Well, week two of my internship is over. There has been a lot of time that I have used to reflect on my life after work. The internship so far has provided me with a variety of opportunities to learn what goes on in the realm of student affairs. For those of you who may not know what student affairs refers to, it categorizes higher education professionals who focus on the development of students during their college career. For me to have this amazing opportunity to work alongside professionals in student affairs here at UC Berkeley has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences I've ever had.
Week two at Cal allowed me to get to know some of the professionals in my field much better and to get a feel for the type of environment surrounding student affairs at a different institution. Coming from a small private school, University of the Pacific, has helped develop skills that will allow me to flourish in an institution comparable to it. Having the opportunity to work with a large, public, 35,000 student institution has been very eye-opening, largely because of the interactions with the professionals I have been working with at the LEAD Center. They have been able to maintain the level of authenticity that first brought me into student affairs. At the moment, Cal is facing a variety of challenges that have complicated student affairs. Yet, with all the challenges that the LEAD Center has faced, they have still managed to make the best of their situation.
Outside of work, I have had the opportunity to finally interact with students here at Cal. The first week felt very lonesome for me because I relied on my coworker for social interaction. Now having met people my age has been very uplifting. I have had many authentic conversations about activism. We have also talked a lot about the experiences of people of color who are working in the student affairs profession. The conversations regarding people of color have been particularly important to me because it allowed me to view myself differently. It has made me think critically about how my identities play a huge role in my future.
This week, one of our assigned readings for professional development has been Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Reading Freire has provided me with many different questions regarding how education is essential to bringing freedom to an oppressed people. I can relate to this reading because at times I do feel oppressed. Going into the field of student affairs it is important to have a well-rounded knowledge of the student experience because it will help the professional staff to connect and aid students in their college career as they face the many challenges of being part of the oppressed minorities. Working in higher education has its own challenges, but working with students is something that I am very passionate about.
Overall, I am excited to start week three of my internship. All I can say now is that this has been an eye-opening experience and that I cannot wait to see what more I can learn.
