Running head: COMPETENCY GOAL REVIEW

Competency Goal Review

Carol Smith

Montclair State University

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Competency Goal Review

As I reflect on my capstone experience, I am able to highlight several new professional

competencies that I have developed during this time. My project, which focuses on the Role of

Race and Spirituality in the Identity Development of Black Women College Students, has

afforded me the opportunity to work closely with this population of students at Montclair State

University. By introducing my support program, “She Speaks Truth”, to the Office of Equity and

Diversity, I was able to develop six outcomes across two competency areas that were necessary

for my success in my capstone project. These outcomes range from intermediate to advanced and

will be addressed in detail in the next section of this paper.

Outcomes Developed In Capstone Field Experience

The outcomes that I have developed as a result of my capstone experience, fall within the

Advising and Supporting, and the Student Learning and Development competency areas. The

Advising and Supporting competency, which “addresses the knowledge, skills, and dispositions

related to providing advising and support to individuals and groups through direction, feedback,

critique, referral, and guidance” is an area that I have developed intermediate outcomes (NASPA/

ACPA, 2015, p. 15). The first intermediate outcome includes my ability to “assess the

developmental needs of students and organizational needs of student groups” (NASPA/ACPA,

2015, p. 37). I will preface this outcome by stating that programming addressing the racial and

spiritual identity development of Black women students in higher education was limited. More

specifically, at the Office of Equity and Diversity, this kind of programming did not exist. Thus,

by inserting a program like “She Speaks Truth” into this space, I was able to address an

organization need as well as the needs of Black women students.

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The second outcome that I have developed under the Advising and Supporting

competency, is demonstrating “culturally inclusive advising support, coaching, and

counseling” (NASPA/ACPA, 2015, p.37). Serving as an advisor for the “She Speaks Truth”

program has not only been a rewarding experience, but has also allowed me to cultivate

meaningful relationships with the students who chose to participate. As their advisor, I facilitated

discussions that addressed their intersecting identities, as well as how trends in higher education

have effected these identities. The third outcome that I have developed under this competency

area, is the ability to “design programs and services to promote student learning and

development based on current research on student learning and development” (NASPA/ACPA,

2015, p.32). Similar to the previous outcomes, by establishing a program that filled the gaps in

research and programming at Montclair State University, “She Speaks Truth” provided Black

women students a new space to come together and learn about the broader implications of their

identities. The program, which utilizes the Black Feminist Thought framework (Hills-Collins,

2002), encourages these students to define themselves by interpreting their own experiences.

This learning objective is supported by my final outcome under the Advising and Supporting

competency, which is the ability to “justify using learning theory to create learning

opportunities” (NASPA/ACPA, 2015, p. 32).

The final outcome that I have developed during my capstone experience, can be found

under the Student Learning and Development competency area. In this area, I have developed the

ability to “translate theory to diverse audiences and use it effectively to enhance understanding of

the work of student affairs” (NASPA/ACPA, 2015, p. 32). Black women students from various

educational programs and levels, participated in the support program. Despite this diversity
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among attendees, students were able to garner a shared understanding of the material being

presented. This material included concepts such as the Black Feminist Thought framework,

Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1995), and more. The students who participated in the support

program expressed their understanding of the various frameworks by relating their life’s

experiences back to core concepts.

Competency for Future Career

The competency area that I have not been able to exclusively address in my capstone

experience, but know will be beneficial in my future career, is the Social Justice and Inclusion

competency area (NASPA/ACPA, 2015, p. 30). This competency area, which is “defined as both

a process and a goal that includes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to create

learning environments that foster equitable participation of all groups and seeks to address issues

of oppression, privilege, and power”, is one in which I aspire to develop intermediate and

advanced outcomes. Some of these include: “effectively facilitat[ing] dialogue about issues of

social justice, inclusion, power, privilege, and oppression in one’s practice”, and promoting an

"institutional culture that supports the free and open expression of ideas, identities, and beliefs,

and where individuals have the capacity to negotiate different standpoints” (NASPA/ACPA,

2015, p. 31). As I transition into my new role as an Assistant Director of Program Execution at

NASPA, it is my goal to develop these outcomes within the organization.



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References

ACPA: College Student Educators International & NASPA − Student Affairs Administrators in

Higher Education (2015). ACPA/NASPA professional competency areas for

student affairs educators. Washington, DC: Authors. 12-15.

Collins, P. H. (2002). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of

empowerment. Routledge.

Crenshaw, K. (1995). Critical race theory: The key writings that formed the movement. The New

Press.