How has ACPA membership furthered your personal, career, or professional development?
Tell us your story for a chance to be featured as our member of the week!
I have been involved with the profession of student affairs since being selected as an RA my sophomore year of college at the University of Pennsylvania.
As a person whose masters-level training was not through a traditional student affairs program, I have found it sometimes challenging to connect with peers and to build a professional network of colleagues.
I had the pleasure of attending my tenth Annual Convention in spring 2014 and my first July Leadership Meeting this month. I began my involvement as a graduate student and have worked my way through a variety of volunteer opportunities. For me, ACPA has reminded me of why I am in the field of student affairs. The professionals I have had the opportunity to grow with, be mentored by, and learn from have all impacted me in varying and special ways. I have been challenged, encouraged, and called out.
I have been a member of ACPA on and off (mostly on!) since 1990. Before that, I gravitated toward associations more closely aligned with my focus area in student affairs. But I felt I was missing a broader perspective and exposure to more comprehensive professional development opportunities. I found that in ACPA. I found it even more in my state division, CSPA New York State.
ACPA truly has been my professional home since the beginning of my graduate school years. I value ACPA as a professional association because it provides a place of inclusion for all, regardless of social identity, ideology or years of service to the profession. I have found ACPA of particular value as the association has made space for me as a new professional to immediately be involved in leadership roles.
ACPA has been there for me from the beginning. From a graduate student to a mid-level professional, I have grown through the organization and created a network that grows stronger and more significant, both personally and professionally, each year. As a career services administrator, it is vitally important that I am affiliated with a higher education organization that recognizes career services as a knowledge community.