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Narrative Description
Becca Van Drimmelen
Portfolio Spring 2015
Seattle University

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Content
As my time in the Student Development Administration program draws to a close, there
are three courses that really stand out to me as being academically strong, engaging and
impactful on the way I learn and think as a young professional now. These courses are: SDAD
5850: Higher Education Finance, EDUC 5200: Social Justice (with Anthony Longoria) and
SDAD: 5960 Independent Study: Transfer Student Experiences. Higher Education Finance
allowed me to grapple with a topic that I had not previously engaged with in a productive and
enlightening way. Kurt Buttlemans contribution to this course was very invaluable. Anthony
Longoria made my Social Justice course what it was. His commitment to engaging with hard
topics while also creating a safe space for us to grow as individuals inspired me to continue to
engage with this topic outside of coursework. Lastly, my independent study allowed me to
engage with a topic that is personally important to me and that I am very passionate about.
Having this option was crucial to the experience that I wanted to have in the SDA program. I
could not have done it without the one and only, Erin Swezey, either.
Personal Growth
The greatest area of personal growth for me in this program has been my confidence. I
am so much better at articulating my thoughts and confidently addressing my peers and
colleagues. As a result of this program, I have become a much more direct communicator inside
and outside of the classroom. I have also been able to engage with concepts such as
multicultural competence in a productive way that has left me wanting to learn and do more
around issues of social justice and inclusion. Lastly, I have discovered what functional areas
interest me and give me life. I am able to articulate a direction for my career and the steps I need

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to take in order to achieve my goals. I know I have a strong community of peers and colleagues
from the SDA program that I can always call on when my goals become murky as well.
Internship
My internships have been some of the best experiences I have had while in the SDA
program. My first internship was with Career Services at Seattle University doing one-on-one
career advising and facilitating career related workshops. During this internship I learned how to
have meaningful conversations with students, how to create engaging workshops, and further
developed my professional identity as an advisor. I also found a passion for career advising that
I did not know I had and learned how to incorporate career advising in an academic advising
setting as well as a career services setting.
My second internship was with Academic Advising at Bellevue College doing one-onone academic advising, helping to develop a first time to college group advising and registration
session, and working on first year experience course curriculum. During this internship I found
my passion for academic advising, further developed my one-on-one conversation skills, and
learned to work in the community college setting. I found that I really enjoy working with
transfer students and helping students to navigate through the higher educational systems. This
internship also led to a full time position for me at Bellevue College in Academic Advising.
Graduate Assistantship
My graduate assistantship was with the Department of Commuter and Transfer Student
Life at Seattle University. This assistantship allowed me to work with new student populations
such as commuter students, as well as allowed me to engage with interdepartmental committees
to further engage our students in the life of the university. Through this assistantship the most

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important thing that I feel I have learned is how to advocate for student populations that are often
not the first ones thought of when universities and colleges are planning events or programs.
This has helped me to learn how to communicate in a kind but direct way and how to bring
student issues to the front of my conversations as a professional.
Future
As a result of the SDA program, I know now that I wish to continue to work in the field
of academic advising and that my passions for access and equity in higher education draw me to
do this in the community college setting. I am also much more confident in my skills in having
meaningful and engaging conversations with students about their lives and their education. I am
committed to integrating my knowledge of issues of social justice and inclusion into my future
work as an academic advisor as well.
Critique of the Program
1.

SDAD 5850 Higher Education Finance should be a required course. There is no Student
Affairs professional that does not in some capacity deal with a budget and the concerns
around finance in higher education.

2. Whoever teaches the Winter Capstone course for the SDA program needs to also be the
Faculty Reviewer for the winter students portfolios. Getting feedback on the portfolio
process is a key part of the Capstone course and this is missing if the person teaching the
course is not involved in the portfolio process for these students.
3. EDUC 5130: Multicultural Perspectives and EDUC 5200: Social Justice need to build on
each other or both should not be required. They are the same course at this point in time.

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4. Offering more elective options that are SDAD courses would strengthen the program and
allow students to take electives directly related to their program of study.
Jesuit Education
Coming into the SDA program at SU, I had no idea the impact that the Jesuit part of the
education at SU would impact me so much as an individual and a professional. The concepts of
holistic engagement of students and care of the whole person have very much informed the kind
of Student Affairs professional that I now want to go out into the world and become. I am
committed to carrying these concepts into my conversations with students and my relationships
with my colleagues moving forward.