Running Head: MANIFESTO 1

Where I Started to Where I Am: My Personal Manifesto

Kimberly Kuspa

Western Illinois University

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While thinking about my personal experience in student affairs and what I have learned

through the experiences I have had I did not know where to start. There are so many things that I

have ingrained into my life that push me every day to want to do this work and be good at it for

myself and for the students I work with. I decided to focus on these questions, so I could reflect

on my experience and why I am doing what I am doing. The questions include: What motivates

you and inspires you to pursue student affairs? What do you believe about students and your

role in their collegiate lives? What excites you about student affairs? There are so many aspects

of this field that I could write about to be in my personal manifesto, but I wanted to focus on

where I started from and how I feel doing this work.

My Inspiration, My Muse

There are many influential moments in my life that have encouraged me to do the work

the we call student affairs. More importantly, there are many individuals that have taught me the

goods and not so goods of this profession. All of us are who we are due to the circumstance in

which we live and who come and go from our lives. My sister has shown me the true passion in

this work.

When I was nine years old, my oldest sister graduated from her master’s program at

Eastern Illinois University from their College Student Affairs program. At the time, I did not

know what any of it meant but I looked up to her, so I thought everything she did was cool. It

was not until I got to college myself did I truly understand what her work entailed. She now

works at Joliet Junior College in the Student Activities Office. When I would tell people I was

going into student affairs, they would say, “aww following in your sister’s footsteps,” which was

a statement that I was annoyed to hear but she is one of the major influences in my life. She has

shown me how amazing student affairs work is. We may be similar in a lot of ways, but we are
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still so very different in our areas of passion and how we approach student affairs. I have learned

a lot from her, but I have learned so much more about myself and the profession when I became

a graduate assistant and started advising students.

The Power is in the Students

I believe that students, whether they realize it or not, have so much power. When I was a

student, I had no idea how important it was for me to speak up and speak out. Even though I was

a very involved student on campus, I did not realize that every time I spoke up someone listened

to me. I thought I was just another face in the crowded but, my one student voice and more

power that I would have ever known. Being on the other side of the coin, I see the influence that

students have when it comes to their own education.

Unfortunately, some professionals can be selfish in their needs and wants and dilute

students voices and thoughts for personal gain. I am not talking about explaining to a student

why their idea or thought is dumb and that maybe they need to think differently about what they

want to accomplish. I am talking about a student affairs professional putting their needs above

their students. Every day I strive to encourage students to speak up and share their ideas, point

them in a healthy direction when they struggle to see outside of their own mind, and never let my

needs get in the way of theirs. It is my duty to create spaces for students to voice their ideas and

opinions and share insight into was in which they could act upon their ideas.

The Excitement and the Fear

I am not only excited about how far I have come in my experiences and where I am now

but I have some fears about where I am going from here. Working in fraternity and sorority life,

I have had my ups and downs. This year, I work the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and I, even

though I am now a bit ashamed of it, was dreading it. I did not want to work with a bunch of
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privileged white men after working with an amazingly divers United Greek Council. Even

though I did not want to work with them in the beginning, I now have a great passion and am

excited to work with them every day. I have learned more about them as well as myself as a

professional. I have been able to push bias aside and get to know some great students. Do not

get me wrong, not all IFC men are great but more times than not they are. It excites me that

there are students, or groups of students, that exist that I may have perceptions of and that those

perceptions can be totally wrong. Working with students is a blessing and a curse and that

excites me, but I also have some fears about my future.

Being in graduate school now and having to look for a job is a scary time for me and I

am sure many others. It is still unclear to me if I want to work in fraternity and sorority life or if

I want to try for another area such as orientation or leadership development. The one thing I am

most nervous about is navigating a hostile work environment if I end up in one. I have

experienced a negative work space for almost two years now and I hope that I can find a work

place that is beneficial for everyone.

Conclusion

Others inspire me to work at an institution. I have seen the power students hold and how

student affairs professionals can have a positive impact on them. I have many things that excite

me about the field but also things that I am fearful of. I have seen and learned a great deal from

being in Student Affairs. I know that how I perceive my work now will be ever changing and

this manifesto will only be a chapter in the book that is still a work in progress.