The Power of Networking: How Connection and Collaboration Opened Doors in Student Affairs: Kenneth Samson

SA Voices From the Field

Welcome to another episode of SA Voices from the Field podcast. In today's episode, we have a special guest joining us, Kenneth Samson. Kenneth is not only a first-generation American college student, but also a new father.

In this episode of "Student Affairs Voices From the Field," Dr. Jill Creighton welcomes Kenneth Samson, a first-generation American college student who also falls into the category of a 1.5 generation student. Kenneth's parents have college degrees, but they graduated in the Philippines, which presented unique challenges for him as he navigated the American college system. He shares his journey, starting at Pasadena City College and eventually transferring to California State University, Los Angeles, where he graduated with a BA in English. Despite needing guidance as a first-generation student, Kenneth struggled to seek help due to his unfamiliarity with the process.

Kenneth's story doesn't end there. He went on to teach English to medical school and high school students for over a decade, many of whom were also first-generation or 1.5 generation students. He recently completed his Master's of Education in educational counseling at USC, with the goal of supporting students and promoting help-seeking behaviors, particularly for marginalized students in Southern California Community Colleges. Kenneth is embarking on a new career as a counselor at Long Beach City College and a counseling instructor at multiple colleges while celebrating the arrival of his two-month-old son, Kenji.

Throughout the conversation, Kenneth emphasizes the importance of networking and utilizing resources, especially during transitions. He discusses how he manages his various roles and transitions by meticulously organizing his schedule with Google Calendar. Kenneth also reflects on how his teaching approach has evolved from K-12 to higher education, emphasizing empowerment and bravery in students. He encourages others to follow their dreams and not be afraid to make career transitions, even if it means taking a leap of faith. He shares his experience of dealing with rejection during the job application process and the importance of seeking feedback for personal growth. Kenneth's story serves as an inspiring example of perseverance, adaptability, and the pursuit of one's passions in the field of student affairs.

Please subscribe to SA Voices from the Field on your favorite podcasting device and share the podcast with other student affairs colleagues!

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]:

Welcome to Student Affairs Voices From the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. This is season nine on transitions in Student Affairs. This podcast is brought to you by NASPA. And I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your essay, Voices From the Field host today on Essay Voice, we welcome Kenneth Sampson, a first generation American college student, also known as a 1.5 generation student. His parents have college degrees but graduated in the Philippines. While maneuvering through college.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:36]:

He had a little help from his parents, who had no experience navigating the American college system. He attended Pasadena City College, transferred to California State University, Los Angeles, and graduated with a BA. In English with little help from academic counselors, not because he did not want help, but because he did not know how to ask for help. He's taught English to medical school and high school students for over a decade. Many of those students are first generation American students and 1.5 generation students. He's most recently graduated from the educational counseling program at USC with a Master's of Education in hopes of serving students by promoting help seeking behaviors while increasing outreach for first generation and marginalized students in Southern California Community College. He's beginning his new career this fall as a counselor at Long Beach City College, as well as a counseling instructor at Rio Hondo College, East Los Angeles College and Pasadena City College. Kenneth is also a new father to his two month old son, Kenji.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:30]:

Kenneth, welcome to SA Voices.

Kenneth Samson [00:01:33]:

Hello, Jill. Happy to be here.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:35]:

We're doing our season all on transitions, and you have quite a few of them, and I'm looking forward to getting into your story and what you've learned. But we always like to start our episodes by asking our guests how you found your way to your current position.

Kenneth Samson [00:01:48]:

So I'm in transition right now, so I have a few current positions. I'm actually a teaching adjunct counseling instructor at Pasadena City College, also East Los Angeles College, also Rio Hondo College, and I will be getting actual counseling hours as an adjunct counselor at Long Beach City College. I honestly got that through networking. I graduated from the educational counseling program at USC, and I honestly got it through networking from USC. The USC network is very strong, very powerful. Educational counseling program is also very strong, and I would not have any of these jobs if it was not for that program.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:25]:

So that is a lot of transition happening for you. You also have transition happening in your personal life, right?

Kenneth Samson [00:02:31]:

Yes. I am a new father. My son is two months old. His name is Kenji. Hello, Kenji. If you ever listen to this in the future yes. So that's brand new, super exciting. I also just graduated my program, so going from student to professional and then basically also to fatherhood.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:51]:

So that's a lot happening all at once. So my question in this area is really about how you're managing all of these transitions, what you're thinking about, what is working, what is scaring you, all of those things. So why don't we start with how are you finding yourself managing through all of these transitions?

