To begin with, personally I believe that to be a professional in higher education is to be

an educator who understands that learning never stops and caring professionals are needed

beyond the K-12 setting. The values that I bring with me into pursuing a career in higher

education administration are community, respect, ambition, and authenticity.

Valuing community as someone who is looking to enter the field of higher education is

important to me because I understand that all I do is bigger than me. A strong feeling of

community from staff members makes students more engaged and successful. Higher retention

and graduation rates result from students who feel connected to their peers, professors, and staff

through the power of reward (Bailey & Hamilton, 2015, pg. 80). They are also more likely to get

help working past obstacles and succeed in their school work. I strongly believe that community

encourages diversity and inclusivity by fostering an atmosphere that makes people from different

origins feel supported and welcomed. I saw this to be true during my undergraduate experience.

Accepting diversity enhances learning and prepares students to succeed in a global world, not

just their local experience. A thriving sense of community also improves relationships with

alumni and soon to be alumni. It motivates them to stay involved, give back financially, and offer

helpful advice to current students.

Further, ambition is important to value because it promotes creativity, excellence, and

institutional growth. Ambitious people like myself push limits, question the status of things, and

work towards continuous growth. I have inspired others to aim higher and experience more

success because I am continuously looking for the next step in my work, I remain enthusiastic,

and I bring passion to my work. As said in chapter 4 of “Beginning Your Journey: A Guide for

New Professionals in Student Affairs”, “Supervisors should remember that the more people they

have doing innovative and interesting work, the more productive their staff and department will
be.” (Bailey & Hamilton, 2015, pg. 76). This spirit of leadership, creativity, growth, resilience,

and adaptability are fostered by embracing ambition, and this can help divisions in institutions

prosper especially in a continuously changing environment.

The next value I want to prioritize in pursuing higher education professionally is respect.

Respect must be at the forefront of promoting a welcoming and positive campus culture. Respect

promotes collaboration, understanding, and trust between stakeholders of the institution.

Prioritizing respect makes people feel heard, supported, and appreciated, which in turn promotes

higher levels of engagement, retention, academic success, and overall satisfaction in their

experience! Respect ties into my value of upholding authenticity. Authenticity and transparency

foster credibility and confidence among stakeholders. This is something I personally look for

when deciding whether there is a positive culture in a setting or not. Genuine relationships with

students, professors, staff, and the larger community are fostered by authenticity which allows

for there to be trust in the work of the institution. It creates a sense of safety for stakeholders,

especially students, to express their needs and concerts. When people feel free to be themselves

they are more likely to be creative, which ultimately benefits the organization.

These values tied together lead me morally in my everyday life including how I show up

at work with my human resources leadership style. As said in chapter 3 of “Beginning Your

Journey: A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs”, “Cardinal rule number one: Know

thyself first…I’m forced to take a daily assessment of who I am and what I value, not only as a

person, but as a professional challenging students to do the same.” (Ortiz et al, 2015, pg. 47). I

feel as though these values keep me aligned with growing positively, personally, in my

educational journey, and in my career. As I continue to inspire others through intentionally

leading by example, I am always considering my teammates as “...individuals who have needs,

feelings, prejudices, skills, and limitations” (Bailey & Hamilton, 2015, pg. 73). My best career

experience has been with organizations that uphold the human resources supervisor style as well.

I find that those that lead me and those I lead are grateful for the humanity I bring to my

professionalism and are inspired to show up as their best authentic selves as well.

REFERENCES:

● Bailey, K. W., Hamilton, J. (2015). Supervisory Style. In M. J. Amey & L. M. Reesor

(Eds.), Beginning your journey: A guide for new professionals in student affairs (4th ed.,

pp. 67-94). NASPA.

● Ortiz, A. M., O’Brien, J., & Martinez, C. R. (2015). Developing A Professional Ethic. In

M. J. Amey & L. M. Reesor (Eds.), Beginning your journey: A guide for new

professionals in student affairs (4th ed., pp. 43-66). NASPA.