Final Analysis and Reflection: Guardian Scholars Program ... · Web viewThis year, we not only offered the Burton Book Fund as the center has in previous years, but we also facilitated

Running head: FINAL ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 1

Final Analysis and Reflection: Guardian Scholars Program Fieldwork

Evelyn Panilla

California State University, Fullerton

FINAL ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 2

Fieldwork Setting and Experience

As a program specialist with the Guardian Scholars Program at California State

University, Fullerton (CSUF), my primary role has included: creating a process for the John

Burton Foundation scholarship opportunities, planning and facilitating the First Year Seminars,

and meeting with students in academic coaching sessions. As new opportunities were presented

to my supervisor, I took on the task to recruit scholars within our center for a scholarship

opportunity from the President’s office to fund some of the expenses for Intersession 2015

programs. The space provided for my fieldwork and position as a whole is a desk and office

spaced, shared with the other staff member who sees students for academic coaching sessions

and programming.

Learning Contract

The learning contract my supervisor and I originally signed discussed learning outcomes

and goals targeting students interested in Graduate School. Soon after signing the contract, a

new opportunity was presented to my supervisor, to be a pilot for a new implementation of a

high impact practice. High impact practices as defined in the High Impact Matrix on the CSU

Fullerton website are “transformational learning opportunities inside and outside of the

classroom” (High Impact Practices Assessment and Evaluation, 2015).

Intended Learning Outcome Result

As previously mentioned, the learning outcomes I originally outlined for the Graduate

School Planning were not followed due to the unforeseen change in fieldwork project focus.

However, the John Burton Foundation Scholarship, planning and facilitating the First Year

Seminars, and meeting with students in academic coaching sessions still were responsibilities I

maintained throughout the semester, and the results are detailed below.


John Burton Foundation Scholarships. According to the Burton Foundation website,

the foundation “works state-wide to improve the quality of life for California’s foster, former

foster and homeless youth” (John Burton Foundation, 2015). This year, we not only offered the

Burton Book Fund as the center has in previous years, but we also facilitated the Gift Card

Program, the Laptop Competition Essay, and the Critical Needs Fund. The John Burton

Foundation resources are critical to our office, especially for the former foster youth who visit

our center who are not Guardian Scholars. In Appendix A, the number of students who

participated in the different funds and a description of the programs are found.

In sending applications, I was exposed with all of the legalities that come with being

identified as a former foster youth and the obstacles they encounter as a student navigating the

university. Meeting with the students shed light on their very intimate perspective of the

struggles that come with being a student and not having the same support systems other students

do. Moreover, the technicalities of being a student that qualifies for funding through different

sources can get complicated and frustrating for our students. I found that many students have to

miss out on opportunities for funding and resources because of the specifics of their cases, the

relationships to their foster families, or their ties to their biological families—all of which are

considerations that add to my passion for working with my students.

First Year Seminars. After the initial retreat on August 8th, they began a bi-weekly

series of seminars with guest speakers on different topics to aid them in creating successful

habits in college. The students, while all 1st years, are very different and complex in their own

ways. Of the 10 students, 6 are incoming 1st years, 4 of which live on campus, 2 are continuing

2nd year students, 2 are transfer students, and 2 are parents. The diversity among these students

proved to be a welcomed-challenge in addressing all of their needs. This semester, the syllabus


was planned and vetted by our Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) liaison and my

supervisor. Next semester, however, the syllabus, agenda, and learning objectives will all be

created and facilitated by me. Therefore, I am in the process of developing engaging and

informative seminars that can be made applicable to everyone. As cited in Student Development

in College: Theory, Research and Practice, Schlossberg’s Transition Model, in transition, it is

important to support students through different means. The students in the seminars are all

experiencing their own transitions, and the purpose of the seminars is to arm the students with

resources so they can strive towards success (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, and Renn, 2010). In

Appendix B, the Syllabus for Fall 2016 shows the different topics covered and campus partners

that we collaborated with.

Through this experience, I have learned about the challenges that come with

collaborating with others and the politics of partnerships. With the students, I learned about the

importance of creating meaningful and engaging agendas and topics and look forward to

planning the seminars in the spring.

Academic Coaching Sessions. The academic coaching sessions are program

requirements (Appendix C) designed to keep students on track, engaged, and gauge progress of

students on an individual level. As found in Helping Former Foster Youth Graduate from

College Campus Support Programs in California and Washington State, students really enjoy

having one-on-one time with support staff (Dworsky and Pérez, pg. 40).

There are two academic coaches in the center, and we each have a caseload of 22-23

students and talk about everything from academics, to health, and referring to other campus and

outside resources.


Some students I met with on a more regular basis because they are deemed on academic

probation for the program if they earn less than a 2.5 GPA overall. While I came into this

position with some general advising experience, this position is very different in the type of

conversations we have with students. Academic coaching sessions can be more intimate and

therefore sometimes require conversations about visiting CAPS or having further discussion with

other staff members. The meetings with them have inspired me to look into the advising

positions in the future.

