Running Head: PORTFOLIO REFLECTION

Portfolio Process Reflection

Bruce B. Mann

PORTFOLIO REFLECTION 2

While a long and arduous journey, the process of curating and developing my portfolio

for the Seattle University Student Development Administration program has been an

enlightening and incredibly valuable experience. Through the process of selecting artifacts,

writing narratives, and creating a visual interactive home for my portfolio I have learned the

following three lessons.

Be Honest yet Gentle: Those that know me well, know that I struggle with self-love and self

care. I have been, and currently am my harshest critic. I am thankful that I have developed a

critical eye from which I can identity issues and create solutions. However, that critical

framework can be toxic when turned inward without grace and forgiveness. The process of

putting the portfolio together, especially in selecting artifacts, gave me the opportunity to be

honest, open, and gentle with myself as I evaluated my collective work. This is a lesson I

continue to need reminding of but it was out front for me during this process.

Own and Name My Identities: Throughout this process and during the past two years, I have

been asked and pushed to name my identities and place them out front. While I continue to

develop a deeper critical consciousness and examine my dominant identities, I appreciated the

space to name my dominant identities as a White, cis, heterosexual, male in creating my

portfolio.

Who I am: One of the biggest takeaways I have from creating my portfolio is a deeper, clearer

understanding of who I am as a professional and a person. Through assignments, reflections, and

artifact selection I came to understand better who I am and what I can offer to future institutions.

This is the power of both Capstone and Portfolio as forward-looking assessments; I can easily

explain who I am, what I believe, and what I can do as professional.

PORTFOLIO REFLECTION 3