NASPA Western Regional Conference 2014

Term:

Fall 2014

Description:

The 2014 NASPA Western Regional Conference was held on November 9-12, 2014 in Anaheim, California. This year’s theme was “Imagine: Inspire Dreams. Transform Communities.” The conference brought together student affairs professionals from Region VI to celebrate successes in our field and provide a series of workshops and presentations to cultivate and inspire new and aspiring student affairs professionals and reaffirm the mission and explore new possibilities for the profession. Attending the conference, I wanted to learn about new research and best practices to bring back to my graduate assistantship, network with other student affairs professionals, and presented a poster on the Titan Dreamers Resource Center at the conference.

Learning Outcomes:

SWiBAT learn one new approach from workshops attended.

SWiBAT gain at least 3 new network.

SWiBAT improve public speaking skills by presenting a poster on the Titan Dreamers Resource Center.

Assessment Rubric:

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Needs Improvement
SLO #1	Attend at least 5 workshops with student learning outcomes and discuss with supervisor about experience	Attend at least 5 workshops with student learning outcomes	Attend 5 workshops	Attend fewer than 5 workshops
SLO #2	Student will network with at least 3 student affairs professionals and start up a conversation about job, class, program	Student will network with at least 3 student affairs professionals and start up a conversation	Student will network with at least 3 student affairs professional	Student networks with fewer than 2 student affairs professional
SLO #3	Student will collaborate to design the poster, present it at conference, and ready to answer questions with confidence	Student will collaborate to design the poster, present it at conference with confidence	Student will collaborate to design the poster, present it at conference adequately	Student will collaborate to design the poster, present it at conference unprepared

Evidence:

At the NASPA Western Regional Conference, I marked down the workshops and presentations that related to my graduate assistantship to better serve undocumented students. I learned new ways to advocate for our undocumented students. For example, if undocumented students are excluded from a social or dance held by ASI because they require a driver’s license to prove age, we advocate for other forms of identification like passports to verify age or having stamps to at least allow students without IDs to still attend the social without drinking. I also went to other presentations helped me understand how to become a better ally to other marginalized groups.  I was actually invited to be part of a panel to discuss some of my experiences being undocumented and the challenges undocumented students face while navigating higher education institutions at Cal Poly Pomona as part of their Dreamers Ally Network program. I would rate myself “advanced.” Attached is the PowerPoint they used to present. Link

Here are some pictures from NASPA WRC:

 

I am an introvert so meeting new people can be challenge. But I knew this is a great opportunity to connect with other student affairs professionals and share stories and experiences and help form a community. I attended lunches and breakfasts to make sure I mingle with others, introduce myself, and exchange information.  I also challenged myself to start conversations and I was actually surprised that I actually found it easier than I thought.  Presenting the poster on Titan Dreamers Resource Center also helped me connect with other student affairs professionals who work with undocumented students and were able to share experiences and best practices that way.  I met professionals from Educational Opportunity Programs, Housing and Residential Life, etc. and from different campuses. I would rate myself as “advanced.” Here are some of the business cards of the professionals I connected with:

 

I collaborated with my cohort mate, Yessica De La Torre (Assessment Graduate Assistant in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs), in creating a poster on the Titan Dreamers Resource center and showcasing the testimonials of students on post-its to show the need for the space for undocumented students. Although I was nervous presenting at my first professional conference, I was able to promote the Titan Dreamers Resource Center and the vital support and resources it provides our undocumented students and highlight the support the center has gotten from leadership of CSUF (from President Mildred Garcia to Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Berenecea Eanes) as well as students, faculty and staff who were instrumental to its creation.  I would rate myself as “advanced.”  Here is the poster we created and present: Titan Dreamers Resource Center poster. Here are some photos of the presentation:

 

Reflection:

The Naspa Western Regional Conference was my very first student affairs professional conference I’ve ever attended. I did not really know what to expect. I was quite nervous meeting new people and attending different workshops and presentations.  I am happy that I actually accepted Yessica’s offer to collaborate with her and present the poster.  It really was a great experience connecting with other student affairs professionals and hearing about how other campuses are supporting undocumented students by hiring new coordinators, counselors, and establishing centers.  I learned a lot from attending the NASPA WRC. I learned new practices and research that will help me better serve our undocumented students.  Actually seeing the students affairs community come together and find ways to better serve our students was very invigorating and reemphasizes the importance of our work not just as staff but also as educators.