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Evident themes exist when moving through the Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel (HIED) program at Kent State University. During my first year in the program, I was still trying to define what it meant to be apart of the higher education profession. As I near its end, I begin to notice one general concept that each course has continually stressed, which is a student-centered focus on education and administration. When creating the course overview assignment, it was clear that I appreciated class discussion. Working through issues and concepts with my classmates is important to me because I am able to learn through the perspectives of others. The most valuable part of this program is the fact that we each arrive with a different background and a varied set of experiences to offer. Some classes like Research in Educational Services did not particularly offer the most informative discussions, however, we still benefited from working together. Many of us often complained about working in groups, particularly finding the time to do so with our busy schedules. In the end, however, I always found that the most comprehensive outcomes of assignments were those that were completed in groups. I learned a great deal about myself throughout the course of the program. The first of which is my understanding of a university or college. The main goal of a higher education institution is to educate the students. An important aspect of this goal is that it is not restricted to the academic obligations of a school. A campus is where students begin to lay down their personal foundations; it is where they grow as individuals based on the culture they are immersed in. These institutions are businesses. They work to please the “customer,” also known as the “student.” While schools hope to educate students, they also hope to make money. In order to make money for the institution, bureaucracies are created to organize the complex procedures necessary to fulfill their needs. It is my ultimate aspiration to be a part of this system. Another important learning outcome I have retained from this experience is a stronger understanding of myself as a leader. The Leadership in Educational Organizations class helped me define this particular position for me. I have learned that I view leadership as a process that ends with helping followers. A leader does not exist without her/his followers. A primary responsibility of a leader is to inspire others with a shared vision in order to move an organization forward. I relate heavily with the transformational style of leadership where selling a vision is the best way to gain followers. To sell the vision, it is important to instill energy and enthusiasm in the members. Getting them exciting about an idea will give them more motivation to work toward successfully implementing it. A large part about being a transformational leader is to initiate change. Changing the organization with the help of followers is what I strongly believe in. In order to improve programs, institutions need to recognize flaws and work toward transforming those blemishes into advances. The most beneficial part of the program is the amount of practical experience we are able to gain included into the curriculum. With graduate assistantship and practicum opportunities so available, it is not difficult to graduate with a wide-ranging scope of experiences to share with future employers. I have always been enchanted with the idea of diversity, however, it was not until I was immersed into the courses in the program that I saw it become a buzz word in higher education. When I think about diversity, however, I realize it is more than just that. I appreciate the idea of diversity and acceptance. Now that education has become accessible to a larger population of people, diversity awareness is more important. Not only is it beneficial to give attention to minority groups, mainstream races are often overlooked and should also be served. As a leader in the profession of student affairs, I feel that tolerance is a timely sensitive issue. Differences need to be recognized and supported. I believe in the post-modernist view that a person’s environment and experience shape her/his identity. I welcome the idea that people are individuals and come from different places. Recognizing differences based on this idea is an important part of being a leader. When I think into my future in this field, I realize that one of the most crucial, tangible concepts I have studied in the program is the significance of assessment. Assessment, which one may define as the comprehensive collection and interpretation of data and evaluation, is a key aspect in assuring continued success in any type of programming. What I have began to realize as I started my second year in my assistantship is that the work we do in higher education can seem repetitive; we do the same programming every year but with a new set of students. In order to ensure growth and quality, it is important to assess progress of student support services in a comprehensive way. Measuring effectiveness comprehensively helps to enhance a program from year to year. The practice of quality assessment in higher education differs from institution to institution and organization to organization. Another reason why we evaluate our programs is to examine the level of congruence that exists between the program and the institution/organization purpose. Accreditation is another purpose of assessment. Institutions appreciate recognition and evaluating programs is not only a way of discovering weaknesses, but also it highlights strengths in a program. The idea of evaluation was mentioned during each semester in the program. It is important to continuously review programs so that as a professional, we are keeping up-to-date with the current student population. Assessing overall student learning, as well as documenting and evaluating learning experiences is essential in achieving comprehensive college learning outcomes. As I begin my job search, I plan to utilize these themes a basis of who I have grown to become. Remaining student-centered and true to my style of leadership is important to me as a professional. What sets Kent State University HIED students apart from others is the amount of theory to practice experience we can offer after completing the program. I know that there is always room to grow as a professional, particularly when serving different groups of students each year. I plan to continue my learning through practice and readings as I progress as a professional.