Meredith Mickaliger Anderson (’07 MA Higher Education and Student Affairs—HESA) writes from Long Beach, California, about her experience in the HESA program and in life after graduation.
In the fall of 2005, I arrived in Columbus for the Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s program in EHE. My time at Ohio State was marked by incredible opportunities for learning and growth, a strong cohort of friends and colleagues and inspirational faculty and staff connections.
During the program, I had the distinct honor of being an assistant hall director (AHD) through the Student Personnel Assistantship (SPA) program. My time in Taylor Tower from 2005-06 and in Park Hall from 2006-07 allowed me to see student development theories come to life.
It’s amazing how two years in a HESA cohort can develop some of the best friendships of your life.
It was an incredible experience to observe undergraduate students as they adjusted to life on campus and embodied the school spirit that becomes an integral part of us as Buckeyes (and causes us to spell out O-H-I-O anywhere we can!).
The position was also a learning experience as it pushed me to challenge students in their development, as well as to reflect on the kind of student affairs professional I wanted to be.
Faculty and fellow student favorites
As one of the final cohorts to experience Professor Bob Rodgers’ leadership lab before he retired, I learned how to incorporate Myers-Briggs into everyday conversations. Now, 10 years later, I am still sharing my Dr. Bob resources and helping my staff incorporate the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator into their personal and professional developments. Additionally, I still think of the skills I learned in Dr. Bob’s 888 course on group dynamics and facilitation as I prepare workshops, trainings and staff development.
Many of my favorite classes at Ohio State were taught by Professor Leonard Baird and focused on today’s ever-changing college student, using the campus environment as a learning tool and incorporating student development theory into everyday practice. The desire to incorporate theory to practice continues in my work today. I have spent the last five years supervising, mentoring and developing graduate students as they finish their programs and head into the field full time.
It’s amazing how two years in a HESA cohort can develop some of the best friendships of your life. Within the first week on campus, I met AJ LaPan, a fellow HESA AHD, and found one of my lifelong friends. Ten years later, he stood beside me as my honor attendant as I married the love of my life! Additionally, members of the ’07, ’08 and ’09 cohorts attended my wedding and posed for the unforgettable O-H-I-O photo on this page!
Taking EHE influence beyond the campus gates
After leaving Ohio State and EHE, I ventured to Los Angeles, where I served as a resident director at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) for four years. During this time, I oversaw three first-year residence halls, including living learning communities for undeclared students and healthy living.
While at LMU, I also served as the director of Operations for the California College Personnel Association, and later as the conference coordinator.
In 2011, I made the transition to Occidental College, also in Los Angeles, as the assistant director of Residential Education for the first-year experience. During this time, I helped create large-scale social justice programming, developed a professional development series for our graduate students and redesigned a workshop for the resident advisor recruitment and hiring process.
In addition to my work at Occidental College, I have served as an editor and photographer for the music website DyingScene.com since August 2013. I have also been an event coordinator for Skybox Event Productions since December 2014. My experience in higher education has helped make me a detailed, thorough event planner, ready for the unexpected!
This O-H-I-O photo, taken on May 2, 2015, at the Long Beach Museum of Art in Long Beach, California, is a perfect representation of how Buckeye Pride continues to bring us all together. The six of us in the photo live in different parts of the country, but we still came together to celebrate, and my new husband and I appreciated the Buckeye spirit on the happiest day of our lives!
