Running head: STRENGTHS NARRATIVE Bui 1

Strengths Narrative

Thomas Bui

SDAD 5990

Seattle University

April 11, 2019

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Strengths

My time in the Student Development Administration (SDA) program at Seattle

University gave me the opportunity to grow as a scholar and practitioner both personally and

professionally. SDA nurtured me to be a reflective and social justice minded Student Affairs

professional and challenged me to connect theory to practice by engaging in continuous

reflection centered on my learning and work with students. As a first-generation student of color

my experiences in higher education are not mine alone but of many. Guided by my values for

community building, social justice, and holistic development. I believe in advocating for students

and their success, empowering students to be heard, and challenging systems to create equity and

access in higher education. Coming into the SDA program as a full-time practitioner and part-

time student, I knew that seeking to further my education would benefit the students and the

communities I serve. This learning outcome narrative highlights my strengths gained in the SDA

program with evidence from my artifacts. My learning and growth have been centered as a

professional who strives to put students first through a lens of equity and cultural responsiveness.

The three strengths/skills I will be highlighting in this narrative are leadership, community

building, and adaptability.

Leadership (LO 1, 6, 10, Artifact E, C2, C3)

Throughout my time in the SDA program, my professors, mentors, and classmates have

supported and challenged my perspectives as a leader. My portfolio will show you, I have shaped

my SDA experience to grow holistically as a student affairs practitioner gaining experiences I

otherwise would not have the opportunity to do. I believe that LO 1, 6, and 10 are connected for

me and centered in how I develop and demonstrate skills in leadership and collaboration.
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Understanding the foundation (LO 1) and developing leadership and collaboration (LO 6)

directly contribute to the enhancement of my professional identity (LO 10).

LO 1 includes adapting to the evolving field of Higher Education as a Student Affairs

professional through updating knowledge to maintain a strong foundation grounded in building

inclusive and equitable communities with a commitment to advocate for practices that are

student-centered. I connect that to my dimensions in LO 6 which is learning to be a leader in

student services, effectively collaborating with others, and working with a generous purpose that

uses skills to serve others. I believe that to be a leader and practitioner who is student-centered I

must strive to build communities of support that are inclusive and equitable. To achieve this

goal, I must understand how leadership in higher education is navigated and how to build

effective collaborations across campus to connect students to resources. The dimensions I

highlight for LO 10 include; conducting oneself in a manner that reflects the respect and

professionalism that is needed to serve others while always striving to be a lifelong learner to

enhance one’s knowledge and abilities as a Student Affairs professional.

My learning outcomes is evident through artifacts E, C2, and C3. Artifact E, my

ACPA/NASPA competencies display my growth and change as a leader through the program (LO

6, and 10). It displays my involvement and growth as a student affairs practitioner and how I have

learned to connect theory and my experiences into practice as a Student Affairs professional. I

often look to Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth Model and Strayhorn’s (2012) Sense of

Belonging Theory to help me support students. Working with the most diverse student community

in Washington State, many who represent underrepresented and marginalized communities. I have

learned the importance of empowering students through guiding them to reflect and be critical of

their education.
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As a leader, I believe supporting students is work that is done in community not alone.

Artifacts C2 displays my ability to work collaboratively with others and provide the necessary

leadership to advocate for change that is reflective of student needs in education through

connecting theories and concepts learned in the program to implementing them to practice (LO 6).

For example artifact C2 highlights the lesson plans for students in an after-school literacy program

at one of the most diverse elementary schools in Seattle. I worked with a group in my counseling

course in partnership with the Seattle Youth Initiative to create curriculum that reflected the

ethnically diverse student population at Bailey Gatzert Elementary (LO 1). I personally

approached this project utilizing Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (2005). Advocating for my

group to reflect and consider what was missing from literacy curriculum and how to approach

lesson planning for underrepresented students. Finding literature that represented and highlighted

their underrepresented communities, we were able to create lesson plans that were more culturally

responsive to their personal experiences and narratives as students of color.

Both artifact C2 and C3 are also examples of how I stretched my understanding and

perspective of leadership (LO 6 and 10). Through Artifact C2, I learned how to adapt my

leadership skills critically in different educational settings. Working in a group comprised of non-

SDA students provided me the opportunity to engage with individuals who have different

perspectives but who are working toward the same goal and outcome. Artifact C3, my leadership

and governance presentation displays my leadership growth through navigation of campus

governance. This project challenged my understanding of various factors to consider as a leader

making informed decisions like institution type, climate, and culture to name a few. Through

exploring a case study and campus climate I was able to grow as a leader through developing a

higher level of navigational capital in campus politics and governance.

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Adaptability (LO 3, 5, 7, Artifact G)

Adaptability, one of my personal strengths has helped me have patience to reflect and

grow as a professional. Coming into the program my ability to adapt to my environment and

others helped me quickly navigate and be successful as a student and new professional. As I end

my time in SDA, I have grown in this skill by not only helping myself adapt but learning how to

also support students adapt in their own higher education journeys. This strength addresses LO

3, LO 5, and LO 7. The three key dimensions for LO 3 include finding a balance between my

values as a culturally responsive educator and the institution I serve. Displayed through sound

and ethical decision-making that is student centered, informed by data and student experiences.

