A blog post by MA in Higher Education Leadership Student Ambassador Monica Gonzalez

“In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”- Albert Einstein

¡Saludos! (Cheers!)

My name is Monica Gonzalez. I am a first-year in the Master’s in Higher education (MAHE) and a first-year in Student Affairs/SOLES Collaborative (SASC) cohort.  SASC is a partnership between the Department of Leadership Studies and USD’s Division of Student Affairs for students who applied for a graduate assistantship (GA).

I am currently at the Community, Leadership, and Development department at USD under the leadership of Ariela Canizal and so far, this is my favorite part of graduate school!  I can see the connections between the student development theories I am learning in class and real practice by supporting students, creating community, and implementing programs. As suggested in the opening quote, a theory is an abstract practice while practice is theory and when you are well-versed in both, one learns what theory can provide value to the practitioner. As a rising profession, both are important to understand and validate students, especially underserved, non-traditional, and diverse students. I also get to experience the administrative side of student affairs, such as supervising our student leaders.

I love the community of students and the team I get to work with. I am so thankful for this opportunity to share my experience as a GA at USD. I am open to any questions new students or potential applicants have! Please find my contact information on the USD SOLES Ambassador website and look at the SASC website if interested.

Thank you!

Monica Gonzalez