Grand Valley: College Student Affairs Leadership Spotlights

Josh Lee - Reflecting on Mexico

The CSAL Experience - Reflecting on Mexico

The CSAL program has been a phenomenal ride during my short time here at Grand Valley State University. The faculty and staff that support the program truly believe in their students and are passionate about student affairs. I have been significantly challenged and supported through my transition from an undergraduate student towards my career in the student affairs profession. However, one experience that has really shaped my prospective about my place in the profession was the Mexico study abroad trip.

The trip to Mexico is in many ways, indescribable. The opportunity to immerse myself in the culture, traditions, and educational system of a small region in the state of Puebla, Mexico was intense and enlightening. Of course, the dozen of us that attended had a lot of fun as well!

What I felt was most profound about my Mexico experience was how applicable it was to my career. I left Mexico with a greater appreciation of the land and the culture; however, I also gained an understanding of the considerable differences between the United States and Mexico. The ability to recognize the lens that Mexican people have when viewing the United States also transferred to my multi-cultural competence with all frames of diversity. I am now better able to walk in the shoes of my future students which is extremely important to help them grow and develop holistically.

I would highly recommend the Mexico experience to any first year graduate student in the CSAL or Higher Education program. This is one of the unique features that Grand Valley¿s program has to offer and it is completely worth the time and energy!

--Joshua Lee, Class of 2011

Lisa Ortiz - CSAL Success Story

Lisa graduated from the CSAL program in 2002. That summer, she worked at Hope College as the Residence Life Coordinator for 3 years, then moved to Earlham College for 3 years serving as the Assistant Director of Residence Life. She is currently working at Ferris State University as the Assistant Director of Residential Programs and Services.

We had a chance to speak with Lisa when she came back to GVSU to speak at one of our CSAL Professional Development meetings. She told us "the program gave me the opportunity to have a large range of experiences to add to my professional portfolio. I experienced everything from programming to facilities management to advising. GVSU provided me with many different professional opportunities and really cared about my development as a graduate student. The classes did a great job of taking theory to practice and prepared me to enter the field successfully."

The Greater Grand Rapids area also provided diversity in experiences. "The city was open for exploring and provided many different experiences to take advantage of; from museums to zoos to cultural events. All your basic needs are met with new experiences that are waiting within a few minute drive (or bus ride) away."

Lisa credits GVSU for providing a great foundation of theory and skills to be a success in the positions she has held. "My graduate assistantship was in student life, but my professional experience is in Residence Life. The skills that I learned in the classroom and in my assistantship provided me with tangible, transferable skills that made me successful in my current area of Residence Life. This foundation is apparent in the daily work that I do and will continue as I look on to a doctoral degree and my future in student affairs."

Gary King - The Continuation of my GRAND Experience

As a recent Grand Valley State University graduate, I have an interesting perspective on the CSAL program and all it has to offer. I honestly didn’t know what to fully expect going into Graduate School at my Alma Mater, especially because I had already formed life-long friendships and relationships amongst existing GV community members. During orientation I met colleagues from Peru, Germany, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, etc. which changes the classroom dynamics greatly! The diversity within the CSAL program provides vastly different perspectives. Welcoming diversity, differing perspectives and contrasting beliefs is something that is vital in the student affairs profession and in essence this is something the classroom and assistantship provides. While transitioning into the next phase of my life I realized how supportive and challenging the CSAL faculty, advisors, and administrators could be. Courses in the curriculum help foster learning that will be helpful in your career aspirations. For example, the spring Jamaica study abroad trip is something I anticipate will broaden my cultural competence and truly allow me to relate contextual knowledge to practical experience. The practicum/internship portion of the curriculum is another highly valued aspect of the program which I expect to really help broaden my outlook on higher education and student affairs.

While at Grand Valley I have worked with the Educational Support Program, TRiO Upward Bound, and now Freshman Academy. I am heavily rooted in working with at risk, low income, first generation, college students. I feel I have a passion for working with underrepresented students in higher education but, on the other hand, broadening my experience is something that will be valuable for my future in higher education. I plan to use the required practicum aspect of the CSAL curriculum to broaden my horizons and am looking at other Michigan universities for a site for my first practicum. The cohort styled program has an abundance of professional development opportunities along with an outrageous amount of networking opportunities. The majority of my colleagues hold positions all throughout campus, in virtually every student affairs related department. While working with students in my Freshman Academy graduate assistantship position, I have been able to collaborate with colleagues who hold assistantships and jobs in departments all across campus. The strong rapport I have formed with colleagues, faculty, and administrators has been beneficial in my attempt to maximize my students’ potential as well as my own.