Unintentional Learning Outcomes

The President’s Strategic Fund Study Abroad/Study Away Opportunity. This

opportunity turned out to be a very eye opening experience in regards to how a project is handed

down to a department. According to CSUFs’ High Impact Practice Matrix, participating in the

Study Abroad/Study Away initiative would correspond with “meaningful and substantive

learning interactions with faculty, staff, students or external entities”, “opportunities to

experience diversity, complexity, and change”, and “opportunities for experiential learning”

(High Impact Practices Assessment and Evaluation, 2015). Because of the developments we

encountered as a center and under the direction of both my fieldwork instructor and supervisor, I

changed my fieldwork project from what was outlined on the contract to the President’s Strategic

Fund Study Abroad/Study Away Scholarship Opportunity along with the other responsibilities of

my position as the Program Specialist for the Guardian Scholar Program. The initiative allocated

funds to award students who historically have not participated in Study Abroad opportunities

because they identify as low-income and first generation, to partake in 1 of 10 selected study

abroad or study away programs. I took it on and was tasked with creating an intake process,

meeting with students and identifying which of the 10 programs funded were for them, and


processing their application. I created a flyer (Appendix D), met with students, and

communicated with faculty about their programs, however the task turned out to be more

difficult than originally planned.

First, the initiative was not thoroughly planned before implementation. The students had

many questions about costs, what would be covered, and logistics—all of which I had no

answers to. Second, the programs selected were all run through different departments with no

collaboration. It was difficult to support students interested in programs when they all had

different requirements, deadlines, and costs. This became especially difficult as students found

that some programs had more remaining costs than others. Third, the programs were not all

inclusive of all students. Some programs were very major or class standing specific, creating a

sense of inequity. Lastly, the scholarship application requirements may have steered potential

applicants away from applying due to items like the GPA requirement. Since the target

demographic was low-income, first generation students, there could have been more holistic

support in the application process. As cited by Adrianna Kezar, MaryBeth Walpole, and Laura

Pena in Student Engagement in Higher Education, it is important to both “eliminate GPA

requirements for such experiences as study abroad that can hinder low-income students’

eligibility for participation” and “reduce financial barriers to obtaining necessary services and

participating in essential programs” (pg. 251-252). Appendix E shows the number of students

interested and the reasoning for which they did not apply, which resonates with the statements

cited.

Evaluation of Site Experience

In my short time with the Guardian Scholars, I have seen definite growth in my

professional development. The program is growing in many ways, and of the 4 people that serve


the Guardian Scholars students; the director and myself were new in our roles. The changes the

center has undergone has caused this experience to not always be clear or easy, but it has been a

process I have welcomed and embraced wholeheartedly. In this experience, I have seen many

parallels to the content we are learning in class and with what I experience at my fieldwork site.

For example, learning about the changes in other offices on campus show me that movement is

happening in many areas and departments at CSUF. Moreover, I have personally developed in

areas of being able to multi-task and am readily available for interacting with students and

balancing other responsibilities.

Since becoming a part of the Guardian Scholars team, I have noticed that my experience

in learning about different cultures, social structures of oppression, and identities, has helped me

feel very prepared and confident in having these conversations with my students. Professionally,

my supervisor has given me the opportunity to attend two conferences and will support my

attendance to the ACPA National Convention in March of next year and look forward to the

continued development and exposure to professional networks I will be a part of.

Training

Since getting hired, I have undergone training about resources on campus, the history of

institutions supporting former foster youth, how to support veterans and students who are

currently in the military, and how to support students with disabilities. While I enjoy the

different areas I have learned about, I still think I need ample training in the areas of crisis

management and how to respond to individuals who are in need of more specific, urgent

attention. This training would not only benefit my position with the Guardian Scholars, I would

consider it an added foundation for any interaction with both colleagues and students in the

future.


Introduction and Orientation

While there are four of us serving the Guardian Scholars students, it is only a portion of

the students being served within the Center for Scholars. The fact that we are understaffed often

means that there is a need to jump in and get a job done for the sake of the operation of the

center. Furthermore, the director was also new to the role after being in a different position on

campus throughout the last year. Because of this, the direction and support I needed were

sometimes not clear or stable. However, these situations have shown me that offices,

departments, and even institutions are not always going to be stable or consistent. In fact,

comparing where we were in the beginning of the semester and were we are now, I see that with

instability and inconsistency comes change.

View of Student in Setting

As I mentioned above, it has not always been easy to figure out where I stand or fit in

when it comes to program dynamics. My newness mixed in with the fact that I can only take on

so much due to my 20-hour weekly limit forces me to be very strategic with where I allocate my

time. Overall, my experience with the Guardian Scholars has been very welcoming and

transparent. Transparency is something my supervisor provides that I appreciate because it gives

me the perspective and viewpoint of the types of decisions and conversations she has at that

level. I believe all other staff members do their best to be as available they can be with me, and

this makes the process of learning the new space easier and less intimidating.

Suggestions

If my fieldwork supervisor were to take on another graduate student to conduct

fieldwork, I would suggest that it wait until all the new positions are filled. As of now, the center

is in the process of hiring one new staff member to take on one of the other scholarship programs


in the center, but growth is still expected in the spring. Because of the movement, on-boarding

that will be occurring, and the changes that all staff members will continue to see in their

workload and responsibilities, I would say that it would be best to hold off until the student can

come into a more stable setting with specific tasks that are uniquely theirs.

