HEAL 223: MIDTERM 1

Midterm: Student Development Theory Autobiography

My development of the individual I am today is due to a collection of important events

from my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The theories that apply to these stages of

development include social class identity, ethnic identity, development of faith and spirituality,

self-authorship, as well as the psycho-social theories.

A major event that greatly influenced my life was having to move around a lot when I

was younger. Due to my father’s unstable job during the Great Recession in 2008, I had to move

to different cities, neighborhoods, and schools frequently. A moment in particular that stands out

to me is when I moved to Temecula and attended a primarily White school. Due to being an

ethnic minority in my elementary school, I was always trying to fit in and conform to the

dominant culture. As a result, I remember constantly rejecting and feeling embarrassed about my

culture’s customs. This applies to the racial and cultural identity development model by Sue and

Sue (2003) where individuals “internalize negative stereotypes about themselves or their

racial/ethnic group” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 95).

During my early teenage years, my family decided to move to Corcoran, a very small

town that is known for its agriculture. Coming to this town, where the majority of the population

was Hispanic, I began to fully embrace my ethnic identity and entered the second stage of

dissonance. Within this dissonance stage, I felt an increased curiosity in learning more about my

ethnic group and culture. During my years in middle school, I made an effort to learn more about

my roots and improve my Spanish. I also made more Mexican friends and learned about

Mexican pop culture (e.g. music genres, TV shows, films).

When I got to high school, I entered the third stage of resistance and immersion, which

involves a “conscious exploration of one’s racial/ethnic identity, … rejecting White culture and
 2

leading to the formation of a new identity” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 95). As the ethnic majority was

Hispanic and no longer White, I did not feel a need to conform to the “dominant” culture.

Therefore, throughout this time, I participated in Spanish plays, often went to Mexican bailes

(also known as dances), and proudly brought Mexican dishes to school. What used to be an

aspect of my identity that brought me shame and embarrassment, now brought me pride and joy.

It was also when I moved to Corcoran where I began to strengthen my religious and

spiritual development. Growing up as a Catholic, I had always learned about our faith and

consistently practiced it. However, it was when I became involved in this town’s local adult

youth group, that I truly had the highest religious commitment and religious engagement.

Religious commitment is “the degree to which the student seeks to follow religious teachings in

everyday life” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 212). As a teenager, I would follow Catholic practices such

as going to Mass and going to Holy Confession. Doing these practices frequently resulted in me

feeling strength from my faith and having a deeper relationship with God. Similarly, religious

engagement is “the level of involvement students have in the actual practices of their religion or

faith” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 212). Some examples of involvement I had in my church included

being an usher, lector, greetor, and altar server at mass.

Although my ethnic identity and religious development were strengthened during this

time, it was within my time in high school that I experienced a challenge that would later impact

my educational direction in the future. As Corcoran was a small town, the high school I attended

was not very funded and had a lack of resources. Many of the students enrolled in this school

came from low-income families and backgrounds, as did I. I feel like I felt the effects of my

social class identity the most during this time period of my life.
 3

My high school did not offer many college-level classes which made it harder to compete

with other wealthier students during the season of applying to colleges. We also had minimal

college preparation programs. As a result, I was very underprepared for the higher education

pathway. My original dream was to attend a UC, however, my counselor would strongly urge me

to attend community colleges, which already holds the stigma of being full of low-income

students of color. The article “From the Barrio to the Academy: Revelations of a Mexican

American ‘Scholarship Girl’” (1992) by Laura I. Rendòn has a specific quote that greatly

resonates with me. She states:

“Community college has served to ghettoize people of color. In general, Hispanics,

Native Americans, and African Americans tend to enroll in community colleges as opposed to
four-year institutions. People like me are told to not enter higher education through the front
door. I believe that most students like me enter higher education through its windows, only to
find that all around us are walls that keep us secluded and marginalized” (p. 57).
Similarly, I felt that my counselors wanted to limit my education by putting me in a box

and not wanting me go beyond it in regards to my college selection. Just like Rendòn, I also

applied to as many scholarships as possible and became a “scholarship girl”. However, even with

a few scholarships received, I was not able to fulfill my dream of going to a UC due to the

financial impact it would have on me and my family. Despite this aspiring dream I had, the

determining factor of what college I would attend would be due to the financial aid package I

would receive-- rather than the university’s best programs, social scene, or athletics.

Another reason for my decision on where to attend college was my older sister and her

experience attending a UC. As she also went to the same high school I did, it was really

challenging for her to succeed in her academics as we were given such minimal college

preparation and were completely unprepared for what an elite four year institution entails. Patton

et. al (2016) states that “the more selective the college, the greater the likelihood that students

from low-income and working-class backgrounds will face challenges, while those from middle
 4

and upper-class backgrounds will experience greater success” (p. 245). Therefore, when I would

tell her my dream of attending a UC as well, she would warn me of how rough it is navigating

academics with the knowledge we have coming from a small, low funded high school. We are

also both first-generation, therefore we only had each other for help. According to Patton et. al

(2016), first-generation, low-income college students “may receive encouragement from their

parents to attend college but limited guidance in navigating the process” (p. 247). This applied to

my parents as they strongly encouraged me to continue my education but could not help me with

the process of applying to college or advise me on the challenges that college life holds.

For this reason, I relied heavily on the information my sister would give me when she

would come back home, to prepare myself for college. It was actually through my sister that I

learned that there was more to just the basic subjects (e.g. Math, Science, English) that you can

study as a major and that there are other complex majors out there (e.g. Anthropology,

Linguistics, Psychology, Criminology). This led me to discover the major of Sociology as well as

be convinced to go to a CSU instead.

