Andrea Salyer ’22 reminds herself that she doesn’t need to be the expert in everything related to social change and social justice. That, in fact, it is impossible to be an expert. Instead, she says her role is to be open, authentic, and driven by equity, justice and constant growth as a professional. Most importantly, she strives to instill in students that we are all whole people and deserve to be seen and honored as such.
I oversee community partnerships, volunteer programs, leadership development opportunities, immersion programs and the Nielson Social Innovation Grant. I am open, authentic, and driven by equity, justice and constant growth as a professional.
When you joined the SAA program at Lewis & Clark, what career path did you plan to pursue?
I knew I wanted to work in student affairs, but I wasn’t exactly sure of my career path. My goal was to be more social justice and community engagement focused. So I was open to working in DEI, Student Engagement, Community Based Learning, and institutional effectiveness.
By the end of the program, did you have a different career outcome in mind? What either reinforced your original goal, or sent you in a different direction?
I think my career outcomes shifted in that I started to think beyond higher education as an option for doing the work I was interested in. I also begin to think more about activism, advocacy efforts and national movements dealing with bans on Critical Race Theory, books, and DEI teaching at the state level.
Where did you complete your practicum and what was that experience like?
Year one was with the Office of Equity and Inclusion at Lewis & Clark. I reviewed the Bias Response Program (BART) and put forward a report with best practices, recommendations, and collected data from other colleges. That experience was so rewarding because I got to focus on research and data collection around a topic I was very passionate about. I also had incredible mentors throughout that process whom I learned a lot from and felt very supported.
Year two was with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Portland Community College. I helped to catalog professional development experiences for instructors related to cultural responsiveness, antiracist grading practices etc. This experience helped me understand the faculty perspective when leading initiatives related to equity and social justice on a college campus. I enjoyed working with the data I collected, and improving that office’s resource hub-but more importantly I got to meet many faculty who are doing social justice related scholarship, teaching and community engagement.
How do you apply what you learned at L&C to your daily work?
I try to remember that I don’t need to be the expert in everything related to social change and social justice. That, in fact, it is impossible to be an expert. My role is to be open, authentic, and driven by equity, justice and constant growth as a professional. The SAA program helped me see myself outside of my profession as well. That I’m more than what I do for work. I try to instill that with all of my interactions with students, staff, and faculty. We are whole people and deserve to be seen and honored as such!
