Careers In Student Affairs Month

It is Careers in Student Affairs Month! As this month slowly draws to a close during my second official year when I have a “big kid” job in student affairs, I find myself reflecting on how and why I ended up here. 

When I first started my collegiate career I was lost. Everyone around me was making friends and finding their place on campus… I was not. For much of that first semester of my undergrad experience, I was looking into transferring to a different institution. Telling myself that the things that I was experiencing were solely because of the university that I chose to attend. Looking back on it now, I don’t believe that I would be where I am if it weren’t for those feelings I had those first three-or-so months of my collegiate journey. 

I remember feeling isolated in my program. Everyone around me seemed to be excelling at a rapid rate, and I was left in the dust to try and piece together the information that my professors had been so passionate about teaching us. There were many times that I would find myself in practice rooms crying out of frustration because I didn’t think that I was good enough to make an actual career out of the things that I was learning. Eventually, I began to push away from the things that I was familiar with and those dreams that I had of working in the field of music. 

When I received the email from the Ambassador account in 2020 telling me that there were people on the team that think I would make a good addition to the group, I was skeptical. This was a job that I interviewed for my first year of undergrad, and I had to watch as all my friends received their spots among the team… but I didn’t. It was that year that I decided to give up and not try again, but maybe this was my sign to keep going. 

The minute I joined that team, it felt like something clicked for me at just the right time. From the first bonding event where Ben grilled me in the car with the facts that he knew about me, to the prep for my first Welcome Week, I knew that this team was going to hold a special place in my heart. 

That year I began to ask the question that I was too afraid to ask prior: what would happen if I DIDN’T continue into K-12 education? I spent so much time doing research and beginning to look into grad schools that year. I sat down with many people about why they made the switch to student affairs. I finally felt the spark that I had been missing…

My final year of undergrad was spent doing whatever I could to ensure that I would be successful post-grad in the world of higher ed. I spent hours trying to come up with a capstone for my last semester that made sense for my new career choice; I worked tirelessly to gain experience and knowledge wherever I could; I began to form the mold for my future that I finally felt connected to again. 

Because of people like Adam, Lindsey, Megan, Cindy, and Nicole, I knew that I was ready to launch into this new part of my life. Each of them played such an important role in helping me feel loved, valued, and seen on a campus where I felt anything but for the entire first year of my time there. 

Going to grad school was a big leap. I remember sitting down prior to leaving for college in 2018 and deciding on a career where I didn’t NEED a graduate degree to be successful, because the idea of having to not just focus on more schooling after what, 18 years straight of it? But also having to navigate the payment for it… it was a scary idea. 

When I applied and ultimately chose to go to BSU, I was TERRIFIED. There was nothing that could have prepared me for the struggles that I was going to face during my time in Indiana. But, there was also nothing that could have prepared me for the wins that I was going to experience, and the laughs I would share over the course of that year either.

BSU was a time. I met some of the most amazing people during my year in the program. While there were many late nights, endless rants, and so many papers (genuinely, SO many), there were also moments of triumph, opportunities that promised growth, and some experiences that I genuinely do not think I would have had if it weren’t for the program. From apples and oranges in the classroom, to driving 12 hours and hopping on a flight across the country three hours later, I don’t think that there was ever a dull moment. 

And now, as I sit in my office in Olivet, in my first position as an “actual” professional, I can’t help but think of all the little things that led me to make the decision to work in student affairs. I felt alone for most of my time in college, until I connected with all of those wonderful people in student affairs. They made me feel like I could do anything that I set my mind to, and they were right. THAT is the type of person I want to be. THAT is the connection I want to make with the students I interact with. THAT is what led me to become the professional that I am. And I hold onto that as tight as possible each day. 

This field is not easy. It is late nights and early mornings. It’s seeing some of the students you connected to the most moving on to different places that are better fit for them and their futures. It’s understanding that sometimes you end up burnt out because you put your whole heart into ensuring that things run smoothly. It’s sometimes struggling financially, but knowing that you didn’t enter this field for the money anyway. 

Student affairs is more than just being a glorified secretary (which is something I was actually told by an educator during my college time). It is seeing the spark reignite behind the eyes of students who feel like they are losing themselves. It is being there for the wins, but also providing the office that they can come to during the failures and know that they are safe. It is being the person that you needed when you were in their shoes, and showing them that it is okay. It is constantly being reminded why we do what we do. Student affairs was 100% the right choice for me, and I am thankful that I have these continued opportunities to make differences in the lives of the students I oversee in the same ways that professionals did mine. 

They are my why. This is my why.