Kenneth Samson [00:03:07]:

I think the biggest thing is Google Calendar. I'm not sponsored by Google. This is not product placement, but because when I was doing my grad work, I was using my calendar on my phone. I was using Google Calendar. I was using Calendar on Outlook, and I had three different calendars going at the same time. And I learned from that mistake. Someone told me, just put it all on one calendar. I was like, okay, which 01:00 a.m.

Kenneth Samson [00:03:31]:

I going to use. The most accessible and easiest one to use for me was Google Calendar. So I just have it all there. Easy for me to see. In addition, my partner can see what I'm doing, what site I'm at, right? Because I'm at four different colleges. So it helps her. Also.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:46]:

That's an interesting part of your transition, too, that you didn't just move from student to professional. You moved from student to professional with four different work environments. And so daily or weekly, you're transitioning.

Kenneth Samson [00:03:57]:

Through those as well.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:58]:

So tell us about how you found yourself able to settle into each community, knowing that each community is a little different.

Kenneth Samson [00:04:05]:

So knowing the they're all in Southern California, right? And when you are adjuncting, especially at community colleges, right. They call you a freeway flyer. So I'm definitely a freeway flyer, right. Flying from one campus to another. How I really got with this community was honestly through again, that network at USC, the educational counseling program, being able to build from that and meeting people through there, getting support through there and then having people from that program. Connect me with other people in the career center or in student affairs or at the transfer center. Just building that community within those college spaces.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:43]:

And what about your first couple of days at each space? How did you ensure a landing that worked for you?

Kenneth Samson [00:04:50]:

So for some of them, I have not started yet. Right. I just got hired at HR. Interesting. For the ones that I have been able to land, actually, I was also interning there beforehand, so I mentioned Pasadena City College. I was actually a student there way back when. I was a community college student, eventually transferred, so I felt home there. That's definitely where I want to end up.

Kenneth Samson [00:05:14]:

But I'm open to ending up any community college, supporting any population or any specific group of students. But that's really where I feel at home, because that's actually where I met my partner. So we were actually freshmen first semester, right out of high school. We were in something called a block program, which basically was like a cohort model. And I noticed her, she noticed me, and we've been together ever since, basically now we have a child together, right. And she actually works there as well. So she's a full time tenure English professor over there. So for Pasadena City College.

Kenneth Samson [00:05:47]:

Really felt home there. East Los Angeles College is the other place where I'm also familiar with I was an intern there at the transfer center. Everyone just talked about how great this graduate internship was at the transfer center, and really I learned so much there. The director over there, Kirby Dominguez is it. He really wants you to learn and really isn't intimidating and allows you to ask questions. Right. To make sure you're giving the best information and the correct information to students, especially when it comes to transfer.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:17]:

What does that mean for you to move from that intern space to that professional space?

Kenneth Samson [00:06:22]:

For me, it's huge. It's definitely a shift. The biggest jump or the biggest change is the paycheck. Obviously you're like, oh wow, all of a sudden I'm making good money. So that was interesting. But in terms of the professional space, both places, honestly, I didn't feel like an intern because neither one of those places, they don't really call. On paper, you're an intern, but the title that they give you when you're there, it's not intern. At PCC Pasadena City College, I was a success coach.

Kenneth Samson [00:06:52]:

And even their interns or their hourly, they don't call hourly or interns. They call them professional experts. So they already gave you that idea of, oh, hey, you're a professional, you know what you're doing here? We hired you for a reason. Same thing at East Los Angeles College, even though it's unclassified paid. Intern is what they're called right. At the transfer center. The transfer center, they call us transfer mentors because we're mentoring these community college students to transfer to a four year university, whether that's in state, out of state, private.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:19]:

Have you had to do any redefining of your relationships with colleagues that knew you as that success coach that are now seeing you as an instructor?

Kenneth Samson [00:07:26]:

No, honestly, and I think because they know my past. I actually was a K through twelve teacher for quite some time after getting my bachelor's, so I didn't go back to get my master's until a decade later, basically. So I was in the professional space in K through twelve for a while. So they knew that, oh, he has teaching experience, which is probably why I've gotten so many classes at three different colleges. Right. Lucky enough that helped me leverage my experience, helped me leverage getting those positions.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:58]:

That K twelve space to higher ed is a jump that I hear a lot from K twelve educators who are looking to break into the higher ed space. Do you have any advice for others who are trying to make that leap?