Areas of Growth

At my fieldwork site, there are two specific growth areas I see for myself in the

upcoming semester. First, social justice topics are not widely conversed or discussed in the

center. The students in the program have all been though hardships and sometimes, traumatic

experiences. While it is important to keep in mind the triggers students might encounter when

having difficult conversations about race, social class, oppression, and violence, I think it can

also be a source of empowerment for students. While I do not know the answer to this

predicament yet, I do believe we should, at the very least, promote and attend programs our

campus partners who discuss these issues, such as the Diversity Initiative and Resource Centers

(DIRC) hold. Secondly, as my time at with the Guardian Scholars approaches the end, I believe

I need to make more time to discuss my professional development with my supervisor. Even

though we do meet to discuss progress, advice, and feedback, it is often times very program

related, and I know I would benefit from having discussions that are more focused on my future.

In Beginning your Journey: A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs, the concluding

chapter states, “Mentors focus on your success and provide you with opportunities to learn and

grow by doing and observing” (Ellis, 269With this, I hope that I can continue to be healthily

challenged in my position. I know that as long as I keep my goals in mind and vocalize my

needs, I will have the ability to excel in my position and beyond.


References

Amey, M. J., & Reesor, L. M. (Eds.). Beginning your journey: A guide for new professionals in

student affairs (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

Education (NASPA).

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2015, from

http://www.johnburtonfoundation.org/index.php/about-us

Dworsky, A. & Pérez, A. (2009). Helping former foster youth graduate from college: Campus

support programs in California and Washington State. Chicago: Chapin Hall at the

University of Chicago

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student

development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass.

Matrix. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2015, from http://www.fullerton.edu/HIP/matrix/

Quaye, S. J., & Harper, S. R. (Eds.). (2014). Student engagement in higher education:

Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (2nd ed.). New

York, NY: Routledge.


Appendix A

John Burton Foundation Program Recipients

Program and Overview Number of Recipients

Burton Book Fund: Provides students with $350 for one academic school year 33Gift Card Program: Provides first year students with gift card to go towards school-related expenses

11

Laptop Competition Essay: Provides applicants with new laptop after submission of essay (What inspired you to go to college?)

4

Critical Needs Funds: Provides students with up to $700 of emergency funds to go towards any expenses that are detrimental to the students’ college experience

6


Appendix B

First Year Seminar Fall 2016 Syllabus

Date Topic Presenters

8/8/15 First Year Student Retreat GS Staff

8/31/15 Making Positive Choices Dr. Toriz

9/28/15 The Importance of Self-Care Dr. Toriz

10/12/15 Utilizing Your Strengths Deanna Merino-Contion

1026/15 Finding Your Balance Student Health and Counseling Center, Jovannys Mejia

11/9/15 Study Skills & Interaction with Faculty Dr. Jason Sexton

11/16/15 Maintaining Positive Relationships Dr. Toriz

12/7/15 Holiday Celebration & Getting Involved Student Life and Leadership, Tim Alexander


Appendix C

Guardian Scholars Program Semester Requirements

Guardian Scholars Program Program Semester Requirements

Name: ___________________ CWID: ____________________

Requirement: Met?

Minimum 2.5 GPA

Meet 2 times with Director and 1 time with Academic Coach

Attend all Education Level Workshops

Attend all mandatory program events

Attend all monthly meetings

2 Community Service events

Ed. Coach Signature: __________________________ Date: ____________


Appendix D

President’s Strategic Fund Study Abroad/Study Away Flyer


Appendix E

President’s Strategic Fund Study Abroad/Study Away Interested Students Form

Student Program Interested In Status

Student A Spain/Vietnam

Interested, but concerned about the $2000 remaining cost and whether it is worth it to spend that amount of money for so little time. Also cannot commit to time frame the students are expected to travel

Student B Germany Germany program full

Student C Spain/MexicoDid not apply due to remaining costs that scholarship does not cover

Student D Spain/MexicoWorried about remaining costs that scholarship does not cover

Student E Mexico Applied

Student F Mexico Remaining expenses too high

Student G MexicoDecided against because she wants to pursue other study abroad opportunities

Student H Spain No student follow-up

Student I Spain No student follow-up

Student J Vietnam applied

Student K SpainDecided against because she wants to pursue other study abroad opportunities

Student L Vietnam/SpainDecided against because she wants to pursue other study abroad opportunities

Student M Spain Applied

Student N No student follow-up

Student O Germany Does not receive Pell Grant

Student PDecided against because she wants to pursue other study abroad opportunities

Student Q Has not continued communication

Student R GermanyInterested in program we did not collaborate with, that is also already full

Student S No SpecificationEmail question only; no further correspondence

Student T Vietnam applied

Student U Spain Applied


Documents

Final Analysis and Reflection: Guardian Scholars Program ... · Web viewThis year, we not only offered the Burton Book Fund as the center has in previous years, but we also facilitated