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Running head: NARRATIVE REFLECTION

Narrative Reflection

Lorrena Johnson

Loyola University Chicago

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NARRATIVE REFLECTION
My time as a Masters candidate in Loyola University Higher Educations program has

been a time of both critical reflection and growth. I have grown tremendously. I will say that I

was always someone who understood systems of oppression, but I never sat through a program

that taught me how I contribute to those systems of oppression. In this program, I really sat

down, reflected, wrote out, and thought about the ways in which I have privilege. I dont believe

this is something I would have thought so critically about before entering the Higher Education

Administration program. Throughout this narrative reflection; I will share the most important

content I have learned from the program, the most important things I have learned about myself,

the most important things I have learned while working at my graduate assistantships and jobs in

Chicago, and lastly the most important things I have learned about social justice and how it will

inform my future work in education.

Content Knowledge Areas/What I Have Learned About Myself

The most important content I have learned in this program is multiculturalism and social

justice, student development theory, and leadership development theory. I really feel all three of

these courses are interconnected and the content really gave me the tools to be a change in the

field of higher education administration. Multiculturalism and social justice gave me some

critical tools to start thinking about the number of ways that I have privilege. The social identity

grid is such a powerful tool, and this is something we used in this course. The social identity

grid literally has you check off the identities you think about the most and the identities you

think about the least. Typically, the identities that you think about the least are the identities that

give you power and privilege in our society. This is where I learned the power and privilege of

what it means to be heterosexual, able body, Christian, educated and cis-gender. It was really

powerful to sit and reflect on the ways that I have privilege. I have been using the social identity

grid throughout my career such as during my work as a peer inclusion educator at Northwestern
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University. The content of that class also gave me the tools to speak and educate others in a way

that they can understand the ways in which they have power and privilege.

Student Development Theory gave me the tools to understand the different stages of

identity development for all students of all races and ethnicities besides the international student

perspective. The content of this class looked at different identity development theories such as

Chickering and Vector, Erikson Identity Model, and the Black Nigrisence Identity Model. Cross

and Fhagen-Smiths Model of Black Identity Development gave me the tools to understand black

students identity development but also my own. I feel understanding the different stages of this

model have further increased my understanding of what it means to be Pro-Black. As I

mentioned in the introduction I have always felt that I was woke which means to understand

the many systems of oppression and who you truly are as a person. Understanding the stages in

which this has occurred in my own life was very transformative for me.

The content that I have learned in Leadership Development has really challenged me to

change the narrative of what is leadership and what does that look like. Learning the many

different models of leadership such as; the social change model, servant leadership model, and

followership model, were the most important models for me. I never knew we could get this

deep with learning content for leadership. I am truly grateful to continue my work in leadership

and possibly continuing to work in that area at a university or community college. It was also

very enlightening to truly understand positionality and social location. Understanding that you

must know who you are as far as what identities are salient to you, what identities give you

agency, and how you show up to spaces is very important to know and understand as you

continue to develop as a leader in your career.

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What Have You Learned at Your Graduate Assistantships?
I currently work at Northwestern University as a graduate assistant in Step Up Bystander

intervention. This role is a joint partnership between social justice education and CARE which is

the department that focuses on sexual assault prevention. In this role, I was brought on to really

help create a presence on campus for Step Up. This position did not have enough staff to

continue on putting on workshops, events, and presentations for two years. I was able to really

come in and create a presence for our program. What I have learned the most in this position is

how critical collaborative work can be across functional areas. I was really able to develop

relationships in this role as well. I have been very privileged to work in an area such as social

justice education. We talk about systems of oppressions on daily basis. We understand how

important it is to be vulnerable during our check-ins and meetings. We have constant

communication across the department. I have also learned that there is an unwritten rule to step

up and take on additional tasks, if you do not do this you arent looked at as someone who wants

to work collaboratively in different departments across functional areas. I have also volunteered

a lot as a peer inclusion educator. In that role, I am able to really work with students and help

them in their identity development. This has truly been one of the most critical experiences

because I have been able to gain skills on how to plan, budget, and put on large events but I have

also been able to interact with a number of students about social justice, power, privilege,

systems of oppression, and racism.

I also work part time as a Pathway Coordinator for Thrive Chicago. In this role, I have

developed a successful dual enrollment program for students who attend optional high schools.

An optional high school is an alternative school. All of my students have dropped out of high

school and re-enrolled at their current school. I have learned so much about the CPS school

system, the inequities that exist between the North/ South side, and the gang violence that exists
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in Chicago. I work with three high schools two are located in the Back of the Yards

neighborhood and the other is located in Englewood. The first time I began in this role we took

students simply based on counselor recommendations and who they thought would benefit from

the program. This system did not work. A majority of my male students were not told where

Kennedy King was located and what bus routes were available. My students were traveling

through gang territories. A number of them were affiliated with gang themselves so they dropped

out because they literally feared for their life. Learning this was heartbreaking. It broke my

heart to learn these students wanted access to their local community college but could not go due

to gang violence. The next semester I decided to interview the students that the counselors

selected. The students were made fully aware of the location of the campus and the bus routes

that were available to them. This was successful because students would tell me they were not

comfortable enrolling. That semester the majority of my students passed their college course

successfully. The following semester 100% of my students passed their dual enrollment course.

This experience taught me to be innovative and assess the needs of the students. We also proved

that these students can be successful in a dual enrollment program. My supervisor is now trying

to figure out a way to sustain this program after I leave and I am very excited!

In my summer internship, as a graduate assistant in First and Second Year Advising I

worked full time. This experience challenged me to envision what it would be like to work full

time as a student affairs professional. It was very apparent that you must be on time and you are

a representative of your job at all times so you must present yourself in a professional manner at

all times. I also learned that it is important to understand the culture of an office and the

institution so you can best see what strategies will work in each role.
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What is Social Justice?
During my experience in the higher education program I can truly state that social

justice has been the founding principle of our course. Social justice is an action with an end goal

in mind to disrupt the many systems of power and oppression within our society. Social justice

challenges you to think about issues with a critical lens and not only think about them but create

ways for those around you to navigate these issues successfully. As I continue my career, social

justice will always be the foundation of my interactions with my co-workers, the programs and

initiatives I implement, and the many articles and books that I will publish. In order to disrupt

normativity and white supremacy we must learn how to strategically act out social justice at all

times. The way I challenge my co-workers and the way I speak is now coming from a socially

just lens so I know I will continue to call out disparities and make an impact no matter where I

go in the field.

Conclusion
Attending Loyola University Chicago has truly taught me how to think critically. I was

challenged immensely on who I am and how to dig deeper within my identity. I was given the

tools to call out and see injustices articulately. I have learned how to connect theory into my day

to day life. I have learned about my positionality and social location what it means to have

agency as a black woman. I will continue to learn and challenge those around me with my new

foundation of social justice.