Kenneth Samson [00:08:08]:

Yes. And this is the advice that someone gave me. If you're going to do that leap, jump in the deep end, jump in headfirst all the way. Right. I had a full time position going K through twelve teaching, and I decided that, oh, I want to work specifically at the California Community College level. And someone told me, if you're going to do that, you have to go all in and you have to really do the internships, you have to really invest your time and it'll pay off. And that's what I did. I left my full time job with benefits, took a huge pay cut, right.

Kenneth Samson [00:08:40]:

I was doing like two, three internships, but still, that was nothing compared to what I used to make. And also I was paying a USC tuition, so luckily I had some savings. But it was definitely a shift economically for me. But that's my advice, because at the end it'll pay off. And really what you'll learn as an intern is invaluable, and it's so much easier to ask, I think, administrators, deans, oh, I'm a student and I want experience in this. Right. The thing is, if have a full time job, when will you have the time to ask for that, get that experience?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:13]:

And that is definitely an amazing thing that you're able to do. And at the same time, I know there's a lot of folks for whom that would not be economically possible. Do you have any advice for those who can't maybe take that leap as deeply scholarships?

Kenneth Samson [00:09:25]:

That's something I learned not just at USC, but even as a transfer mentor at East Los Angeles college scholarships. Right. Apply to any and all of them. Don't tell yourself no, let them tell you, you know, there's a scholarship for anything and everything under the sun. In addition, there are scholarships. Even if you don't identify with that specific group, if you're supporting that group, they'll recognize, oh, this person is helping our community. They're giving us something, why not give something back to that individual?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:52]:

What about mindset? Transitions, transitioning from that k twelve space where you're teaching children to the collegiate space where you're teaching adults. How have you shifted the way that you think about teaching?

Kenneth Samson [00:10:04]:

I teach at a supplemental education center also, so I still actually teach just a few classes on the weekend to K through twelve students, middle school and high school specifically. And I think being in the program and seeing the college space that they're hoping to get into has changed my mind into not necessarily hammering them with content, but helping them develop ideas. Because before at the supplemental education center, I teach grammar and writing, right. And I teach grammar to first generation students and also 1.5 generation students. And it's something where their parents really want them to learn the grammar and syntax of the English language because maybe they're not getting it at home. And so initially, that's how I kind of hammered it down, even with their writing, even with their reading comprehension to break it down, grammatically syntactically for them to understand. But with my counseling training and even entering the college space, I've learned that they're going to get that eventually. There is time for that.

Kenneth Samson [00:11:01]:

But thing is to build up their confidence, allow them to come up with ideas, not make it seem like college is so scary. Because I think when I was a high school teacher and before I entered the college space as a professional, it was like, oh, well, college professors, college instructors, they're going to expect this from you and that from you. And being in that space, it's like, oh no, actually they're compassionate as well as compassionate as I was in the K through twelve. Right. They understand life circumstances. They understand that life happens and that they're human. Also. It's not that, oh, because you're in college now, there's some type of rigor that they won't be used to.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:37]:

I want to co sign something you said about encouraging people to come up with their own ideas. And it sounds like what you're really teaching is bravery. And I read an article recently that bravery is the number one trait or skill set that we can help instill in young people, to help create a kind of a forward thinking human being or encourage a forward thinking human being. More so than anything else, there's all these articles about resilience and critical thinking and all these other things, but bravery is really that number one.

Kenneth Samson [00:12:03]:

Yes, empowering students, and not just empowering students, but giving them that space to feel empowered I think is important.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:10]:

Absolutely. So in all of these transitions that you're experiencing, is there anything that you can look back on and say, I really wish I would have known X, Y, or Z before starting the transition process, or anything that you wish you would have done maybe a little differently?

Kenneth Samson [00:12:24]:

I really wish I would have prepared more. I think before graduating, I knew what jobs I wanted to apply to and I knew what colleges I was going to apply to and doing that preparation into the professional world because I had a resume, I had a cover letter, and it was kind of generic. It wasn't tailored to that college that now I know, oh no, you need to tailor it to that college, to that program. It was difficult for me because then I had the time right before I graduated to do that, but I didn't take it because I was like, oh, I worked so hard in my master's program, I'm going to kind of coast till the end. Well, after I graduated, my son was born. And then it's like, oh, you don't have time to work on your resume or your cover letter or these applications like you wanted to. You should have done that earlier. Right.

