While an undergraduate student, I learned that higher education is a unique experience all on its own. I have had plenty of pizza movie night in the lounge as late as 12a.m, shared meal plans with new friends that live in my hall before going to my 8a.m classes or had remarkable conversations about hobbies and campus activities. Through getting involved on campus, I had multiple student leadership positions which included; Programming Chair for Project Building Empathy and Awareness around rape, and spreading Project B.E.A.R's mission and provide information, and resources to students and informed them on their reporting options when it comes to sexual assault/rape. These include title IX, campus police, and the Health and Wellness Center. I contributed positivity to my campus community and ensure awareness of the various resources that were known to students in need. I also took part in Program Counsel, where I volunteered for small and big college events like Spirit Week and The Big Five. I was the student ambassador for the career services and was a campus DJ for WBIM 91.5. I am now currently seeking the opportunity as a professional to provide this type of experience for other students.
One thing that is important to me when I think of higher education or student affairs is the word “accessible”. Even though I enjoyed my undergraduate years, one of the things that I wish I could have changed were the people’s perceptions about the meaning of the word accessible. I have unique perspective as a person with a disability and when some people forget about the small things, I can often see the bigger picture. I have been stuck countless times in snow because they did not shovel the sidewalks enough so my chair did not get stuck. At Bridgewater State they have transportation around campus that have wheelchair lifts. There have been a few times where I could not go on the regular bus because the bus was too full. So I would wait for the Wheelchair van that only has space for my wheelchair specifically. However, somehow those vans’ lifts were always broken after leaving the bus dock, but never before leaving. Their transportation for wheelchair needs are not always its best and sometimes there were points where my friends needed to help with the manual chair lift because we were already waiting outside in the cold for over twenty minutes. Only to find out that the lift was broken again. Lastly another accessible problem would be when I heard a wheelchair lift in a building was up to code but would always need two people to operate it. Most people that are disabled are independent and travel alone. They do not always have someone there to assist you, and in some cases I could not get to class and would have to re-locate because I could not get to where I needed to go on my own.
An event that made me know I wanted to go into higher education is when Resident Housing Association had a contest for a night out to the movies and the first thirty people that registered would go to the movies for free. My sister and I were one of those first thirty but found out we could not go because they could not access a handicapped accessible vehicle on such short notice. We tried to find other transportation, but because it was a night trip and short notice finding a ride was impossible.
Receiving a M.Ed. in Higher Education Student Affairs from Salem State University, I will gain experience in working with and addressing needs of a diverse student community. My driving motivation is to start a career in residence life or student programming and foster a sense of belonging, especially amongst students that feel trivialize. I see working with students as a key to helping them find their own sense of belonging and perceptions of campus climate, which in turn aids both in persistence and personal development.