G O A L
S T A T E M E N T
Kari D. Schueller
For the immediate future I would like to attend graduate school and further my
education within the realm of Educational Administration. Living and working in the
field of Student Affairs has solidified my strong belief that learning happens when
academics and the “college experience” conjoin. That, in fact, Student Affairs
practitioners are educators as well. Considering that, my short term and long term
career objectives are directly bonded to my educational goals. More than just the next
logical step, attending and entrenching myself within a graduate school program is
what I need both personally and professionally to enhance my own development in the
field in which I thrive. In the next three years, while working at Alma College, I will
aim to simply be an excellent Hall Director, to get involved on faculty and
administrative committees and utilize my education when striving to understand
resident relations. I would also like to become a part of professional organizations,
committees, and start presenting at conferences thus, gaining valuable professional
experiences. Further down the road educationally, I hope to also dedicate myself to a
doctorial program and obtain a doctorate degree. Professionally, I hope to be involved
in another aspect of Student Affairs other than Residence Life. While working towards
my doctorate degree, I would like to work at a Women’s Center, a Career Services
Center, a Multicultural Center, etc. Fundamentally, I know that I will always desire to
work in and around a college campus, where learning happens, where people engage
one another in serious thought about serious issues, and where excitement and
enthusiasm about education is vastly apparent. In that way, I feel that my education
and career goals will always be intrinsically intertwined. Even after I achieve my
doctorate degree I will still be a learning citizen.
My own undergraduate education has greatly prepared me for the awesome task
of obtaining my educational and professional goals. My study of philosophy has
instilled in me the critical importance of theory, while my work in Liberal Studies has
given me innumerable experiences to put theory to practice. My passion for my work
as a Hall Director has stemmed directly from my 2 ½ years of RA experience at Grand
Valley State University. Additionally, my work at the GVSU Women’s Center, Student
Senate, and various faculty committees allowed me to experience and interact with both
the student body and the faculty at GVSU. Though my education, extra-curricular
activities and student leadership positions were remarkable developmental experiences,
it was through mentorship at Grand Valley that I first learned that the field of student
affairs existed. These mentors, both in Housing and Residence Life and outside of it,
taught me about the field and infused in me their excitement to live and work within it.
Both my immediate and long-term goals have been enhanced due to the fact that I have
many mentors who are interested in my career and who never miss a chance to let me
know of an opportunity, a conference, a presentation, a contact, etc. I find that every
week I learn of some new aspect of the field that I did not know about before, and this
is, quite simply, is enthralling to me.
The HALE program would not only contribute to my ability to achieve my career
and educational goals, it will actually enable me to define them more clearly. Goals are
not fixed marks and our ability to alter them only gives testament to how our current
circumstances change who we are and what we strive for. My undergraduate
experience taught me the inherent value of linking theory to practice and I will continue
to strive for a similar philosophy in a graduate program. Additionally, the ability to
create my own plan of study through elective course work and through areas of
specialization gives me the opportunity to cultivate worthy learning experiences from a
program that values experiential education conjoined with theoretical course work. The
strong emphasis the HALE program places upon the value of teaching and learning is
also another strong link between my personal educational philosophy and that of the
program. A product of a strong liberal education, I would someday like to give back
and become an academic educator myself. I feel that the HALE program can give me
both the practical and the theoretical experiences that I would need to thrive in this
field.
Additionally, being a Hall Director at Alma College, I have had the wonderful
opportunity to take two classes in the program as a Lifelong Education student. Taking
these classes has solidified my decision to apply to this program as I have been
thoroughly challenged by both the coursework and my classmates. I look forward to
more valuable learning experiences in the HALE program!