Coming to Fresno State was a hidden blessing. Although the transition into a different

educational environment was challenging, my undergrad classes were nonetheless interesting and

fun, thanks to my amazing professors in the Sociology department. In these Sociology courses, I

learned about so many important issues such as racism, systemic oppression, hidden biases,

privilege, marginalization, and much more. I can say with confidence that taking these classes

grew my intellect and knowledge about the world around me. Therefore I would say that my

Sociology professors are contributing figures to my growth and development as a student.

Psychosocial theorists Chickering and Reisser (1993) list the four components of positive

student-faculty relationships as “accessibility, authenticity, knowledge about students, and the

 5

ability to communicate with students” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 301). What I liked the most about

my professors is knowing how accessible they were with their office hours. Therefore, anytime I

was going through academic obstacles, I would feel comfortable to visit them and ask them

questions about our class content. They would always be knowledgeable of their students and I

would always be amazed at how they remembered my name or recognized me if I had taken their

class a semester prior. Another great aspect about my professors is how personable and authentic

they were. For example, if I was dealing with personal issues at home, they would understand

and allow for an assignment extension. They, too, would communicate with students about

having to cancel class due to situations they had going on in their personal lives.

Chickering and Reisser (1993) also argued about the importance of educational

environments as they “exert powerful influences on student development” (Patton et al., 2016, p.

299). In their article, they proposed seven key influences; however the most applicable to my

undergrad are curriculum and teaching. As the curriculum I was taught was relevant to my

personal experiences, it became very impactful to my life. Not only was I able to share my lived

experiences, but I was able to hear the experiences of others with different backgrounds than

mine. In regards to assignments, my professors always offered constructive and timely feedback

which led to my intellectual growth. Overall, the way I was taught Sociology plays an important

role in my development as I had many positive student to faculty relationships and class

interactions.

In addition to faculty, staff and other students played a huge role in my growth and

development as a student. Once I became a sophomore, I applied for the student coordinator

position at the Cross Cultural and Gender Center on campus. At this center, I met many amazing
 6

individuals that both work with and come from diverse backgrounds. This ranged from gender

and sexuality to racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Chickering (1993) states that “meaningful friendships and diverse student communities in

which shared interests exist and significant interactions occur encourage development along all

seven vectors''. They also stated that an effective student community includes “people from

diverse backgrounds” and offers “opportunities for collaboration” (Patton et al., 2016, p. 301).

My role as the Latino/a Programs and Services student coordinator allowed me to have these

moments of community. For example, in my position, I was able to collaborate with other

affinity student coordinators who worked with students of other ethnicities (e.g. Asian Pacific

Islander, American Indian, African American Programs), sexualities (LGBTQ+ Programs), and

gender identities (Men’s Success Initiative, Gender Programs). Some events that we collaborated

on include “Examining Machismo”, “The Queer Mariachi”, and “The Peluda Chronicles:

Embracing My Body Hair As A Latina”. With these moments of collaboration, I was able to

learn how to best support others who hold different affinities than mine and vice versa.

My supervisors who worked with me for Latino/a Programs and Services also contributed

to my growth as a young professional and student. They encouraged my professional

development by referring me to local conferences, networking opportunities, and career-oriented

workshops on campus. These individuals also empowered me to create programming to address

issues that I was passionate about.

It was due to these opportunities at the Cross Cultural and Gender Center that led me to

gain an interest in student affairs and apply for a Master’s degree in Higher Education

Administration and Leadership. At this current moment, I am in my first year and second

semester in the HEAL program. Within this time period, I believe that my intellectual knowledge
 7

and student development has grown even more due to the content I have learned in my classes. I

have learned about the competencies that a student affairs practitioner should strive to acquire,

types of strategies on how to best support students, as well as the different functional areas in the

field of higher education.

As a result of our class discussions and lectures, I believe that my development of self

authorship has grown. According to Baxter Magolda (2008), the concept of self-authorship is

“the internal capacity to define one’s beliefs, identity, and social relations” (Patton et al., 2016, p.

301). My time in the HEAL program has definitely made me reflect on what identities I hold as

well as my professional values and practices I want to practice in my future career. In this phase

of my life, I am slowly yet gradually building a strong internal foundation where I have a

“solidified and comprehensive system of belief” and am not easily affected by external opinions

of others (Patton et al., 2016, p. 368). This internal foundation is crucial to me as I aspire to

continue life with a strong internal voice that will positively guide my direction in life as well as

my decisions.

Finally, as a result of all these experiences and relationships, I do believe that I have

developed an establishing identity. According to Chickering and Reisser (1993), the

establishment of identity vector is when someone is comfortable with their gender, sexual

orientation, cultural heritage, and social integration (Patton et al., 2016). When I am integrated in

a diverse environment, I no longer feel a sense of shame or need to conform. I am proud of

where my roots come from as well as my affinity groups’ practices and traditions. The

experiences in my life that have dealt with my social and personal identities have led me to be

confident in my values, morals, beliefs, and goals.

 8

Overall, these are all the moments throughout my life that have shaped my development

as a student and individual. Without all these important moments in my life, I would not be the

same person that I am today.

 9

References

Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido, F. M., Quaye, S. J., & Evans, N. J., (2016). Student

development in college: Theory, research, and Practice (3rd Ed.). Jossey-Bass. [Digital

Copy Available via HML].

Rendón, L. I. (1992). From the barrio to the academy: Revelations of a Mexican

American “scholarship girl”. New Directions for Community Colleges, 80, 55-64.