Running head: FINDING MY PURPOSE

Finding my Purpose

Kristina Davila

Northern Arizona University

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FINDING MY PURPOSE

Finding my Purpose

Education has been a shaping force throughout my life. Growing up my parents expected

academic excellence. It was not until later that I realized this was the result of neither of my

parents attending college and both understanding the disadvantage not having a degree created

for them in their professional endeavors. When it came time for me to graduate high school there

wasn’t a question, I was going to be the first in my family to attend college, I just had to choose

one. Looking back, this is the reason I chose student affairs. I value the complexity of the field

and understand the impact I can have on so many students. My choice to attend Marquette

University for my undergraduate degree has shaped the woman, young professional, and student

I am today.

I toured five schools in total and after four of the tours I had it down to the University of

California Berkley and the University of Iowa. There was one school remaining to tour, but I had

fallen in love with The University of California Berkley- and yet my mother wanted to tour them

all, so we drove the two hours to Milwaukee Wisconsin. I will be forever grateful for my mother

pushing me to attend every tour because within 10 minutes on campus, I knew without a shadow

of a doubt that Marquette would be where I attended. The campus recreation centers were all

very different, Marquette having the oldest and least shiny one, the libraries were all nice,

Marquette’s being open the fewest hours during the year, and all three school had some sort of

safety light for walking home at night, Marquette being in the most dangerous area of the three.

So why did Marquette, having seemingly lost on all accounts that I thought was important steal

my heart? The people. The first 10 minutes I spent on campus I interacted with students helping

us find our way, faculty who wanted to meet me and answer questions, and our fabulous tour

guide who went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable and all my questions were

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FINDING MY PURPOSE

answered. The people, not the buildings are why I choose Marquette and why I continue to

pursue a career in student affairs.

As a first generation college student, I had to overcome many difficulties such as taking

financial responsibility to put myself through college. I did not know what FAFSA was, I had no

idea how to apply for a loan, I did not have a credit score yet, and I had no financial support from

family. My sophomore year I ended up crying in the waiting room of the financial aid office

because I did not realize that some of my financial aid package was only for freshman year, and

now I had to take out an even larger loan to cover my second year. During my four years at

Marquette I learned about financial aid, government assistance, scholarships, and how they all go

together like a perfectly choreographed dance. I learned about hard and soft deadlines, where to

go to get support, and how much effort it takes to succeed when you have little support backing

you. I want to be able to help every student achieve success in college. I want to give back to

those who gave so much to me and help out the next confused student who is a day or two away

from giving up and leaving the institution. I want to be able to provide support, education, and

resources to every student and be a positive reminder that they can achieve their dreams despite

obstacles just as I did.

Father Pedro Arrupe said this, “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination,

will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do

with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what

breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in Love, stay in love, and it

will decide everything.” Student affairs is what I fell in love with and every day this passion

grows deeper. Being able to positively impact thousands of emerging adults every year, every

day is what inspires me to seek a professional career in this field. Every morning I wake up and

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get to explore what my day will look like. I might be a mentor, an advocate, an advisor, a

supervisor, a student, or all of the above. I might explain financial aid or just point to where the

building is on the map. I might change a student’s day or they might change mine. I am

personally motivated and driven by the vast and lasting impact we can have on a student’s life.

Student affairs at its core is a wide-range of services and resources dedicated to serving all

students, faculty, and staff. These resources and services fosters positive student outcomes and

supports students in reaching their full potential and achieving their dreams. As student affairs

professionals we are a part of every student’s story, we get to help them write their narrative on

who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there.

One of my mentors, the director of residence life at Marquette University, Mary Janz

said, “It’s not staff affairs or university affairs. It’s student affairs.” Don’t forget the why. Don’t

lose sight of the impact we can have. Don’t forget that at the core, the students, the people are

who matter. Student affairs understands that education does not only happen in the classroom

and that students are writing their own story and defining who they are at all points, regardless of

the setting. Student affairs holistically supports students inside and outside of the classroom. At

Marquette we value “Cura Personalis,” or to care for the whole person. I strive to embody this

holistic view of development, support, and challenge while at work and in my personal life. I

want to see the whole picture, the whole student and help them achieve the dreams and goals

they have set for themselves while defining who they are. I want to challenge, support, advocate,

fight for, and care for every student that I can in attempt of helping them along their journey.

I choose student affairs because I love what I do, I am excited and enthralled by the

chance to support one student, and then hopefully another. I believe in the starfish story, that one

person can truly make an impact and that it may seem small, but to one person it may be

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everything. Mary Janz was that impact for me. Mary Janz and the amazing people at Marquette

encouraged me to define and explore myself. They challenged and supported me and in this

effort have had a lasting impact on the individual I have grown to be. I chose Marquette because

of student affairs, I chose Marquette because of the impact on my life those individuals had in

the ten minutes I was on campus. It is now my time to give back and help another student find

their school, find themselves, and create their narrative.

Looking ahead in my career, I hope to work for career advising, housing, or victim witness for

students. I have worked as a victim witness advocate for a year and a half and was amazed by the

stories I heard and the lives that touched mine. My caution for victim witness would be burnout

because it is such a heavy area to take in and process so I believe that it might be a shorter career

option. In opposition, a long term career goal for me is career advising. I thoroughly enjoy

walking students through career options, working on resumes, and talking about the importance

of falling in love everyday with what you choose to do. I believe that when I graduate I will first

continue in housing for some time as a hall director and then hopefully a coordinator before

possibly moving on to career advising. This is one of the amazing things about student affairs,

how vast and diverse it is. In any of the three roles listed above I know that I would work to do

my best to have a positive impact on a student’s life, to help them create their narrative, and to

hopefully leave a lasting impact like my mentors have left on me. I am truly blessed to be able to

call student affairs the career that I have fallen in love with. I am honored to be a part of a

student’s story, and I know that I will work tirelessly to help each and every student before they

come to college, during their time here, and beyond. This is my purpose; this is my why for

student affairs

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