Running Head: STRENGTHS

Learning Outcome Narrative:

Strengths
Mary Lopez
SDA Portfolio
Seattle University

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(LOs #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, #8. Artifacts: A, B, C, E, F, G)

Introduction
When I started the SDA program, I initially wanted to work with the general population
of college students and help them to pursue their goals. However, as an international student, I
faced many challenges because I was not familiar with the differences in instructional styles,
difficulties understanding Americans and making myself understood. Several instances of
miscommunication inside and outside the classroom occurred, leading to unpleasant experiences.
Some typical characteristics of Latinos are mentioned in Ferdman and Gallegoss Model
of Latino Identity Development. However, I do not feel this is entirely applicable for Latino
college students who come from a different country (Evans et al, 2010). For instance, I do not fit
the typical Latino model in the US. In my home country, Peru, I belong to a privileged group. I
discovered through my courses that I am considered a minority in the US, making me realize
how minorities in my country may feel in comparison with privileged groups.
By working hard and persevering through challenges I have faced in the US, I have been
able to adapt and overcome these challenges. My experiences in in the US have changed my
focus from wanting to help a general population of college students to specifically advocating for
international students and helping them overcome the same obstacles I have faced. The theme of
advocating for international students is reflected in my mission statement (Artifact B), most of
my papers, and in my resume (Artifact A).
Advising (LO 4, 5, 6; Artifacts A, E, C3)

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Back in my home country, Peru, I advised college students about programs that they
could take overseas such as an internship at Disney. I like to help because I identified with them
since I was an international student. I advised students about the classes they should take and
listened to their concerns about any academic problems that they had, also addressing their
concerns about adjusting to the new host culture. So even when I had no formal education in
student affairs, I was able to apply LO #4. Since starting the program and experiencing so many
challenges, I focused on issues that can help international students to overcome their challenges
and better understand the new educational system. Furthermore, I tried to make them feel
welcome in their new academic environment and help other professionals in student affairs to
understand this growing population with whom they are going to work. My resume (Artifact A)
is a clear evidence of my work helping international students and the community and how
involved I was in helping the immigrant community and supporting non-profit organizations.
During my internship at Cascadia College, I worked in the orientation week, closely
paying attention to every single detail and writing down my observations. For example, I noticed
that some of the English Language Program (ELP) students had a lower proficiency level of
English and were unable to keep up with the topics. I suggested some changes to the orientation
week for incoming students, including scheduling separate sessions for ELP students, which had
a lower English level than college-level international students. This is an example of identifying
and solving a problem by adapting student services to specific environments and cultures (LO
#5).
I was able to implement my recommendations by the next orientation week. In addition, I
prepared a workshop for international college students about American culture, which was aimed

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at helping them in college and their future career. The workshop focused on networking and
volunteering, which are important aspects of the American culture and have a different
connotation in some other countries; so it was important to prepare students to change their
mindsets or at least understand why those two topics are so important in the US. When I was
working on my NASPA/ACPA Competency Assessment (Artifact E), I realized that advising
and mentoring was one of my strengths and I kept working to be a better advisor for my students.
For that reason, I developed a workshop which was not only for students but also for the
international program staff at Cascadia. The workshop focused on Emotional Intelligence
(Artifact C3) and helped the staff to develop a better communication amongst themselves and
with international students. Sometimes it is not necessary to speak the same language to
understand someone from a different background. Listening is essential for leaders and student
affairs professionals. The workshop helped the staff understand that each of us communicates in
a unique way, and there is not a universal approach to international student counseling. This was
one of my contributions during my 100 hours of internship at Cascadia College. From this
experience I was able to identify a need and adapt international student services at Cascadia
College to a specific environment and culture (LO #5).
I have been very passionate about the EQ approach to counseling and I used it when
advising students at Green River College, my second internship experience. This approach
helped me not only to communicate better with students and be a better leader but also to build
trust and teach them how to communicate and be more open with others. At Green River I had
the opportunity to use my thought leadership and collaboration skills (LO #6) when there was a
situation where some ambassadors felt uncomfortable when some international students showed
their friendliness by patting ambassadors heads. The ambassadors thought the students were

