My knowledge of multicultural competence has grown through the Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs course as well as the Counseling in the Culturally Diverse course I took during my graduate career.  As an undergraduate at Bowling Green State University, I took Women’s Studies, Women of Color in the U.S., as well as Music in African culture; all courses that helped me gain knowledge of privilege and oppression.  I believe the knowledge I have gained will help make me a successful professional in both student affairs and counseling.  According to Pope, Reynolds, and Mueller (2004), “multicultural competence is a necessary prerequisite to effective, affirming, and ethical work in student affairs” (p. 13).  This is not only true in student affairs, but in mental health counseling as well.  Even with understanding the importance of being multiculturally competent, many helping professions such as psychology and counseling do not require a class specifically for gaining knowledge in that area (Lee, Blando, Mizelle, & Orozco, 2007, p. 25).  I am grateful that the College Student Personnel (CSP) program has given me the opportunity to grow in the area of multicultural competence and understands how important it is in any helping profession. 

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     My personal experiences with a family member who lived with a physical disability, as well as my professional experiences with a diverse student population at Owens Community College, I have gained insight on the importance of being multiculturally competent.  Through my coursework outside of my multicultural classes, I have researched multicultural issues such as remedial education, gender neutral bathrooms, and non-traditional students.  Overall my coursework has provided me with a strong foundation and understanding of multicultural issues in higher education, and has helped increase my knowledge base.  I believe that having multicultural competence is important regardless of what profession I pursue. Multicultural competence is conceptualized as an “ongoing process, demanding commitment to lifelong learning and self-reflection” (Smith-Miller, Leak, Harlan, Dieckmann, & Sherwood, 2010,   p. 20).  From my coursework, and experiences with diversity, I can confidently say that I have a commitment to becoming multiculturally competent and I have the tools I need through awareness and knowledge to help me continue my endeavor to multicultural competence.