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Running head: NARRATIVE REFLECTION 1

Francis Tyler McLoughlin

Narrative Reflection

Loyola University Chicago


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Welcome to the e-portfolio for Francis Tyler Mcloughlin, Master of Education Candidate

2017 from Loyola University Chicago (LUC) in Higher Education. This narrative reflection will

explore my experience within the program, how I have personally developed, memoirs from my

graduate assistantships and internships and will end with a reflection on my personal philosophy

within social justice education.

When researching graduate programs for higher education and student affairs, I came

across LUC. Of course, I instantly became intrigued with the multitude of assistantships at LUC

and neighboring institutions, the free application and the non-Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

requirement. However, one phrase which stood out was Social Justice, and how I was to

incorporate this into my letter of intent. This was a new concept in my vocabulary and served as

my first area of development within the program. While sitting in Dr. Bridget Kellys

Multiculturalism class, this served first moment where I could mentally construct who I was as a

person and the identities I held The weeks focused on the different isms existing and

perpetuated within higher education systems. For this narrative, I will focus on two identities of

mine that became salient within this program.

Community within Chicago, LUC and the Higher Education Program allowed me to

reflect on my identity as a gay man. While developing this community for the first time, I

became knowledgeable on oppression, and how to further support those who hold the same

identity. However, as a white gay man, I was able to hear narratives from my classmates,

research theoretical foundations and reflect on my upbringing within an overwhelmingly white

neighborhood, school district and a higher education system. This was truly the first instance of

my conceptualization within my whiteness, privilege and power. Most importantly, I also


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learned how we must use our privilege to educate, support and tackle systematic forces of

oppression.

Leadership, with Dr. John Dugan allowed me to develop my personal philosophy within

this concept. Before attending LUC, I was the student who was heavily involved at Coastal

Carolina University (CCU). As the student-face of University Housing and Student Affairs, I

obtained these tangibles without understanding their importance. Please look at the video

attached What Is a Leader? defined with narratives from Survivor, Rupauls Drag Race,

Britney Spears and more!

Reflecting on my story, I am quite proud of myself for having the opportunity to develop

this reflection. See, at CCU I started off on the wrong note, one can say. After almost failing out

of undergrad and finishing with a grade point average (gpa) of below a 1.0 after my first year, I

find myself sitting here reflecting on the person I became after CCU and LUC. Aside from

recognizing the salience of my own identities and developing my understanding of leadership,

this program helped me conceptualize my own efficacy. In just a few short weeks I will obtain

my Masters Degree. I cannot say (yet) that I did it, but I am almost there! This program has

allowed me to stumble, succeed and navigate the not so smooth road that is higher education.

What I learned about myself is that I possess the efficacy to change this world. Before entering

this program, I would often say I just want to be a resident director. Today, maybe I still want

to be a resident director or a program coordinator. However, I want to be in these positions so I

can provide experiences for students, promote self-efficacy and guide the future leaders of this

world to make it a better place.

I have had the pleasure of serving in a variety of roles in my graduate school experience.

I started as a Student Living Assistant in the International House. This was my first experience,
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and provided me with opportunities within residence education and housing operations. Being

on a three person gradate staff team within International Programs at Loyola, I learned the

importance of delegation and communication to insure the success of the department. As the

Graduate Intern for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and plus

(LGBTQIA+) initiatives, I was able to serve within the Q-Team to develop our one day, student

led summit at LUC. In this internship, I started to construct my advising philosophy as I advised

our student leadership committee. In this role, I developed applications and learned recruitment

techniques as it pertains to the interestedness and inclusiveness of a committee representing the

entirety of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

As a Graduate Assistant with New Student and Transition Programs at the Hispanic

Serving Institution (HSI) Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), I was able to assist in the

development of orientation sessions at the central and satellite campuses. This was my first

opportunity supervising undergraduate student leaders. In this role, I began to develop my

relational-building philosophy within supervision, and how to yield each one to the experience

the students were looking to gain. For example, Hema and Nimrah were two of my student

leaders who identified as first generation and first year students. Both of them shared their

discomfort with public speaking and the nervousness they encountered. Our developmental

interactions pertained to helping them develop the efficacy to overcome their fears. By the end

of my assistantship, Hema and Nimrah were both presenting in front of crowds with 200+

people. Oscar, a graduating fourth year student, is looking to go into higher education. Our

interactions focused on graduate school searches and resume and cover letter editing.

More recently as a Graduate Intern with Medill, School of Journalism, Intergraded

Marketing Communications and Media at Northwestern University, I assisted with International


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Student Support, Orientation and Diversity Initiatives. This internship allowed me to reflect on

what institutional diversity looks like in higher education. I was able to attend multiple diversity

sessions within Medill and had the opportunity to process with LUC Alum Kristen Reid-

Salomon. We would discuss the idea of attending a diversity in media session yet all the

presenters were white, straight identifying men. I also assisted with the development the peer

mentor program for incoming students with Medill mentors for the Master of Journalism

program for Fall 2016. This included paring individuals based on application preferences as well

as providing opportunities for meet ups. This opportunity gave me tangible experiences within

the development of pilot programs, and furthered my experiences within social justice education.

My current experience is as the Graduate Hall Coordinator at Roosevelt University (RU)

in Housing and Community Standards. Aside from my tangible opportunities within supervision

of student staff, chairing search committees for future graduate assistants/interns and

productivity within office management, RU allowed me to experience change within an

organization. One of the hardest moments as a professional in this field I will ever experience

was the death of my colleague, fellow LUC student and friend Catalina Hooser. This was a

sudden shock to our team which continues to influence our emotions and the work we

accomplish. As the semester went continued and ended, three out of the five reaming staff

members were terminated due to budget constraints. RU has allowed me to support students as a

person, during a time of crises. I also recognized the importance of taking on additional

responsibilities to insure the success of our staff and residents. During this year, I was reminded

of why I wanted to serve in higher education. It for the students I serve, learn from and the

relationships we construct together. I continuously encourage our student leaders to remember


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why they became involved with the department, as it was for each other and the residents we

serve.

Diversity practitioners do not simply work at institutions, they also work on them

(Ahmed, 2012, p. 22). As a practitioner within higher education and student affairs, I will

continue to engage myself within the diverse viewpoints within my environment. To continue to

keep up with the changing demographic of students and staff, I will continue engage in dialogue

and learn from peoples various stories, and who they are as a person. I define social justice as

equity, being able to meet people where they are at in terms of their meaning and lived

experiences. Dr. Kelly shared if you give everyone a size nine shoe, thats nice but not everyone

has a size nine foot. As I continue within higher education and student affairs, I will use this idea

in providing experiences and insuring inclusivity on my campus.


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References:

Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity institutional life. Durham, NC: Duke

University Press. [chapter 1]

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