory to varied areas of practice.
4. Demonstrate responsibility toward the goal of becoming a proactive, reflective life-long learner.
5. Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with others to facilitate problem-solving and decision making through reflective practice.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of purpose, audience, and context in communication activities.
7. Demonstrate appropriate use of communication technologies.
8. Demonstrate an ability to draw upon key theories, concepts and research findings to assess current issues and challenges facing higher education institutions.
9. Demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze data to improve practice in particular administrative areas of higher education.
10. Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical practice.

1. Awesome Collaboration Tools and Digital Presence Experience

I learned lots of new tools for connecting with people virtually, different programs like Skype for Business and Zoom that make interactions easy over the web. I feel confident giving presentations from a remote location and I am confident over a video chat, and I can’t say that I was before. As the world becomes more digital, these are invaluable skills.

2. Specialized Knowledge | Deeper Knowledge of Different Types of Institutions

I knew a lot about my small public liberal arts institution since I was the student body president there, but now I am familiar with the inner workings of many different kind of institutions like large public land grant institutions, community colleges and private colleges.

3. Connections All Over the World | Increased Professional Network

I went to school in Colorado, and worked in Colorado. In my program I met people in my field from all over the world, and I actually now have a lot of connections in the Eastern US where my program was based. Having colleagues in your field is great! It is always nice to be able to bounce ideas off of others and find support through similar experiences. I intend to keep in touch with those I’ve grown close to and hopefully continue to network and maybe work with them in the future.

4. Perspective Shift

This program has opened my eyes to jobs and opportunities I would have never thought of or encountered on my own. And learning on your own without the support of physical classroom really makes you research and dig deep. An online program provides lots of quiet time for self-reflection and reflection as a whole. I have really adopted the theme of life-long learning while on this journey.

5. Self-Efficacy and Discipline

The whole time I was taking classes online I was working, and I am passionate about working out and work-life balance. Being able get classwork turned in and keep your regular life on track presents a challenge. This program has given me strong time management skills. And by self-efficacy, I mean that now I am confident in asking for and demanding things I need. Women in general I think, are less likely to demand things they need in life—be in time, space or encouragement. And this program has introduced me to some very powerful and inspiring women. Sometimes, you have to advocate on your behalf. A bible verse my mother often quoted:

Mathew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Sometimes life is as simple as just asking. Don’t forget to ask the important questions! If you never ask you’ll never know.

 

I have found the peer review process to be extremely enlightening for me. I feel lucky to have peers that are so brilliantly educated and thoughtful that they can provide strong feedback and help me shape a paper that reflects my true sentiments. I would not say it was difficult to receive feedback, but after the fact, it can be difficult to incorporate all of the thoughts and needs of others. When one reviewer has an idea that opposes what another one wants it can be arduous to synthesize them.

For me, giving feedback was the harder part of participating in a peer review. In my peer group I was reading papers of colleagues who are much more educated than I am in the area of writing scholarly papers. I found it difficult, only because I hope I was able to help my peers just as much as they were able to help me.

This process has given me a good understanding of my weaknesses in writing. For me, APA is a constant struggle, only because sometimes I feel restricted. And presently, I am a blogger, and have always considered myself a talented writer, but with that I struggle in using the first person. I think overall my writing can be a bit too personal and less driven by hard data and facts. I need to improve in finding sources to back my opinions, and I have learned some valuable skills around that through this process. Naturally, I try to appeal to the emotional side of human beings, but that is not good in academic writing. Another weakness of mine is grammatical errors. I think I have always had a bit of dyslexia or maybe it is the ferocity in which I type my essays, but I need to be better about nitpicking through my papers for small errors. I was given the advice to use the read aloud feature in word while writing, and it has really helped me!

Looking at the work of others has given me appreciation for my strengths and my weaknesses. I think my strengths are in my ability to see the big picture and wrap a piece off with a bow. I  know I am good at getting across my opinion and I feel as though I have a strong voice in my writing. These strengths of mine are my foundation, and I hope I can use the feedback I received to improve upon the skills I already have and grow to be a much stronger writer.

If I were to do this again in the future, I do believe that I would spend more time reading the papers of others. I think it is a unique and rare opportunity to share in and shape someone else’s writing, especially with peers who are writing about topics that hold weight in my world. Being a reviewer has helped me have a more critical eye when reading, I have actually found myself critiquing other published papers while doing more research for my final draft.

In my capstone class, we’ve received an assignment that has asked to consider alternative career paths in higher education. And although my path is not set in stone, I see myself likely considering in admissions or working in marketing and PR. But another path that I have always wanted to consider is alumni relations. I have always enjoyed working with the alumni groups on campus. And truly, I believe I could find a home there. Alumni are the heart and soul of an institution. See here my sample cover letter for a position currently open at Cornell University.

I am really excited to be working on my final project in my MEd program. And I’d like to use this project to make a case for using race in the admissions process. This topic has been fascinating to me ever since my little sister was admitted to Duke and we learned about the use of race in their highly competitive school. See my proposal below.

Working in higher education is powerful, because it gives you the opportunity to open doors for people that otherwise may have never been opened. This work is important to me because my family has placed a high value on education and life-long learning. The interest in life-long learning is often sparked at a tender age from a freshman classroom or cohort. I believe in leading by example, and acting in integrity. As an ex college athlete, I believe that it is always a team effort. As a leader, I am compelled to help people find their inner confidence and strength. I value adventure, discipline, celebration, relationships and truth telling.

 

This is a photo of me and my mom in October in Mexico City, visiting my sister (pictured in background).

When I think about moments that have defined me in my life. I often think of my mom. I feel so fortunate to have been raised by such a strong woman who values higher education so faithfully. My mom was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2016, and she is still fighting it today. It has been really hard for her and us. But when I talk to my mom, as she reflects upon her life and things that fulfill her, she tells me she will be content if she dies knowing that she raised three girls to be college educated and that has been her mission for us. I am pursuing higher education for me, but also for my mom. My mom believes that higher education is invaluable and she wants to leave here knowing that she gave that to us girls. She has helped us to her full capability. I cannot put in words how thankful I am for her guidance and direction in my life. She has given me and my two younger sisters her all.

I want to work in higher education to help shape young adults like my mom has shaped me. Being young is hard, and I have been blessed to have strong mentors– starting with my mom. And young people need fearless leaders that instill strength and confidence into them. I want to be in student affairs so that I can create meaningful relationships with students and inspire them.

This was my final assignment in my 846 college students and success class. After going to Fort Lewis College and then working there for 2 years, it was interesting to read about Native students and their experiences. FLC has 30% of students identifying as Native American and I’ve heard that FLC is the highest baccalaureate awarding school in the country for Native students, which we were very proud of. You can read about the tuition waiver for Native American students here.