Professional Praxis
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My professional praxis in student affairs and higher education is built around the foundation of the Higher Education Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) graduate program at Buffalo State University, “The HESAA program prepares professionals who are socially just, authentic, reflective and collaborative, who will transform systems of higher education for greater student success.” (Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, M.S. | SUNY Buffalo State University (2025) My praxis in higher education is to use my knowledge and skills to better students that I work with and to nurture their personal and academic growth as they choose careers and eventually contribute to their communities.
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Learning about social justice has helped me understand that my education will continue. Our rapidly changing world demands that higher education professionals pay attention to current events and emergent issues that affect the people they are trying to help. I bring a unique viewpoint to social justice because my positionalities are multi-faceted. I am a cis-gendered White female of Hispanic origins. My Indigenous roots, discovered by DNA testing, were buried in what I am guessing to be an effort to fit in with the majority culture (White). I am also a non-traditional student who has a disability that is not readily visible. My varied identities provide multiple lenses through which to view and understand students as academic programs and policies impact them during their post-secondary education.
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As an older student, I know the importance of authenticity. Over the years, I have worked to become more comfortable with being myself. That process is ongoing, much like understanding social justice and its impact. I never thought I would have so many breakthroughs at this late stage. I attribute a significant portion of what I learned in the HESAA program and the influence of my classmates and instructors to helping me gain a deeper understanding of myself. Turning up the volume on my authenticity has better prepared me for my next adventure.
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Reflectiveness is an integral element of the HESAA program, and it has fit well into my need to look back not only on courses in this program but also on past educational opportunities and life experiences, allowing me to appreciate and understand my journey. I believe this awareness will enable me to engage more effectively with those I work with and help them know that what they are working toward is more than just the outcome. The journey itself is valuable.
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Collaboration is another vital part of our program, and it carries over into my work and personal life. Through 30 years of work, I have taken pride in connecting people to fulfill their needs. I am naturally curious and want to learn about people’s stories. That helps me understand their talents, aspirations, and future goals. This knowledge enables me to facilitate introductions between those with common interests, which often dovetail into each other and provide opportunities they might not have otherwise had.
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A professional praxis in higher education and student affairs involves demonstrating how theories intersect with our beliefs and aspirations and translating them into action. Our program applies to other career paths that may or may not fall under formal education, such as vocational programs that partner with higher education institutions and target underserved populations or nonprofit organizations focused on social issues. I believe the education earned through the HESAA program at Buffalo State University provides its graduates with the ability to pivot into
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My praxis is grounded in my conviction that higher education is transformative and holistic. Students participate in post-secondary education to study a career field, but their education does not happen in a vacuum. When students participate in extracurricular activities, they learn, and often, what they discover is unrelated to a job. Participating in clubs and other organizations can alter career paths or introduce students to activities they were unaware of or had only guessed they might enjoy. Activities can help students navigate social situations and meet people outside their major. My praxis aligns with Kolb’s experiential learning theory, which emphasizes learning through hands-on experience and acknowledges that learners have several different styles, and those styles are connected to a learning cycle. Kolb’s theory sees the cycle as an integrative process with effective learning through experience, reflection, thinking, and action. (Cloke, 2023). Kolb’s theory looks for student transformation in the learning process. According to Gardner, transformative learning emphasizes "learning through action, reflection, useable knowledge, and individual and community learning and development" (Kline, 2013). I believe that transformative learning addresses the individual's ability to take control of what they are offered or waht thy seek out on their own and make it their own to enhance their own abilities and contribute to the greater good.
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Higher education offers a chance to experiment safely and explore possibilities while pursuing a degree. I am committed to encouraging students’ autonomy and providing access to various experiences outside the classroom. This commitment is rooted in Astin’s Involvement Theory, which asserts that the quality and quantity of student involvement are crucial while also noting that the effectiveness of academic programs and policies is based on the ability of those elements to increase student involvement (Astin, 1984).
My praxis aims to view students through the lens of current social justice issues while helping them get to know themselves and encouraging exploration and involvement in college experiences that will be foundational to their growth in various roles in life.
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References
Astin, A. (1984). Student Involvement: A Development Theory for Higher Education. Journal of College Student Development, 40, 518–529
Cloke, H. (2023, June 2).
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What Is Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory? Growth Engineering. https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/kolb-experiential-learning-theory/
Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, M.S. | SUNY Buffalo State University. (2025). Buffalostate.edu. https://suny.buffalostate.edu/programs/bpid/30
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Kline, K. A. (Ed.). (2013). Reflection in action : A guidebook for student affairs professionals and teaching faculty. Taylor & Francis Group.
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