The Competencies Preamble
I have had the privilege of working as an educator and social justice advocate for nearly a decade. The majority of my work has been coordinating with administrators, faculty, staff, and students as an advisor, counselor, presenter, and outreach representative with the local high schools and community colleges of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. These positions have had me working directly with almost forty schools, and I have professional relationships with many of the counselors, faculty, and staff at the transfer centers, college/career centers, and administrative offices of these schools.
In addition to my professional experience, academically I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. My undergraduate degree is directly related to my skills as a presenter. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts. This degree was earned at the University of California Santa Cruz. As a public four-year university UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) fulfills its mission of pluralism and inclusion by culturing students in an environment rich in diversity regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomically. My Master of Science degree in College Counseling and Student Development was earned at a very different environment, and at a university that struggles with inclusion in relation to its inherent faith-based foundations. My graduate degree was earned at Azusa Pacific University (APU). APU is an Evangelical Christian university, and a potentially confrontational environment for a transsexual Latina student affairs professional to earn her graduate degree. Today APU, like many faith based private universities, struggles to resolve its postures of faith with a needed humanitarian view of inclusiveness, and continues to articulate policies of intolerance toward LGBT faculty, staff, and students reaffirming its unwillingness to validate and honor queer identities.
Yet, in this faith based university whose motto is "God First!" I thrived. Completing my Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development degree at APU was the catalyst and supporting environment I needed to come out authentically as a transsexual; understand my relation as a Latina trans woman to the dominant cultural norm; and reach new levels of empathy, compassion, and humbleness as I engaged in the rare experience of surrendering my lenses of male and cisgender privilege and adopted more marginalized postures. My graduate studies in College Counseling and Student Development were life changing, and provided the academic foundation and empirical experience to create a vibrant mission and philosophy in student affairs. It further provided the impetus to actively challenge the cultural dynamics of privilege and marginalization within the status quo, and most importantly helping me to effectively counsel and advise students passionately along their holistically journeys toward adulthood and authenticity.
The cultural dynamic for which I have had the opportunity to most frequently and passionately advocate thus far as an educator has been the opportunity to increase the matriculation of students of color into higher education institutions. The majority of these youths have been first-generation, low-income, historically underrepresented students. Whether this has been in representing a specific university or school, or implementing the Talent Search program; I am extraordinarily passionate about advocating for more equitable representation for marginalized students in higher education. It also represents a vast amount of professional experience in working as an outreach representative presenting and building relationships in the high school and community college environments to students, faculty, and administrators. As a student affairs professional I am incredibly conscious of what my enthusiastic support of these underrepresented, marginalized students can mean to each individual. I have had the pleasure of speaking to student groups in classroom sizes of twenty-five to thirty students, for bus tours of up to fifty, and in auditorium presentations of over three hundred. I am able to present my voice passionately to students because of my years of experience as a presenter, my education, and my critically examined ethics and values. I speak with students and administrators so as to inspire social change through educational empowerment.
Transitioning from male to female foundationally served to increase my scope of working with populations traditionally understood to be diverse or underrepresented. Since transitioning genders I have had the opportunity to present on crucial issues of sexual assault and rape myth acceptance within the university setting, and its adverse impact on female students. This co-curricular learning program was presented to the students of Cal Poly Pomona. Identifying as transsexual has given me an immense amount of credibility in relation to the LGBTQ community, and because of my transition I have had the opportunity to present at staff diversity training concerning sexual orientation and gender diversity. I am Safe Zone trained, and have had numerous speaking opportunities. I have spoken at large queer and LGBTQ events and rallies speaking with Soulforce, a queer Christian advocacy group; at the Art of Diversity at Citrus College hosted by their student LGBTQ group; at the 2015 Sexual Assumption and Reassessment and Restructuring [SAR] before mental health professionals; and most recently appeared in a film supporting California Bill SB1146, legislation created to close a loophole allowing faith-based universities to seek Title IX exemption while still receive federal funding such as student financial aid.
The target population of my expertise is the counseling of young undergraduate students approximately eighteen to twenty-five years, and I consider myself an expert on young adult human development theories, and skilled in counseling technique. I have a strong understanding of general young adult development characterized by theorist such as Marcia Baxter-Magolda, William Perry, and Nevitt Sanford. In other words; I am a counselor who is competent, knowledgeable, able to work with LGBT students and other marginalized and underrepresented students, able to address all development issues including issues of crisis; and have been doing so as an educator, counselor, and advisor for almost a decade professionally. This experience also includes counseling high risk youths in a full-time residential setting.
Below is a list of some of the experiential highlights and milestones as an educator and social justice advocate:
Thank you for exploring my work as an educator and social justice advocate. Please enjoy!
In addition to my professional experience, academically I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. My undergraduate degree is directly related to my skills as a presenter. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts. This degree was earned at the University of California Santa Cruz. As a public four-year university UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) fulfills its mission of pluralism and inclusion by culturing students in an environment rich in diversity regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomically. My Master of Science degree in College Counseling and Student Development was earned at a very different environment, and at a university that struggles with inclusion in relation to its inherent faith-based foundations. My graduate degree was earned at Azusa Pacific University (APU). APU is an Evangelical Christian university, and a potentially confrontational environment for a transsexual Latina student affairs professional to earn her graduate degree. Today APU, like many faith based private universities, struggles to resolve its postures of faith with a needed humanitarian view of inclusiveness, and continues to articulate policies of intolerance toward LGBT faculty, staff, and students reaffirming its unwillingness to validate and honor queer identities.
