Tiffany Davis - Why I am here

“Throughout my educational journey, there have been individuals who were divinely placed in my path to empower, inspire, motivate, nurture, and even challenge me. To Carole Yeaman (Montgomery, AL), Marla Frisby Hord (Murfreesboro, TN), and Emily Harris Parker (Knoxville, TN): Thank you for giving me much by selflessly sowing seeds of encouragement, faith, and love into my life. You all taught me—through your words and your actions—what it means to be an educator and to care for the development of the whole person. Thank you for the example you set and mentorship you provided; I am here because you were there!”

The above dedication that I wrote for my doctoral dissertation gives you an idea of my WHY I am in this field. I am here because I had powerful connections to K12 educators and student affairs professionals that helped me discover myself and how I could use my talents, skills, and knowledge in service to others. And they did not just do that for me, they did it for countless others (although I like to think I was their favorite). But they were not the only ones.

As an undergraduate at The University of Tennessee, I was the overinvolved student leader. I was a resident assistant, orientation Leader, basketball hostess, alumni ambassador, Dance Marathoner, and alternative break service trip leader to name a few. Advisors served as role models for adulthood, helped us grow personally and professionally, think differently about our world and our place in it, and offered us a safe space to ask some of life’s big questions. I wanted to be this and do this for others.

So, I joined NASPA’s MUFP (now NUFP) Program and became the 1^st MUFP Fellow at Tennessee. Through MUFP, I was not only connected with my campus mentor, Dr. Maxine Thompson Davis, on a more personal level, but also with NASPA as an association which has continued to be my professional home and a source of professional development, networking, and refreshment. My MUFP experience solidified my decision to enroll in graduate school for College Student Personnel at Bowling Green State University (BGSU).

BGSU was an amazing experience for graduate school and my years as a professional. I got to work with some wonderful students and colleagues. The individual connections with students, the skills I learned and honed, the relationships I developed with colleagues, the small ways I was able impact the campus community for the better—that’s what I loved about being a practitioner. And an added bonus, I learned and grew both personally and professionally alongside the students with whom I worked.

When I entered PhD school (as I call it!) at The University of Georgia, I had planned on returning to a student affairs administrative position once I finished. I did; I missed the awesome programming, night and weekend hours (Imagine that!), and working directly with undergraduate students. However, during that time, I developed (rather embraced) my passion for working with graduate preparation.

As I looked back through my professional involvement, I realized that much of my campus and national service in the profession revolved around helping introducing undergraduates to the field and diversifying the pipeline, supervising and mentoring graduate assistants, and coordinating professional development opportunities, particularly for graduate students and new professionals. My doctoral training illuminated how much I also enjoyed teaching graduate students. My interest in conducting research that would guide practice, past experiences as a student affairs practitioner, and passion for graduate student development positioned me well to become a faculty member of higher education.

So what gets me out of the bed every morning? It is the opportunity I get and the responsibility I have to teach, mentor, advise, and nurture the next generation of scholar leaders. Our profession is one that is committed to such values as holism, equity, inclusion, self-actualization, and engaged citizenship. As a faculty member, I am a part of training the professionals who will help transform college life and impact students across the country, and even abroad, by enacting those values. I still get to impact undergraduate students, just in a different way. One word can now sum up my why that keeps me in the profession: STEWARDSHIP.

Want to hear more of Tiffany's story? Join her and other colleagues as they kickoff Careers in Student Affairs month this Wednesday with a FREE NASPA Webinar "Student Affairs: The Greatest Profession on Earth."