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Narrative Description

Laura Reiter

Loyola University Chicago

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Narrative Description

What I Learned: Content

There are so many things I learned in the higher education program at Loyola that it is a

hard to pick just a few of them to highlight. I typically learn best through watching the example

set by others. Fortunately for me, my teachers and classmates have been excellent models of

professionalism in higher education. These examples shone through during what turned out to

be an especially challenging year for our program back in 2016 2017. I certainly learned a lot

from watching how my teachers handled a difficult situation, gaining greater insights into

leadership, governance and social justice.

The most important content that I learned while taking classes at Loyola was during the

leadership course I took last year. My class was able to explore different theories about

leadership and select the style we thought best suited our personalities and aspirations in line

with with our new understanding of the role of leaders and leadership. Growing up in a Christian

home I had leaned a lot about servant leadership. I went into the class thinking that it was my

ideal leadership model, but during the class we discussed transformational leadership.

Transformational leaders challenge the process, model the way, inspire a shared vision,

enable others to act, and encourage the heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). The two practices that

come most naturally to me at are model the way and challenge the process. The practice I am

working to improve most is encouraging the heart. We also learned about the connection

between women and transformational leadership, which has impacted on the way I interact with

others in the workplace. As Eagly and Carli (2007) contend, acting aggressively presents risks

for female leadersmen may get away with this type of leadership but women seldom do (p.

166). The authors suggest combining exceptional competence with warmth and friendliness
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and to build social capital on the job (Eagly & Carli, 2007, p. 181). I have used this approach

while working at my internship and I have found it to be an effective strategy. I also notice when

other female leaders use a similar combination of competence and care they tend to get more

done because they are able to effect change through collaboration.

Another important takeaway from my time at Loyola is the importance of being a life-

long learner. This was already a value of mine, but has been refined through watching the

example set by my professors. During my undergraduate education most of my professors acted

as though they knew all the answers. There were class discussions, but the professor always had

the final word about what was right and wrong. My teachers at Loyola have by and large entered

into the classroom in a much more vulnerable way by demonstrating that they are there to learn

alongside the class. It is important for me to remember that learning does not stop with masters

degree; it is a continual process in which there is always the opportunity for growth.

What I Learned: Myself

One of the most important things I have learned about myself while in this program is the

importance I place on human dignity (another concept I explored during the leadership class).

This means I strive to be respectful towards others even when I do not feel they have earned it.

For example, I volunteer with a group called Youth For Understanding in the capacity of a

mentor to host families and students. This year there was a difficult situation with one of the

host families. Even though these challenges were frustrating, when I filtered my words and

actions through the lens of human dignity, I was then able to talk with all parties involved in a

way that was respectful and maintained a positive relationship between the family, the

organization, and myself. This is a change from how I initially wanted to act, and probably

would have acted, had it not been for my leadership class.

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What I Learned: Social Justice

Coming into the program my knowledge of social justice was extremely limited. While

at Loyola I have learned about using inclusive language, how prejudices from the past continue

to be perpetuated in the present, and so much more. My main takeaway from all of these lessons

is the importance of empathy of remembering that my experience and perspective of the world

is not the only one and working to understand and share in the suffering and struggle of those

who are oppressed. To ignore oppression is to be complicit with oppression. This does not

mean that I need to actively protest every instance of oppression, but that within my sphere of

influence I will work to seek out ways to support and affirm those who are marginalized. Since I

plan to work with international students, most of my efforts will likely go towards advocating for

that population.

What I Learned: Graduate Internships

I have had two internships that bookend my time at Loyola. My first internship was at

the University of Chicago (UChicago) in the College Programming Office (CPO). I completed

this internship the summer before I started my program at Loyola back in 2015. I am currently

working at my second internship at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in the International

Center. These internships are very different in terms of my roles and responsibilities. At

UChicago I was helping facilitate programming events at the university. Some of the events I

was planning I believed were important, however I learned that I did not mesh well with the

mission of the CPO, especially since I knew how much money was being used to buy decorative

balloons, cotton candy makers, and generally pay for things I personally felt were unnecessary to

the functioning of the university. Learning that this was not a good fit for me was an important
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lesson because it forced me to evaluate my actual areas of interest in higher education. During

the two years following my UChicago internship I carefully considered what I wanted to do.

The summer before my second year at Loyola I realized I was supposed to sign up for an

internship but could not find one that fit with my interests. Instead of just going ahead and

picking something, I decided to wait until I could create the exact internship I wanted. This lead

me to reach out to about ten different universities with the hope that one of them would allow me

to work as a Graduate Intern and learn from their International Student Advisors. Fortunately

IIT responded positively to my request. When I met with the Kemi, the International Center

Director at IIT, I believed that she would be a good mentor to me. With the internship we co-

created, I am learning about the visa regulations that are specific to international student advisors

and the running of the International Center. I am so fortunate that I was able to take the extra

time to find this internship. While at IIT I have discovered that supporting international students

is the area of higher education I am most passionate about.

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References

Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). Through the labyrinth: The truth about how women become

leaders. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass.