Professional+Portfolio

CNDV Test and Measurements

Test and measurements was an exciting class. As a Coordinator of Career Services studying to be counseling professional in Career Services, it was fascinating. The most utilized assessments for me in this course were the Strong Interest Inventory, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Discover. These are the assessment tools career counseling professionals at Lamar University use. It was because of this course I understood the importance of being certified to administer such tools. When I became Director of the Career and testing Center I began to send the counseling professionals of the center to obtain their certifications. This was a great effort and one that was respected not only by our professional colleagues, but that of personal achievement for us all. At the Career and Testing Center we administer the Discover to freshman and sophomores and the MBTI with Career Report to Junior Seniors and graduate students as a common practice. Due to the cost of the MBTI we carefully evaluate the need for the assessment before administering the assessment to an entire class. This course allowed for me to use these assessments, especially the MBTI throughout my studies in Supervision.



CNDV 5320 - Cross Cultural Counseling

This course allowed for me to look at notations that addressed the tone or concerns I had going into not just higher education, but that of Career Counseling as well. It does not matter what title you hold, but your leadership style for your administrative role. Counseling comes into factor even on an administrative role. That is why I am very proud of my Master Degree in Educational Leadership. I was able to study both. Many, many time during my role as Director I have used my Counseling studies with both my role as a Career Service and Testing Professional and that as a Manager. This course let me see through the eyes of other cultures and to make myself aware of the fact that the world looks and functions differently as individuals of other cultures. My research took me into the world of African Americans. I was able to research the origin of this race and learn the culture from which it exists. The evolution of this race is astounding. I feel this course has allowed me to set back and reexamine how I will handle and my role as an educator as well as an administrator in a different way. A way that is more sensitive to the uniqueness of each individual.



CNDV 5323 - Career Development Counseling

When I first began this course I thought it was going to be easy, after all this is my profession. What I found was that in many ways I had to assist the professor is educating the class on the importance of Career Counseling even though many of the students were studying to be Certified School Counselors. Like me, many educators that seek a career path in public education have a pretty good idea of where they want to teach and what they need to get there. Therefore, many education majors do not use a career center and therefore, do not know what one is. The Career Counseling for many was the ability to design a “Go” center on their high school or middle school campus vs. the professional side of Career Counseling. This opened my eyes that in many ways Career Counselors have a very diverse client and role of responsibility that spills over into the role of a manager. I must say I felt very much rewarded that this course challenged me and I learned so much from the others in my class. A new found appreciation was achieved and a look at my role in a new and exciting way.



[|www.lamar.edu/careerandtestingcenter]

EDLD 5311 - Fundamentals of Leadership This was my most difficult class because I feel my group really took our assignments very seriously. The course was to have us look are our individual role as a leader, our goal as an administrator and to create a unique community outreach project that could be implemented from the report. I truly feel our group did just that. My group consisted of 3 aspiring principals and myself. To say our group worked on individual dynamics would be putting it lightly. But, we survived and in the end we each came out to better prepare as leaders. There were many times we faced projects in our groups. We were able to look at: who had power, authority, influence, who was participating and who was not, who was not included, how did draw the silent educators out, was there confrontation, conflict, consensus, agreement, hurt feeling. Well, this was the course were my group experienced ALL of the above. I had never been in a group project were there was so much drama and dynamics. I do believe we grew closer and had a better appreciation for the individual learner and how everyone impacts a group and the outcome of the project/goal. As I looked back on each of the assignments I am able to recall how each group member and that of the class relationships are vital to a project’s success. In the end the goal is not your individual glory it is how have your efforts contributed to the success of a service or policy that will benefit the success of the student. I can attest that each of us kept that in front of us and lead us through this intense journey.



EDLD 5345 - Human Resource Development This course gave me a true insight of the research that is conducted in the world of higher education and how that is applied in various leadership roles. This course consisted of all principals but as a professional in higher education I was able to see the correlation between educational leadership and the standards set forth for student learning outcomes for both public education at the primary, secondary and higher education campuses. There is really not that much different, but that FERPA is a in many ways an additional resource to those professionals in Higher Ed, were as in the primary and secondary campuses this resource is not there. BUSI 5320 - Negotiation: Leadership ADR & Organizatioal Change "Issues that puzzle you" This is a statement that is perfect for this course. The art of negotiation is one that memorizes many. In 2006 I became the Director of Career Services for Lamar University and I did not realize that there was true a science to negotiation. I recalled many accounts during this period leading up until now that a course I went into unsure of its benefit, became one of my beneficial courses. I have been able to look at this effort differently and reflect back on what did I do wrong in my past efforts. I was always able to recall the times of frustration and see them as a period where there was a power higher than my effort that would not let the negotiation strategy win. I did not have a chance for I did not have the power of the situation. As frustrating as that is I was able to learn it is less about power and more about capitalizing on opportunity when it presents itself. I have reproached lost efforts of negotiations and given currently measures of opportunity it seems as if some roles are now reversed. In all the benefit is for the students that the efforts are being made. For that reason I will continue to perfect the art of negotiation for it is not wither one wins or loses, but how they present opportunity for success that one achieves success.