“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Carolyn Barringer

Ashlie Baty

Elisha Bender

Qua’Aisa Blackmon

Kelly Budnick

Virginia Byrne

Jennifer Cento

Jennifer Chavis

Meg Conley

Jose DaSilva

Stephen Dominy

Kelly Dwight

Nina Flanagan

Chris Futch

Jeff Gardner

Brandy Haddock

Lisa Hagen

Jason Jackson

Andrea Lafleche

Trista Lei

Gina LoSchiavo

Chad Mandala

Shaine Marsden

Sandra Miles

Nikita O’Connor

Jill Peerenboom

Kate Phelps

Kim Powell

Michelle Robinson

Jessica Rollins

Rochelle Rush

Katie Ryan

Cassidy Sansone

Megan Schwab

Kristen Strominger

Shenifa Taite

Steven Wiley

Lyndsey Williams Mayweather

Marc Wollenschlaeger

Meng Zhou

2012 End of the Year HESA Social

by Mackenzie R. Streit

As I enter the job market once again, I have been reflecting on my experiences at Florida State and in the Higher Education program. I’ve asked myself what have I learned in my four years as a doc student? How have I changed in those four years? These seem like simple questions, but for me they have complicated answers. Thanks to our wonderful faculty members, I have gained large amounts of content knowledge on many areas of higher education: policy, finance, legal, history, organization and governance, research methodology, international higher education, leadership, student development theory, the list goes on and on.

However, what I think has changed the most is that I used to see myself as a practitioner who sometimes educated students. But, now I see myself as an educator who is also a practitioner. This change has happened gradually. Through the doctoral process (and yes, it is a process as people remind me), we are asked to think critically. We are asked to combine our knowledge from many areas into complete holistic ideas (this was prevalent in our preliminary examination). We are expected to do this in an academic sense, and I have also found myself doing this outside of the classroom.

I think about how I interact with the students in my Leadership class, and I feel like an educator in the classroom. But, what I realized recently is that I do the same thing in the classroom that I do outside of the classroom. I challenge students to think. Just because I don’t have a syllabus for the co-curricular interactions that doesn’t mean I am not educating. I realized that I am an educator. I take what I have learned from schooling and experiences and apply that to my interactions with students. I don’t need to be standing in the front of the classroom lecturing; education can come just as easily while having a cup of coffee (or a Diet Coke).

As I continue my search to find my next job, I am thankful for everything that Florida State has given me. I am forever indebted to the institution, the faculty, the staff, my colleagues, the LifeNet, and of course, the students for what I have learned. I hope that I live up to the standards set by those who have come before; I hope that I can continue the legacy of FSU as an educator in our field.

Do you think of yourself as an educator?


I would like to thank HESA for the generous gift of a travel grant, which allowed me to attend this year’s NASPA conference in Phoenix. Thank you so much, I couldn’t have done it without you!

HESA Professional Development event, FSUnity Day and our kickball game.

by Shavecca Snead

I was excited as always to attend the Association for Education Finance and Policy Conference. My first year attending was last year. I wasn’t sure what to expect as it was my first time presenting at a conference but the comments I received were beneficial and the atmosphere of the conference was conducive to learning. One of Florida State’s own (Dr. Carolyn Herrington, ELPS) also finished her service as President of the Association so it was exciting to be there this year in particular. One thing I consider a take away is the need for postsecondary presence at this conference. There are not that many presenters from higher education. I guess we tend to stick to what we know and AEFP is not a conference higher ed students are familiar with. I do believe, however, that in this day and age it pays to be a diverse thinker which includes traveling into unfamiliar territory. My presentation in particular was on policy diffusion and the potential for merit pay to be activated in postsecondary institutions. Other presentations included Merit Based Financial Aid, State Appropriations in Higher Education, and the Value of Higher Education. While these topics may seem a little heavy on the policy and economics side (which most higher ed/student affairs students are not too interested in) I know that it pays (literally) to know how decisions are made pertaining to policy and most importantly appropriations. So if I can encourage students to do one thing it would be to spread out, see what the conversations are for education as a whole and cater thoughts toward a broader view of higher education in the context of education.

Photos from NASPA and ACPA

My name is Carolyn Harris and I am a first year graduate student in the Higher Education, Student Affairs program.  I was born and raised in Oakland, California in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. I was raised by loving mother and have younger twin sisters and an older brother. I graduated from California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) in 2009 with a degree in Interior Design. I love design and being artistically creative, but found an even greater love of student affairs. I was very involved as an undergraduate and found that my time outside of the classroom grew to be the most enjoyable time of my day.  After graduating, I spent two years back home with my family, working in a home decor store and in the school district as a substitute teacher. After numerous conversations with a close friend that graduated from the FSU Higher Education program in 2009, I realized that building a career in higher education was perfect for me.

Since arriving in Tallahassee, I have had wonderful experiences meeting my peers and interacting with the faculty and staff. I am currently a graduate student at the Center for Leadership and Civic Education, primarily working with registered student organizations that have space in our building and with recognition programs like Profiles of Service, President’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, and Rosenbloom Scholarship.  I also serve as a committee member for TEDx FSU 2012.  Additionally, I have plans on traveling to Kingston, Jamaica this summer to complete an internship at the University of the West Indies.

I am excited to be serving as the Administrative Chair for the Higher Education Student Association and look forward to forging more relationships with my fellow students, faculty and administrative staff.

Joe O’Geen is a rising second year master’s student in the Higher Education Student Affairs program at The Florida State University. He is looking forward to the opportunity to serve a second term on the board of the Higher Education Student Association (HESA) and all that the new academic year will have to offer.

Prior to attending Florida State, Joe obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Studies with a minor in Spanish from Emory University in 2010. After graduating from Emory, Joe worked full time as a Residence Hall Director Fellow and Conference Coordinator at Emory University for one year. His roles included supervising a staff of 27, implementing hall programs, maintaining a hall budget, advising a Residence Hall Association, serving as a conduct officer, and other duties. Currently, Joe is employed by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at Florida State University and focuses on assessment and research and special projects within the Division of Student Affairs at Florida State University. Although his functional areas of interest include orientation, alumni relations, residence life and housing, and admissions, Joe is very interested in broadening his exposure to multiple functional areas.

Shawna Patterson is quickly transitioning into her second year of doctoral study in Higher Education. Her research interests take an interdisciplinary approach to student of color identity development and characteristics of leadership amongst minority populations. Shawna completed a B.S. in Sociology at Central Michigan University and obtained an M.A. in Student Affairs Administration at Michigan State University. She completed several years of professional experience with Michigan State University and The Pennsylvania State University, and has been an active member of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), where she currently serves on the executive boards of the Standing Committee for Multicultural Affairs and the PAN African Network.