"The Personal Foundations competency area involves the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to maintain emotional, physical, social, environmental, relational, spiritual, and intellectual wellness; be self-directed and self-reflective; maintain excellence and integrity in work; be comfortable with ambiguity; be aware of one's own areas of strength and growth; have a passion for work; and remain curious" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 24).



Growth Within Competency

​Lifelong Learning

​Key parts of "Personal Foundations" are maintaining intellectual wellness and a passion for one's work (ACPA & NASPA, 2010).  Being someone who enjoys the theory-side of the College Student Personnel program, my career interests lean towards areas that emphasize and value professional involvement in the student affairs and higher education field.  I believe that such engagement helps keep my work current and is a good way to avoid stagnation and/or burnout.  Rather than wait for my first full-time position in student affairs, I am attempting in small ways to pursue the value of lifelong learning and curiosity.  One way I have started is by making a personal goal relating to my use of Twitter.  For every day that I "tweet," I must also tweet at least one higher-education related article that I fully read that day.  My hopes for this goal are twofold:  1) regular and continual reading of current higher education literature; and 2) emphasizing the potential of professional social media usage.  Check my Twitter feed to the right to see if I'm living up to my word!



Personal Relationships

​As often as student affairs professionals tell students of the importance of work-life balance, it is often something difficult to do ourselves.  Having a graduate internship, a position as a Greek house director, different practicums, and professional development responsibilities can make it all too easy for personal relationships to be forgotten.  Although it was a challenge to achieve such a balance for much of my first year in the program, intentionally taking time to be with others or with other family and friends has become something I value and continuously model to my students.  There is no better example for me than maintaining a long-distance relationship and proposing to my partner of over four years.  Seeing the support I received from my fellow cohort members was a further reminder of the strong connections I have made with my peers and how they will continue in my future as not only colleagues, but good friends.



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