CYAF GSA Executive Board 2020-2021

 The value of professional service is the way in which it creates shared goals and a community of learning. It signals a commitment to a larger purpose and also helps the individual to find space within the community to contribute. Service promotes collaboration and encourages different perspectives. In my experience, it is the activities in which many different perspectives are presented and compared that are the most productive.  Therefore, I am active in service to my profession through different activities.
Service Activities:

• Scholarly service. With my advisors and mentors, I have participated in reviewing manuscript submissions to peer-reviewed journals and I have learned how to provide critical feedback to other researchers that represent my perspective on their work.
• Institutional service:
  • CYAF GSA.  I have been active in the Department of Child Youth and Family Studies' (CYAF) Graduate Student Association (GSA). As president, my primary goal was to improve the relationship between students and the CYAF department through improved communication and more support for students from the CYAF leadership. 
  • Racial Literacy Roundtables. As a break-out group discussion leader, I facilitated conversations about the topic of each session, often regarding race or the experiences of ethnic-minority groups. I often found that starting by sharing my personal experiences encouraged others to be vulnerable and actively engage with the topics.

The primary lesson I learned from both my work with the GSA and the Racial Literacy Roundtable is the importance of listening and reflecting in service to others. Both are key to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  I recognize the privilege that I benefit from based on my race, income, and education. It is important that in my service to my profession, department, and fellow students, I am critical of my privilege and how it can subconsciously and consciously impact my words and actions. One of the reasons I choose to work in early childhood is my belief that children should have every opportunity to reach their developmental potential independent of the color of their skin, where they were born, or how much money their family has. I carry this same principle into my professional service by recognizing that the characteristics that keep young children from meeting their developmental potential are the same characteristics that limit individuals from accessing higher education and research opportunities. As I previously stated, research and education benefit from different perspectives; therefore, it is essential to find ways to include students and researchers from marginalized groups. I am working to be a better ally.  

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