NASPA - Western Regional Conference Program Proposal
- Jasmine Nguyen
- Jun 4, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 20, 2021
Date: June 4, 2021
Description: It’s Okay not to be Okay - Toxic Positivity. This year Albin, Jimmy and I worked together to submit a NASPA - Western Regional Conference proposal, on an issue we saw often in Student Affairs during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are using our lived experiences as students to demonstrate our expertise and using Rendón’s Theory of Validation to remind Student Affairs professionals that it’s okay to not be okay.
Learning Domains Addressed (Labels):
Education
Personal Development
Learning Outcomes:
Evidence:
Reflection:
SLO #1: SWiBAT collaborate with cohort members to submit a complete conference program proposal by the deadline of June 4, 2021.
As a student participating in NASPA and ACPA conferences this year, I witnessed many graduate students leading conference sessions. It made me question my own experiences and what I can share with other professionals and students. I am very privileged to have partnered with Jimmy Nguyen and Albin Lee in preparing this conference proposal. They are ambitious, dependable, and change-makers within our cohort, and I could not be more excited to be presenting along their side.
As part of our planning process, we often communicated through text messages, email, and zoom conferences. We created shared documents to record our ideas and collect resources and strategies to present our topic. One of our proposal submission barriers was articulating our experience with the topic of Toxic Positivity. We don’t have professional clinical experience with Toxic Positivity. As a team, we discussed and agreed that our knowledge of toxic positivity is through our lived experiences as students and professionals working with students. We each professionally work at various levels of California public higher education institutions: Jimmy as a Coordinator at UC Irvine, Albin as a Graduate Assistant at CSU Fullerton, and myself as a Coordinator at Orange Coast Community College. Our strategy is to utilize our professional experiences with all types of students and our own experiences as students to justify our expertise in the topic.
SLO #2: SWiBAT apply a student development theory to discuss current issues in Student Affairs in a completed program proposal.
During this pandemic, I’ve taken advantage of attending as many virtual conferences as possible for their time convenience, accessibility, and discounted prices. While attending workshop sessions at the various conferences, Jimmy and I noticed a common question of “how are you self-caring?” used as ice breakers, check-in questions, break-out room prompts, and as themes of program sessions. Mental health needs have exponentially grown during the pandemic for students and Student Affairs (SA) Professionals. Self-care has become a pandemic mantra to learn how to set boundaries, take breaks, and do something you enjoy. However, I’ve personally noticed that toxic positivity has become a crutch of covering emotions, leading to more harmful effects such as avoidance. We simply can not yoga ourselves out of the real struggles we are facing in our lives and careers.
One of my favorite student development theories is Laura Rendón’s Theory of Validation. The most impactful learning moments I have experienced are with others who hear my concerns, share empathy and collaborate with me on solutions within my control. During our planning sessions, I advocated to Jimmy and Albin to use Rendón’s Theory of Validation and how it can become an essential reminder for SA professionals to pause and validate difficult experiences instead of jumping to fix problems or moving onto positive language. We created an interactive activity challenging participants to write anonymous sticky notes, causing them to experience negative emotions. In our group setting, we’re going to address each participant’s challenging experience, share solidarity in their valid emotions, discuss what is in their control and collaborate to offer ameliorations (See Toxic Positivity Document). We hope through this activity, SA professionals remember the growth benefits of validating student and employee experiences.
References or Sources:
Rendón, L. I. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development. Innovative Higher Education, 19(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01191156
Question: What are some ways you can validate someone’s experiences without judgement? Leave your ideas in the comment section!
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