Competency Statement

After a substantial career in the military and correctional service, I have found myself settled in the world of higher education. The employment experience as an undergraduate student worker opened my eyes to the extraordinary opportunity to help others attain their dreams of a university level education. The realization of a new calling was solidified after being hired as a classified employee in student serves upon receiving my bachelor’s degree in Information Systems. In less than a year of employment I have experienced the joy that comes from assisting prospective and current students navigate the complexities of the academic stetting. It is my firm belief that a continued career in higher education administration will satisfy my drive

My fellow student veterans bring with them a myriad of strengths, experiences, and ideas to the higher education setting. Along with these attributes, they bring issues that differed and set them apart from traditional students. My ability to connect with and understand the issues these students face added a personal touch to my professional dealings. Every day in the office there was a student in need of guidance while navigating university life. The Veteran Services office was often their last resort to staying in school. It was the administrative expertise of the student services faculty that resolved most of these cases in a manner beneficial to the students’ academic career. Experiencing a student’s relief and gratitude when the office was able to help to avert catastrophe solidified my resolve that my future career would be somehow be related to student affairs. I had to ask myself, “would my Information Systems degree best serve my goal of being a catalyst for ethically and legally sound modifications to our education system? Modifications that can only come about with additional knowledge in the legal, financial, and ethical issues facing not only the students that attend the university, but university in general?” By the time I graduated in Information Systems, I had come to

My time as an undergraduate solidified the idea that I do belong in the higher education realm; the work and effort put into the program dispelled my initial fears that I was not capable of the critical thinking, study habits, and overall academic discipline needed to succeed. The program also assisted me in realizing that Information Systems would not be suited for my professional and personal long-term goals. With an emphasis on computer programming, I was able to envision a future with a solid job, but not a meaningful career. As my responsibilities in Veteran Services grew from paperwork to engagement, fund raising, and program administration, I found my time as a student worker in Veteran Services becoming more fulfilling daily than my studies in Information Systems. As my responsibilities on campus grew, so did the resolve that my place was not only helping veterans but assisting all students who are working to build a solid future. I began to truly understand the broad nature of the university’s vision statement “to educate and graduate the best prepared, confident leaders”. To make this a reality, I had to be honest with myself about my lack of expertise and knowledge of university students, and the higher education system of