While providing authentic leadership that is intentional and transparent. For LO 5, my

dimensions include learning to navigate and translate my student services skills and background

to other environments, cultures, professional sectors, and communities. Allowing me to build

strategic partnerships and collaborations in creating inclusive communities. Most importantly

knowing that as I am not only adapting as an educator, I am committed to and supporting my

students in navigating these same environments. For LO 7, I define this dimension as being

critical and reflective through utilizing data, assessment, student narratives, lived experiences,

and technology to improve programs, practices, and work. Student Affairs professionals must be

able to innovate and evolve their work to meet the needs of students.

I connect LO 3, LO 5, and LO 7 evident by artifact G, my independent study with Dr.

Alvin Sturdivant as his course assistant for Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. As a course

assistant, I often had to navigate and understand how my skills and knowledge as a Student

Affairs practitioner translated into the classroom supporting students academically (LO 5).

Throughout the quarter during my independent study to understand how to make ethically sound
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decision with the students in class, I learned how to balance academic policies with my own

values as professional in the way I supported the students (LO3). Teaching a small class

comprised of students from marginalized backgrounds at a pre-dominantly white institution gave

me a rare opportunity to utilize theories in different ways to create learning opportunities that

centered their experiences as students of color. For example, since the course was heavily

centered in reflection and dialogue, I was able to inform my comments and facilitation through

utilizing both my own experiences as an undergraduate student at Seattle University and theories

like Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth model and various identity development

models to support their own identity exploration centered in the sociological perspective of race

and ethnicity. Understanding Sanford’s model of challenge and support helped me understand

how to individualize the way I approached my feedback for each individual student. I strived to

understand their perspective on Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and think about how to

challenge them in a way that met their learning styles. Utilizing student feedback and comments

throughout the quarter I was able to adjust lesson plans and activities to meet the student learning

needs in the course. In each of my adjustments I evaluated how student learning was impacted by

having honest and transparent conversations to gain a better understanding of their learning

process to make more ethical and sound decisions in the way I adapted my teaching (LO 3 & 7).

Community Building (LO2, LO 4, C1)

Community has been essential to my success as a professional of color in higher

education. What I know and have learned over the years is that the students I support are more

successful when I am able to empower them to find community and create a sense of belonging

(Strayhorn, 2012). Understanding that supporting students is not work that can be done alone, I

value and center my approach to working with student in community building and partnerships.
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LO 2 and LO 4, both connect in my strength for community building and understanding that

higher education was not built to support communities of color. LO 2 dimensions include being

able to have the foresight to understand student issues, empowering students to share their own

stories, and seeking ways to support students through the assessment of their experiences and

stories. LO 4 dimensions are centered on recognizing the complex identities and changing

demographic of Higher Education, Student Affairs professional must be able to advocate and

critically reflect in the communities they work. Challenging their own and others perspective,

Student Affairs professionals must strive to always develop themselves holistically by not being

afraid to advocate for diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice.

As a student affairs practitioner it is my responsibility to help create communities that support all

student’s success. Understanding how to effectively collaborate across departments and divisions

helps break down barriers and streamlines policies and procedures for students. Artifact C1

exhibits my best scholarly work where I conducted research around understanding the

experiences of students of color on academic probation at Seattle University. This project

highlights my understanding of students and their issues (LO 2) and the recommendation are

shaped to be centered in Jesuit context and cultural competency (LO 4). I believe this artifact

exemplifies my approach as a Student Affairs practitioner centered in building communities that

are inclusive and equitable. Acknowledging our changing student demographics with research

allows us to understand the needs and supports of diverse populations (LO 4). I believe this

artifact exhibits my ability to meet LO 2 to think critically about the best practices and

assessment to create better policies and experiences to ensure students have what they need to

succeed by helping staff understand the wealth and capital our underrepresented students bring to

campus (Yosso, 2005). Research and data help us understand student experiences and when we
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approach that with a social justice framework, we can create changes that are more equity based

(LO 4). Ways that both learning outcomes were met through artifact C1 were through

interviewing students on academic probation at SU, and staff who worked there. Through these

personal narratives I was able to help staff understand what students needed to be more

supported on campus. Theories and research I used to support the project included Pope,

Reynolds, and Mueller model of multicultural competency, and Highline’s module for culturally

responsive practices in supporting students. Common themes included students not having a

sense of belonging or feeling a part of a community (Strayhorn, 2012). Helping students find

systems of support are essential in increasing their ability succeed academically. That is why it is

important to understand student issues and hear their voices when building new policies.

Conclusion

Through all these experiences within the SDA program, I have been able to explore and

find my ‘why’ and passion as a Student Affairs practitioner. Working to create access, equity,

and communities to support students especially those who are underrepresented and have

additional barriers in navigating their higher education journey. Working as a professional at the

Community College level while attending this program has helped me transform my approach in

advocating for the holistic development of students toward their success and has helped me to

understand how my leadership skills, adaptability, community building, and Jesuit education

intersect. I am confident in my strengths as a scholar practitioner and understand that my

education supports not only myself but the students and communities I serve.
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References

Patton, L., D., Patton, L., D., Renn, K., A., Guido-DiBrito, F., & Quaye, S., J. (2016). Student

development in college: Theory, research, and practice (Thirded.). San Francisco,

California: Jossey-Bass.

Pope, R.L., Reynolds, A.L., & Mueller, J.A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Strayhorn, T.L. (2012). College students’ sense of belonging. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community

cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 8(1), 69-91.