Yet, in this faith based university whose motto is "God First!" I thrived. Completing my Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development degree at APU was the catalyst and supporting environment I needed to come out authentically as a transsexual; understand my relation as a Latina trans woman to the dominant cultural norm; and reach new levels of empathy, compassion, and humbleness as I engaged in the rare experience of surrendering my lenses of male and cisgender privilege and adopted more marginalized postures. My graduate studies in College Counseling and Student Development were life changing, and provided the academic foundation and empirical experience to create a vibrant mission and philosophy in student affairs. It further provided the impetus to actively challenge the cultural dynamics of privilege and marginalization within the status quo, and most importantly helping me to effectively counsel and advise students passionately along their holistically journeys toward adulthood and authenticity.
The cultural dynamic for which I have had the opportunity to most frequently and passionately advocate thus far as an educator has been the opportunity to increase the matriculation of students of color into higher education institutions. The majority of these youths have been first-generation, low-income, historically underrepresented students. Whether this has been in representing a specific university or school, or implementing the Talent Search program; I am extraordinarily passionate about advocating for more equitable representation for marginalized students in higher education. It also represents a vast amount of professional experience in working as an outreach representative presenting and building relationships in the high school and community college environments to students, faculty, and administrators. As a student affairs professional I am incredibly conscious of what my enthusiastic support of these underrepresented, marginalized students can mean to each individual. I have had the pleasure of speaking to student groups in classroom sizes of twenty-five to thirty students, for bus tours of up to fifty, and in auditorium presentations of over three hundred. I am able to present my voice passionately to students because of my years of experience as a presenter, my education, and my critically examined ethics and values. I speak with students and administrators so as to inspire social change through educational empowerment.
Transitioning from male to female foundationally served to increase my scope of working with populations traditionally understood to be diverse or underrepresented. Since transitioning genders I have had the opportunity to present on crucial issues of sexual assault and rape myth acceptance within the university setting, and its adverse impact on female students. This co-curricular learning program was presented to the students of Cal Poly Pomona. Identifying as transsexual has given me an immense amount of credibility in relation to the LGBTQ community, and because of my transition I have had the opportunity to present at staff diversity training concerning sexual orientation and gender diversity. I am Safe Zone trained, and have had numerous speaking opportunities. I have spoken at large queer and LGBTQ events and rallies speaking with Soulforce, a queer Christian advocacy group; at the Art of Diversity at Citrus College hosted by their student LGBTQ group; at the 2015 Sexual Assumption and Reassessment and Restructuring [SAR] before mental health professionals; and most recently appeared in a film supporting California Bill SB1146, legislation created to close a loophole allowing faith-based universities to seek Title IX exemption while still receive federal funding such as student financial aid.
The target population of my expertise is the counseling of young undergraduate students approximately eighteen to twenty-five years, and I consider myself an expert on young adult human development theories, and skilled in counseling technique. I have a strong understanding of general young adult development characterized by theorist such as Marcia Baxter-Magolda, William Perry, and Nevitt Sanford. In other words; I am a counselor who is competent, knowledgeable, able to work with LGBT students and other marginalized and underrepresented students, able to address all development issues including issues of crisis; and have been doing so as an educator, counselor, and advisor for almost a decade professionally. This experience also includes counseling high risk youths in a full-time residential setting.
Below is a list of some of the experiential highlights and milestones as an educator and social justice advocate:
- Speaker at the Art of Discovery at Citrus College on my experience and expertise as an out transgender student affairs professional
- Trans* panel guest speaker at the 2015 Sexual Attitude Reassessment and Restructuring [SAR] International Training
- Speaker with Soul Force regarding the marginalization of queer identities culturally, in higher education, and my experiences as a transsexual Latina in relation to the white, heterosexual, cis-gender norm
- NASPA training for student affairs professionals interested in working with queer resource centers and LGBTQ students, and safe zone certified
- Presenter in relation to sexual orientation and gender diversity training
- Presenter on rape myth acceptance, bystander training, and women’s empowerment
- Presenter for university outreach co-curricular program with specific student learning objectives on undergraduate student development, the value critical thinking skills, and enrichment through diversity
- Development of specific programs for enrollment and retention
- Development of a women’s resource and queer resource programming
- Membership on a university’s retention committee, and participation in the development of that university’s academic advising program
- Authored a proposal for the adoption of a dual model academic advising program
- Authored a proposal for the adoption of standards, including a mission statement, student learning objectives, and a new hierarchical structure designed to bring a university’s enrollment office into alignment with the higher education industry’s CAS standards
- Researched and conducted both qualitative and quantitative studies and assessments using focus groups and statistical analysis with IBM SPSS
- Supervised both employee and student populations
- Training in higher education database programs, and the confidentiality of student information
- Certified in conflict resolution mediation
Thank you for exploring my work as an educator and social justice advocate. Please enjoy!
Competencies
View my
Examples of Passionate Industry - Organized by Competencies |
Quality Programming; Assessment and Evaluation; Counseling and Advising; Fostering Student Learning; Pluralism, Inclusion, and Social Justice; Visionary Leadership; Moral, Ethical, and Spiritual Compass; Effective Campus and Community Relationships; Managing Conflict and Crisis; Legal and Ethical Issues; Budgeting and Fiscal Management; Technology
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