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rude and inappropriate. Fortunately, I was part of the team and explained that the problem was
only a cultural difference students came from countries where these displays of friendliness
were very common. I collaborated with my team to help them and the students understand these
cultural differences and build a great environment for students development (LO #6).
Equity, diversity and inclusion (LO 2) (Artifacts B, C1, F)
During my course in SDAD 5760: Leadership and Governance in Post-Secondary
Education, I did a research about the reasons for the decrease in the retention rates of
international students (Artifact C1). I conducted interviews with some international students and
discovered that one of the reasons they drop out college is micro-aggressions. For this class, I
wrote a paper in the style of a point of view article about this issue.
I found that many of the problems other international students face are similar to what I
have experienced while studying in the US, so I was able to quickly understand students and
student issues (LO #2). One of the main problems for international students was the lack of
opportunities to find a job after graduation because the number of work visas (H1) is very
limited. As a former international student, I understand how difficult obtaining a visa is and how
limited the opportunities are for international students who legally come to this country to pursue
their dreams to have a better education. They face many challenges such as micro-aggressions
and still have to pay higher tuition. The good side is that some policies are changing, such as
allowing spouses of H1 visa holders to work. My mission statement reflects how passionate I am
to advocate for equity and inclusion among diverse groups of students (Artifact B). As part of
my action plan, I will share my experiences with diverse groups and international students to
help them to quickly adapt to the America society and be successful academically (Artifact F).

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Social justice (LO 1, 8) (Artifacts A, G)

Justice is one of my core values and it was included in my final project for EDAD 5700
Leadership in Education I. My resume (Artifact A) shows all my work helping other people,
most of them international students as I identify myself with them. When I talk to them, I often
notice their frustration to be in a foreign country and sometimes feel discriminated. Some of
them were professionals in their countries but problems in the economy made them come to the
US to find a better job to support their families. Many times, they were stereotyped as
undocumented immigrants even when they were legal residents. Most of us, including myself,
have experienced stereotyping in the US. During my EDUC 5150 Multicultural Perspective
class, a group of TESOL students and I researched micro-aggressions and found that most of the
international students were targets of micro-aggressions. We realized that in small institutions
the micro-aggression problem was smaller than in larger institutions and it is more frequent in
programs where there are fewer international students and local students, faculty and staff are not
used to interact with people from different countries (LO #1). A few weeks later, we were
invited by Bellevue College to do a presentation about this topic (Artifact G) to faculty and
staff. The purpose was to educate them how to recognize cultural differences and prevent
misconceptions. During the presentation, one activity showed the audience how microaggressions happen. After the presentation, the audience said that this activity was the best part
of the presentation. The reason was that I designed the presentation and activities in such a way
that the audience could clearly see what I was trying to communicate (LO #8). The activity was
very interactive and helped everyone realize about the issue, pay more attention to it, avoid
misconceptions and stereotypes, and understand that nobody is right or wrong: we simply have
different ways of seeing.

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I had the opportunity to conduct an EQ workshop for the International Programs at

Cascadia College. In this case, the purpose of the workshop was helping the staff to understand
their student population and improve their communication with them. The discussion was great
and the audience asked questions about the topic and its application to international students.
For example, one participant thought that EQ was not applicable to international students
because it is hard to understand other cultures. I replied that, in my opinion, it is not important or
necessary to know every single detail of the students culture, but it is much more important to
actively listen to the student and understand what their needs are. Again, my experience as
international student was instrumental in helping me to get my point across (LO #8).
Conclusion
My strengths are the result of my cultural background, my professional experience and
my new learnings from the SDA Program. My unique experience of being part of a majority in
my country and a minority in the US enable me to understand privileges and challenges faced by
both groups. This experience, complemented by my personal journey overcoming challenges in
the US educational system, allows me to look at the student affairs domain from a holistic, global
and multicultural point of view. I believe I am uniquely positioned to understand, advocate and
mentor international students and students from diverse groups. I look forward to continue
sharing my passion for inclusion and diversity with students and colleagues, and continue
developing my strengths in order to contribute effectively to the student affairs space in the US.

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References
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (2010). Student development in college:
Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.