COURTNEY EILEEN SOLA

Personal Philosophy Statement

When evaluating my values, aspirations and personal philosophy, I find that higher education is
the perfect career path for me. The vibrant and stimulating environment, student interactions and
opportunity for professional development are just a few of the items on my long list of why I am
passionate about working in a university setting. From being a undergraduate student at Elon University,
a student worker and leader, to a professional at UNC-Wilmington and now a candidate in the Masters of
Higher Education program, my personal and professional values of holistic development and
communication, as well as my professional philosophy, have evolved and shaped themselves to be
consistent with those evident in the higher education and student affairs profession.
One value that has continued to resonate with me during my student experience, my professional
experience, and has only been highlighted by this class, is development. I am not the same person I was
when I started and finished Elon. I am not the same person when I started my career at UNCW, and I am
not even the same person I was when I started this class. Having these developmental opportunities are
what I live for. I like knowing that there is room to improve and make a difference, and having those
opportunities is of the utmost importance to me as I continue my professional career. The American
Council of Education described the tasks of colleges and universities in relation to student development to
vitalize this [basic purposes of higher education] and other educational purposes to assist in the
developing to the limits of his potentialities and in make his contribution to the betterment of society
(American Council on Education,1937). Evaluating my own value of development has allowed me to
create opportunities for the students I advise in the Seahawk Admissions Network for Diversity (SAND).
This year, Taniesha and I have provided more opportunities for campus and community engagement to
our group than ever before, in hopes to help them develop as a student and professional. Hearing stories
of how our students enjoyed these events, and how they may have changed their perspective on something
or sparked a new interest, only reaffirms how important these development experiences are for students.
My value of holistic development directly aligns with the values of the profession. College is meant to be
transformative, therefore our job as student affairs professionals is to help students develop their personal
and professional skills so they can contribute to society and become responsible citizens.
Another characteristic of the profession that I have come to value throughout this semester is open
and honest communication. This has been evident in my intentionality to get feedback from my direct
supervisors and colleagues, but also from the students that I work with. This semester, Taniesha and I
were intentional to sit down with all of our SAND members to discuss how their semester was going, their
feelings about the organization, what they would like to see more of, and how we could better support
them as advisors. Having this open line of communication not only opened our eyes to things we were
previously unaware of, but also allowed us to connect on an individual level with our students and create a
deeper connection with each of them. Having this opportunity, which only helped us grow as advisors,
opened my eyes to the importance of this type of honest and open communication. Having experienced
the benefits of it first-hand, I know I will continue to infuse this into my professional career.
In evaluating my values as it pertains to the student affairs and higher education profession, my
philosophy is to actively seek out engaging opportunities and facilitate open communication that allow the
holistic development of those that I work with. It is evident in my work as a SAND (Seahawk Admission
Network for Diversity) advisor, and in my approach to finding new and engaging educational and
developmental opportunities with my co-advisor for all of our students, and providing opportunities for
them to open communicate their thoughts and concerns about the organization. This includes, but is not
limited to: Safe Space/Ally training hosted by the LGBTQIA Office, OSLEs Leadership Development
Program, volunteer opportunities through the Good Sheppard Center, and creating leadership roles within
the organization to help enhance members personal and professional skills. It is these steps that we are
taking, and future ones, that will create opportunities for all of the students we work with to develop into
the professional they aspire to be.
 For me, working in Higher Education is a dream come true. There is no other field that I feel as
though I fit so well in. A lot of my passion for the field stems from my own experience as an undergraduate
student, the experiences I was able to have and the relationships I was able to form. Having such an
influential experience drives me to be able to create that same experience for those that I work with. It
sounds cheesy, but college is a time where you can start making your dreams come true at least, that is
what it was for me. Having the opportunity to help students do that is such a humbling and rewarding
feeling. Whether it be helping them through the admissions process and getting to their dream school,
providing opportunities that change their perspective or uncover a new passion, or even just watching a
student grow from semester to semester the rewards of the profession are unparalleled to any other.
This profession gives me a sense of purpose, and it is because of that, that I want to have a long career in
Higher Education.

Works Cited
American Council on Education (1937). Student personnel point of view. Washington, D.C.:
Author.