If you’re like most Calvin students, you cross paths with Student Affairs employees on a daily basis: Resident Directors, Student Life Deans, and Student Organizations Directors. But have you ever considered what these people who you live and work with were like when they were in your shoes? Or, would you ever consider having one of their jobs in the future? For those moments when students need some adult mentoring or guidance, multiple Calvin employees work full time to accommodate students’ needs, and on October 21, Calvin hosted a panel discussion for students who were considering just these sorts of careers.
Over cookies and drinks in a Hiemenga Hall classroom, a panel of four Calvin employees who work with student affairs shared insights and anecdotes with eight interested students. Throughout the meeting, the speakers echoed certain recurring themes. “I don’t think any of us grew up thinking, ‘I want to be a student affairs official,’” said Dana Hebreard, Calvin’s Associate Director of Academic Advising. Hebreard majored in Journalism and Communications and found herself at Calvin following a chain of events, while other staff members came from teaching, business, and legal backgrounds.
The panelists said that they had loved their undergraduate experiences. Ralph Johnson, Calvin’s Assistant Dean for Judicial Affairs, described himself during his undergraduate years at Grand Valley State University as the expert on student affairs. Later, when considering a change of career from the corporate world, Johnson said, “I asked myself, ‘Where was I happiest?’” That turned out to be the college scene, and Ralph said that he had found a “perfect fit” in student affairs.
When asked to describe the responsibilities of a student affairs employee, the panel gave a variety of responses. Resident Director Kyle Heys said that there was no such thing as a normal day. “It’s one-quarter building maintenance, one-quarter working with student leaders, one-quarter meeting with students, and one-quarter random things that come up,” he said.
Hebreard said, “It’s not a constant day-to-day similarity,” and described a range of obligations in her job, such as paperwork, taking calls from parents, collaborating with other offices, and meeting individually with students.
All of the panelists either hold advanced degrees or are currently working toward attaining one. However, they pointed out that these credentials aren’t essential for a Student Affarirs job at every school. For potentially interested students, the panelists advised that they find job options related to their interests, not get intimidated by the demands of the job, and always strive to keep learning and be attentive to God’s call.
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