Kenneth Samson [00:13:10]:

So just definitely pre planning, especially since I knew he was coming, maybe had.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:16]:

A little advanced notice.

Kenneth Samson [00:13:18]:

Yeah.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:19]:

And with that in mind, the transition to parenthood is a major shift in any human being's life. How have you managed the transition to balancing the needs, your family and also the burgeoning career that you're developing?

Kenneth Samson [00:13:31]:

Yeah, I think definitely carving out time that is dedicated to my family and telling my coworkers, my colleagues, and even my friends, oh, this is my family time. Right. Because with all those jobs, with those classes that I teach and those counseling hours that I will eventually be covering, I want them to know, oh, when I'm there, I'm there for you wholeheartedly. I'm there 110%. You have my undivided attention. But then when I'm home, that's home time for my family to make sure because I want to show my son that he can do all of these things right. But I also want him to know me as well. I don't want to be the parent that, oh, he comes home at like 08:00 P.m.

Kenneth Samson [00:14:07]:

And then leaves at 08:00 A.m. Or even 07:00 A.m. Because right. I'm in Southern California, in Los Angeles area, so traffic is crazy over here. And he's gone to I can tell now, but it's summer, so I'm excited for the semester to start. But I'm also sad because I know I'm going to see less of him, but I want him to you know, that's my dad. He's here, he's got me.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:28]:

And is there any other major transition that you're going through right now? And we've talked about family. We've talked about graduating, starting new positions, and even switching industries. There's just so many transitions that you're reflecting on. Is there anything that we're not talking about?

Kenneth Samson [00:14:45]:

I hope that's all. If there's anything else, I think that kind of covers it. I think that's enough.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:51]:

Oh, absolutely. Is there anything in all these transitions that didn't go well for you?

Kenneth Samson [00:14:56]:

Yeah, going back to application process, I did apply to one specifically that I really wanted to work at, and it didn't pan out. I didn't even get an interview, and I was like, One of my Femtors works there. And I was like, how awesome will it be that I'm going to work under my Femtor at this college? And it basically didn't happen. And that really hurt me a bit. Kind of shattered some dreams because that application in all the application pools was the first one to open. So right after that, I was kind of discouraged. I didn't know I didn't even get an interview, and I thought I was a pretty competitive candidate. That one really still hurts.

Kenneth Samson [00:15:35]:

But I was lucky enough to do meet with my Femtor, get some feedback, not just on my application, but my cover letter as well and my resume. I'm like, oh, I know I'll eventually end up there. I'm going to apply next year and keep applying.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:48]:

That's a really wonderful approach to that kind of disappointment. It's not a question of beating yourself up about it. It's a question of how can I improve so I can be more competitive in the future, and we just don't know what we're up against often in those job pools or what it is about our materials that weren't necessarily attractive to that search committee in that first round. So I just really appreciate your approach of going, okay, let's turn this around and just look a little differently.

Kenneth Samson [00:16:12]:

Yeah. And after that, right now, I'm at four community colleges. I'm like, oh, so maybe I wasn't the right fit for them at that time, but I was the right fit for these other community colleges right. That needed me.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:24]:

Is there anything else that you want our listeners to hear about your advice for transitioning?

Kenneth Samson [00:16:29]:

Maybe as cheesy or as corny as this sounds, honestly, follow your dreams. Like, I'm living proof. I'm working at where I started my higher education career as a student. I'm an adjunct instructor there now. Also, don't be afraid. I was very afraid to leave my job, leave my full time job with benefits. But if it's something that you want to do and something that you're passionate about, go and do it, because it's better to see how it turns out than live in regret, I think, right? And for really, it's no regrets.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:03]:

It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:09]:

Jill's so excited to be back again in the NASPA world. A ton of things happening in NASPA, and it's exciting time to be a part of our profession because there's so much going on. And it's an exciting time just on campuses because fall has started. We're back into the mix of things, and there's definitely a lot happening on our campuses. Sometimes it's hard to stay on top of things. I know that. I sometimes feel that way. I'm sure that you feel that way as well.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:39]:

But it's always important to try to stay connected with what's going on in the profession broader than our campus. And there's a ton of ways to do that. There's ways to do that and getting involved at the association level. You can get involved in different knowledge communities in different divisions and groups. Lots of ways to be able to not only give back your own talents, but also lots of ways to stay connected. And when I say get involved, that doesn't mean that you have to take a leadership role. It could just be reading what's being sent out. It could be being a program reviewer and giving a little bit of time.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:17]:

