Kelsey Nerland

Foundations of Student Affairs

Jeremy Stringer
November 12, 2014
Competency Analysis
As I was filling out the assessment form, I realized that I am really
lacking in some areas of my Student Affairs professional career. While I may
have felt more confident in some areas than others, I realized I have a lot of
growing to do. Taking note of these competencies made me realize how I can
do a better job about being more intentional about seeking out opportunities
to learn about those competencies on campus.
Strengths:
I realized one of my strengths was advising and helping. I think I have
had a lot of experience developing my knowledge and skills for how to
counsel, mentor, and listen to people. I believe I am good at asking
individuals questions that cause their own reflection; and I am good at
giving intentional feedback, direction, and critique.
I believe I am very skilled in the leadership aspect of competency. I
have grown up as a leader, and I have learned how to develop others
into leaders. Leadership development is something I am very
passionate about. One of my strengths is maximizer, and I love
maximizing peoples potential. I believe that everyone can be a leader,
and want to cultivate that within each individual. I love working with
individuals to develop goals, dreams, and plans to put into effect. I love
working with dreamers and helping their dreams become a reality.
I believe I have a deep-rooted understanding for ethical professional
practices, as well as philosophies and values. I believe I am good at
reminding myself and others about those competencies and how to
apply them to daily life situations. I am rooted in values, and want to
be consistent. I am working on how to articulate my values and
philosophies with others and how to be ethical while doing so.
Areas For Improvement:
I need a lot of help in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion. I think
Im good at giving resources to individuals who want to seek out
wisdom through different departments on campus; however, Im not
skilled at articulating my understanding of social justice and the role of
higher education. I need to be more confident in articulating and
addressing my awareness and cultural awareness.
I have some experience with undergraduate research; however, I have
no experience with assessment. I am very interested in developing
learning outcomes and evaluating research; however, Im not exactly
sure how to do that if Im getting my M.Ed.

I am extremely interested in law, policy, and governance; however, I

have no experience knowing background knowledge of the laws and
policies in higher education. I want to develop a personal way to be
able to articulate my knowledge and understanding of the contexts of
those laws.