In my practicum experience, I was a Student Affairs Trainee at the Office of Student Affairs at Thompson Rivers University, where I worked for ten weeks, including cases of academic dishonesty, misconduct review, and mental health and immigration resources, as well as the overall well-being of students. I began as an observer and provided assistance, but as I became increasingly at ease, I was writing up decisions, handling cases on my own, and even making it to high-level committees. The experience allowed me to witness the functioning of human rights and principles of social justice in a university environment and how it aids us in being on the right path of fairness, empathy, and due process.
Another thing that I learned is that some students do not know what resources may be available to them, and much should be done to make information more accessible. This experience helped me learn the value of empathy and professionalism, proper communication, and trust in working with sensitive issues and has also given me the confidence and skills in ethical decision-making and intercultural communication as well as the motivation to use in a career in the area of student advocacy/human rights/community support where I can continue to help people feel supported and heard.
I served as a student advisor agent in the campus support center, my practicum site, where I consulted students in the presence of a team member, coordinated resources, and mediated between students and other units on campus. All this semester has been about theory in practice and how policy, advocacy, and ethical leadership do present themselves in the daily grind. By doing this I knew the extent to which I would love to assist all students; even the most mundane interactions can reverse the script between empowered and disempowered. Due to that, I have improved skills in case management, intercultural communication, and trauma-informed care. Assuming the various roles in us, I believe that we are able to make a positive mark on other students whose lives we will touch.