There's lots of ways. One of the things that I always encourage people to do every fall is to log back in to your NASPA portal. And when you go to the NASPA website, you'll see a login button at the top of the screen. You just log in there. And when you log in, one of the things to do is to review all of your information so you can click on my NASPA and where it says Edit my profile, click on that and review all your information. Make sure that all your information is correct. And if your membership is coming up too close to be due, you want to make sure that you do renew your membership, but also set those notification preferences on your profile. Make sure that you're signed up for the knowledge communities or the areas that you want to get information from because this is a way for you to be able to stay connected.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:13]:

And if you're not connected, if you haven't signed up for any of the different engagement opportunities, then you're not going to end up being able to get information from those. So make sure that you go in and I say to do this at least once a year to make sure that everything's up to date. And then you'll be up to date. You'll be getting all the information and be in the know, talking about being in the know. One of the other things that I have talked to you about in the past, but I encourage you to do on a regular basis, is go back to the NASPA website, go under the latest and under the latest. This is where you can find not only all the past episodes of Essay Voices from the Field, but this is where you can find the blog for NASPA, all the statements that NASPA puts out, the press releases, other projects and initiatives that they're working on. But on the blog you're going to see up to date information that will keep you in the know of new things that are happening within our association, within higher education and beyond. Urge you to keep an eye here.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:20:31]:

All of the knowledge communities try to keep this up to date. Many of the different areas within NASPA try to keep it up to date with blogs and articles to be able to engage you as members. And these are written by members of the association like yourself. So jump on here, make sure that you stay in the know and be able to see what is happening within the profession. So lots of things happening in NASPA, lots of ways to stay connected with NASPA. Start at the NASPA website, naspa.org and go and check it out for yourself. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:24]:

Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself. Where do you fit. Where do you want to give back? Each week? We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing something like that. Or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:36]:

Chris, thanks so much for keeping us updated on what's going on in and around NASPA. We really appreciate you putting together those segments every week. Kenneth, we have now reached our lightning round time. I have about 90 seconds for you to answer seven questions. You ready to go?

Kenneth Samson [00:22:50]:

Yeah. Let's do it.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:50]:

All right, question number one. If you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?

Kenneth Samson [00:22:56]:

Bohemian Rhapsody.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:57]:

Number two. When you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Kenneth Samson [00:23:00]:

A karate instructor.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:01]:

Number three. Who's your most influential professional mentor?

Kenneth Samson [00:23:04]:

Dr. Robert opentile.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:06]:

Number four. Your essential student affairs.

Kenneth Samson [00:23:08]:

Read anything inside the higher ed.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:10]:

Number five. The best TV show you binged during the pandemic.

Kenneth Samson [00:23:13]:

The Big bang theory.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:15]:

Number six. And I know you commute a lot, so hopefully you've got a good one for this. The podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in the last year.

Kenneth Samson [00:23:22]:

American capitalism or capitalist America?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:24]:

And finally, number seven. Any shout outs you'd like to give? Personal or professional?

Kenneth Samson [00:23:27]:

Yes. Shout out to Juliana Sampson, my wife. I love you so much. Shout out to Kenji Sampson, my two month old son. I love him so much as well. I do everything for you all. Shout out to my family, friends. Shout out again to the USC Educational Counseling program.

Kenneth Samson [00:23:45]:

I would not be where I am without all of you over there.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:47]:

Kenneth, it's been such a pleasure getting to know you better on the show here. If anyone would like to reach you after this airs, how can they find you?

Kenneth Samson [00:23:53]:

LinkedIn is probably the best way to reach out to me professionally. So it's basically LinkedIn.com. Kennethsampson. That's K-E-N-N-E-T-H-S-A-M-S-O-N. That's probably the best way to get to me.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:08]:

Thank you so much for sharing your voice with us today.

Kenneth Samson [00:24:10]:

Thank you, Jill.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:12]:

This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field, brought to you by NASPA. This show is always made possible because of you, our listeners. We are so grateful that you continue to listen to us season after season. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email us at [e-mail] or find me on LinkedIn. By searching for Dr. Jill L. Craighton. We welcome your feedback and topic and especially your guest suggestions.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:37]:

We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show. And please like, rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now. It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill L. Creighton. That's me. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Guest coordination by Lu Yongru. Special thanks to Duke Kunshan University and the University of Michigan, Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.