Counseling & Personal Development

I serve as the advisor for the Gamma Upsilon Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. of Cal Poly Pomona. This opportunity has given me great satisfaction because it has allowed me to counsel and advise a group of talented, strong, and intelligent young women. Our advisor-advisee relationship is founded on respect and honesty, which helps us have better communication and understanding of each other and "make positive contributions to their personal development and learning of individual students."

Working with these women has given me an opportunity to put into practice my philosophy of counseling, which is strengths-based. This model seeks to empower the student involved in a helping relationship and validates their strengths. Below is my philosophy of counseling, which describes me as an advisor and helper.

þ Philosophy of Counseling Paper

In addition to advising Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, I have the honor to advise Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Hermanas Unidas, and Ballet Folklorico Ollin de Aztlan.

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One of the aspects of my job that I most enjoy and that has helped me become competent in this area is supervising student staff. Through supervision, I am able to "assess the developmental and personal needs of individual college students." I work with each member of my staff to find out what they would like to gain from their position as program assistants at the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education (CECCHE). Each of them has a wide range of expectations. For example, one of my student assistants who is a Marketing major, hopes that this job will provide her with the opportunity to enhance her marketing skills by applying concepts that she has learned in the classroom. Learning about my staff's talents and interest allows me to design experiences that will help them fulfill their expectations and get the most out of their position.

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Throughout my coursework at APU I have developed a great appreciation and interest in learning about the different student development theories; theories which, I believe, inform and strengthen my practice when counseling and facilitating personal development. Below are two artifacts as evidence of my ability to use theory to understand student development and issues. The first artifact is a paper in which I researched and analyzed Dr. Nancy K. Schlossberg's Transition Theory. The second artifact is a paper in which I used an array of theories to understand my own college experience.