Hi! My name is Nora Rosales Soto and I would like to personally welcome you to my Summer NUFP Experience Blog!

A little about me:

• I was born in Guatemala
• I’m from Hawthorne, California – right by the LAX Airport
• I attend the University of California, Santa Barbara Class of 2017! Here is a video of my campus so you can see it!
• I have 3 older siblings and with them come 6 nieces and nephews!
• My mom and dad are the biggest support system I could ever ask for.
• I love adventure!

I am From Poem

Why Student Affairs:

I went to very different high school where our motto was “we do things differently.” They basically tried fighting everything that they saw wrong with public education. That is when I began to notice the difference in class, race and other identities in correlation with graduation rates. So high school me thought that I could help that by becoming a high school counselor and motivate students to attend a higher education institution. My high school also always said that they did not just want to get us to college, but through college. I never really understand that until I got to UC Santa Barbara.

Once at UCSB, I realized that getting a degree was a lot tougher than just simply getting accept and submitting a Student Intent to Register. During my first and second year I became of aware of drop out rates. Also, the majority of students that were dropping out were people of color. Therefore, I decided to get involved in various departments that supported the first-years in their transition to a higher education institution. I became a Resident Assistant for 2 years and served as an Orientation Staff Leader. This is when I heard about the NASPA Undergraduate Fellow Program (NUFP) and that I could learn about different careers that support students in higher education. NUFP has allowed to explore the field and become more passionate about supporting all students. My goal has now changed from just getting students through college to creating a campus community where every member is able to find their best self and learn from one another narratives. All while thriving academically.

Jump to: Curricula Reflections

Reflection: 

When wrapping up my last meeting with Amanda, my supervisor at the Career Center, she asked me what would go on my resume for this experience both for the career center and the experience in general. So we came up with a very rough draft of these bullet points:

• Shadowed drop in hours for career counseling
• Develop written and verbal communication skills through sample documents on Career Center’s website
• Marketing through social media for a specific target audience
• Understand mission and role of the Division of Student Affairs at UVM as well as the Dean of Students Office
• Foster my own professionally and personally while acquiring breath and knowledge in student affairs and student development
• Asses resources provided for mentors in the NUFP program and develop more up to date content
• Provide innovative training material for The Summer Enrichment Program Scholars Program Peer Advisor training
• Adapt to new environments, creating new connections with other NUFP and Staff

Yeah these all look great on a resume and they really are valuable skills that I learned during this internship, but it was so much more than that.

The real question is how then, do I really portray what I learned. It was more than just the skills, but it was the human connections that made this internship what it was. It was that we went to the VP’s house and she put the Elote on fire or that a faculty member could hang out with us until 12:30am playing push or spades or cheating by texting his partner. That is really the value in this internship.

I am proud to say that I am not the same person I am when I came to the University of Vermont. I think I am little stronger. It would be stronger in three big areas:

1. Stronger candidate for graduate school because of all the connections I made. I can get my resume reviewed by people who work at career services. My personal statement reviewed by actual faculty that oversee admissions. My interview skills for assistantships by someone who oversees assistantships for one of the top programs in the nation. So by taking advantages of these resources makes me a better candidate for any graduate program because I have the privilege of walking in with so much knowledge.
2. Stronger Future Student Affairs Professional  because of the incredible network that I have built. I know that you don’t always have to be the best because the people that surround you genuinely care. I learned about understanding where you want to work. Dr. Johnson talked to us values and how your own personal ones should align to where you work and choose school. She helped us discover the values that we would not change and the values that we are willing to let loose.
3. Stronger, more aware version of myself. Vermont is different, very different. So coming into a new space I had to learn a lot about myself where not everyone looked like me. I had to learn and think about how I navigate spaces, what I need to feel supported and heard at an institution that is not necessarily meant to serve me. I had to work through some identities that had never been as prevalent to me as they were during the first day I step foot on this campus. This for me, really connected to how I want to serve students, because more than ever I learned about identities that are not seen, but are more prevalent to me than ever. I found the connections I trusted to share those identities with and then how do I become that person for students? How do I make sure that everything I do is inclusive to identities that are seen, but mostly to those that are not and to treat everyone knowing that there are always things I might not know.
4. Lastly stronger, because I can bench press more.

So looking ahead what comes next? Graduate school and eventually I would love to become a Dean of Students and as Dr. Kanagala says, get a PhD.

“We do not become leaders when we accept a title or a rank. We become leaders when we accept the responsibility for the well being of others” – Simon Senik

This is what I am choosing to do with my future self.

Shout Outs!

Just one more thing. I would like to thank all the incredible staff and people that I have been able to interact with during the past seven weeks. Thank you for allowing me to figure out where I fit in the profession and how to navigate my own identity. Thank you for being your authentic selfs and showing us the amazing parts of UVM, but also the parts that are not so great. The parts you struggle with and that you think still need a place for growth.

Special thanks to Josue Quiles and Marquis Williams!

Thanks for sharing this experience with me and allowing me to get to know more of you. For spotting me at the gym and not letting lower my weights because I was being lazy. Most of all thanks for being my support system for the past seven weeks. You two are amazing and it has truly been such an honor to get to know you. Lots of love and respect for you both! My experience would not have been as great if it were not for both of you. So from the bottom of my heart thanks for being you and giving all of yourself to this internship. Know that you have a home in California or wherever I end up.

Also, as this picture shows, I was always the funny one.