#nufp

As today’s students are  increasingly diverse across multiple identities, we have a great opportunity  and responsibility to ensure that future student affairs educators represent  the communities they serve. The NASPA Undergraduate Fellows  Program (NUFP) is NASPA’s flagship initiative that  empowers SA pros to embrace this responsibility.     The mission of NUFP is to increase the number of historically disenfranchised  and underrepresented professionals in student affairs and/or higher  education, including but not limited to those of racial and ethnic-minority  background; those having a disability; and those identifying as LGBTQ. Investing  in NUFP Fellows through providing on-campus mentorship, professional  socialization, and leadership development opportunities can be a  transformative experience. We invite you to imagine ways in which you and  your institution can actively engage in broadening the pipeline of diverse  and talented student affairs professionals through supporting NUFP students.     Please consider helping us elevate the reach and impact of the NUFP program  by serving as a mentor. NUFP fellows receive complementary NASPA memberships  and access to exclusive scholarships to support their development. By  advancing the NUFP program, we can all invest in the uplift of historically  disenfranchised communities and secure the future success of inclusion and  equity in higher education. 

My name is Molly, and I am so incredibly in love with my life! I am going into my third year at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I am very involved on my campus. I am a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, and I am the President of my Chapter. I hold many other positions on campus, and enjoy everything about student leadership. 

I was recently selected as a NASPA Undergraduate Fellow in the NUFP Program. I made this blog to document my journey as a Fellow, and as a student leader in general. 

The term “Navigating with Courage” is the next NASPA conference theme for 2015. Being the host organization of the NASPA Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUFP), a program geared towards increasing the presence of underrepresented groups in student affairs, this phrase says a lot about the struggles that we go through as students with often multiple marginalized identities.

When I hear “navigating with courage” I think of the fearless students that were the first people of color, the first women, the first queer and trans* people to attend college; an institution that was not created to accommodate them. I think of the ways that first-generation students learn to navigate a system that seems so foreign at first. I think of the incredible courage that student leaders and activists have generated in order to navigate the process of creating change at their institutions, in hope of making their campuses more equitable, inclusive and just.

While students are the first thing that comes to mind, I also begin to think about the way that minority-identified professionals navigate the field of higher education. As a first-generation, trans feminine Xicana, I realize that navigating the institution of higher education as a professional will be just as new to me as when I navigated it as a student. However, I look at the courageous ways that professionals before me have navigated these institutions. I begin to think about what I would like to do, such as  putting students first, changing educational inequalities, and increasing the retention of minority students. When I think about these things, I realize the navigational tools that I will have to both use and impart to my students.

As aspiring higher education professionals, I believe that we have a responsibility to always put our [future] students first. It is our responsibility to navigate situations that we have never dealt with before with courage—a courage that we invoke when we advocate for our students, when we take a risk for our students—that should be the guiding principle of our work.

This courage is what makes me excited about a career in student affairs. Change doesn't happen when we are okay with the status quo. We have to critically consider the way that our institution treats marginalized students and be able to identify ways for that institution to improve. Once we do that, we then need to develop the courage to implement those changes and to speak up for, and stand with, our students.

Today I had my first meeting with the other NUFPs at my university. 

I walked into the room expecting to need to whip out excuses for being a tad late. The room was dark. I was the first one there. After waiting about 10 minutes, everyone else eventually shuffled into the door and we began the meeting. After awkward introductions where everyone in the room was already incredibly familiar with one another, we planned out what the remainder of our time as NUFPs would look like. The other NUFPs all are very interested in Residential Life and Greek Life, so we spent a great deal of time discussing these functional areas. It was only a brainstorming session, however, and there was no guarantee that we would be able to do everything on our list: site visits, talks with various administrators, mock interviews, etc etc etc.

After leaving I went home, had a wonderful cup of tea, and napped.

I talked to my NUFP mentor, who was unable to make this larger group meeting, later in the day. After hearing about the details of the group meeting, she happily disclosed to me that she had already set up site visits with various colleges around the city for the two of us in the spring. At least I know that I will have that opportunity before the end of the year!

My day continued as I worked on my application for the Sodexo Scholarship, which helps pay for the cost of the NASPA Annual Conference. After struggling to write four essays and a blog post, I submitted my application. Now all I have to do is make sure the recommendation letter gets sent in. Hooray!

The day ended on the highest of high notes. Three of my orientation leaders / year-long peer mentors that I supervise applied for  executive board positions working on orientation and first year programs...and ALL THREE GOT HIRED! I am a proud mentor, and I know that all three of them will make fantastic student leaders. 

Let me first start out by saying that I am quite horrible at writing. Why, then, would someone who lacks this basic skill be writing in blog, you might ask? I'm not sure. It could be boredom. Alternatively, maybe I need the attention. However, I like to think that I am starting this blog to practice my writing skills while I vent my feels. (I have a ton of feels.) So, dear rando who is reading this blog post, welcome to my brain. 

I just submitted four applications for graduate school. I'm not sure whether to sigh in relief or continue to freak out. (That's a lie. I'm always going to freak out.) Here's why:

The week started out as any other week. I woke up on Sunday, started working on a paper, ate food, and watched Power Rangers. Around mid-afternoon, someone posted on the NUFP facebook page about her struggle with grad school applications.

"I should get started on those," I calmly thought to myself. "I wonder when they're all due..."

Upon looking at my Ical, I realized that I only had two more weeks before my applications to grad school were due. My freakout commenced. I had done virtually NOTHING up to this point. ("Nothing" is a gross exaggeration.) 

I reopened on my desktop my shamble of an attempted personal statement. My brain cringed. It was horrible. And with that began my library marathon of rough drafts. ("Rough," in this case, is a gross understatement.) After about a week of toiling on this very keyboard, I had it: My Personal Statement. Actually, it was an awkwardly long semi-autobiographical and highly stylized account of my journey over the past four years. 

Now, here is the part where I do an unjustified rant. What in the world is the difference between a Personal Statement, a Statement of Intent, and a Statement of Person? Seriously? Are these NOT the same thing? Apparently not. Yes, I know. I should have figured this out months ago. Oops. Sorry I sort of suck.

Anyways, I eventually got to the online applications and submitted four of them. Happy dance time? Sure, for now it is. However, the stress has only begun. I am happily awaiting for my recommendation letters to clear, and will be following up on that tomorrow. Invigorating, yes? (No. It is not invigorating. Don't encourage me; the jokes will only get worse.)