Part II requires students to analyze and explain their own development journey from an objective, theoretical perspective. Part II requires that students use at least one theory of adult development to explain the student’s evolution as a person and at least one theory of leadership to analyze the student’s evolution as a leader. Students may choose to use more than one theory for each. This means that students will have, at least, 2 references listed on their “Reference” page. This will also mean that students will have several in-text citations as they paraphrase and/or quote from their resources. Keep in mind, students should paraphrase in their own words more often than using direct quotes.
Part II must also include details focused on your future development and who you want to become as a leader. Students must also include cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral development activities that might help further their development and what results they anticipate as an outcome.
The following questions should be addressed as well:
- What will positive development toward your aspirations look and feel like and what will drive it?
- How can you facilitate the development of other people?
- How can you build a shared culture for positive development in the direction required by the work of your organization or community?
- What are the implications you see for adult development as it connects with the exercise of leadership? In other words, development for what purpose?
- No theory is perfect, so what is your critique of developmental theory? Where are the holes? The unanswered questions? The gaps?
This assignment requires students to adhere to APA formatting and writing guidelines. No abstract or table of contents is required. Please be sure to check out the sample papers available in the Student Resource section. Also, be sure to use the grading criteria listed on the next page to guide your efforts. It is expected that each section be 4- 5 pages long (this means that your final submission will be 8-10 pages long). You may go over this page count; however, grades will be assigned based on quality, not quantity, of analysis.
As this is the final course paper, late work will not be accepted for this assignment.
Developmental Autobiography Grading Criteria
- Analysis: How well did you integrate theory and data to create a coherent diagnosis of the current situation and future action in the paper?
- Translates major theoretical perspectives from the lectures and the readings to leadership theory being studied into concrete implications and interventions in his/her own learning and practice.
- Demonstrates the ability to make connections between organizational processes and larger social dynamics and patterns
- Self-Reflection: How well did you demonstrate an understanding of how elements of your identity and history affect your world view, development and exercise of leadership?
- Expresses unique personal insights derived from application and evaluation of course content.
- Sustains sense of inquiry
- Data: How well did you utilize descriptive data to support your analysis?
- Uses specific examples from your own life.
- Offers a description of the situation giving the reader enough background to follow your analysis.
- Presents evidence, interprets evidence, relates evidence to own development and strategies for the exercise of leadership.
- Theory: How well can you apply the conceptual material offered in readings and lectures to reflect on and provide new insights into personal experiences?
- Relates subject of paper to course concepts and materials and has sufficient number of references.
- Outlines theory’s relevance to one’s own development, world view, and exercise of leadership.
- Organization: How clear, focused, and well-organized is the paper?
- Demonstrates masterful organization that strengthens your analysis.
- Synthesizes connections making explicit statements (not expecting instructor to infer student’s meaning).
- Writing: Does the paper reflect professional and graduate-level quality in grammar, writing style, and adherence to APA 6th format?
- Cites course materials (lectures, readings) appropriately.
- Properly formats paper using 12pt font, 1-inch margins, double- spacing, and proper sub-headings.
- Avoid contractions (i.e., I’m, you’re, we’re, etc. in academic writing)
- Indent all first lines of paragraphs (.5-inch tab)
- One main idea per paragraph with 2-3 supporting sentences (paragraphs should be 3-5 sentences in length.
1
Developmental Autobiography
Matthew Leteff
LED 620
October 13, 2024
Developmental Autobiography
Part I
My Developmental Journey
Early Foundations
I grew up in San Diego, and I have seen a diverse culture in the things that surround me. I don’t come from an Indigenous background, but I’ve always had a strong feeling of asking questions from both sides and community and respect instilled in me from my childhood. I have my family to thank in my formative years for showing me the power of resilience, respect, and education. They gave me the desire to learn and grow, and they made me notice that I needed to give something to the world around me. Family gatherings where you’d hear stories of perseverance and hard work brought about my place in the community and made me aware and responsible for helping others. This sense of ‘how could I ever be so connected or detached to my roots?’ has become a solid foundation I carry with me as I further my education at National University.
Educational Milestones
My developmental journey has had a lot to do with education. While I was at the school in San Diego, I was exposed to a lot of things, but it was the humanities that spoke to me. In history and literature, my teachers were mentors who helped me become critical of my thinking and questioning of societal norms. My most influential teacher has always drilled into me that learning is more than a success in academics; it’s a matter of understanding the world and a way of doing something meaningful in it (Abelha et al. 2020). Her advice shot me into shooting higher and setting large goals for myself. Moving from University of Maryland to a higher institution of education was a life-changing experience and one that forced me to begin growing past my comfort zone. This journey of mine has forced me to become adaptable and continually a learner to ensure my personal and academic growth as I educate myself in new ideas and experiences.
The Role of People and Mentors
Throughout my life, both as a person and as a leader, mentors have always played a big part in my development. A high school teacher who taught me in my formative years in San Diego was one of my earliest influences. She taught me to think outside of the box and to look beyond the classroom, and how internet thinking can be used in real life. What I admired about that was that her approach to teaching was one of a kind; she would push you into doing community service and make you know you have to be a part of the community as well and that kind of responsibility. Thanks to this mentorship, I realized that learning does not mean only being schooled but skills that one can use to bring change (Nyanjom, 2020). My parents have been constant sources of support. They taught me that you had to persevere, that you had to maintain integrity, and that in life, it's important to maintain balance. The support of their blank check, particularly in times when I would have wanted to give up, is what I rely on to this day.
While pursuing higher education in San Diego, I kept interacting with professors who shaped my understanding of leadership during most of my young adulthood. The message these mentors drove home was the necessity of collaboration and empathy while leading — communicating leadership away from thinking of it as a position of power to that of service (Ayoobzadeh & Boies, 2020). Listening and understanding diverse perspectives and building a sense of community with any team or organization is what it takes to be a good leader. Their teachings have shaken me and have contributed to my producing a leadership style that embraces inclusivity and mutual respect, which I am now engaged in more as a guide than a director to help others achieve success together. These experiences have played an enormous part in how I have come to look at my development as a leader and what I expect of myself in the future.
Young Adulthood and Expanding Horizons
Now, in young adulthood, I have changed the way I think. In earlier days of life, I was more interested in achieving such things as academic and personal goals, but today, I realize that thinking is very important in a broader sense or in a more inclusive way. In San Diego, studying has introduced me to different perspectives – from social justice to environmental sustainability – that I take a chance to adopt. However, I have come to appreciate the connectedness of various cultures and understand how my heritage fits into this larger global account. But despite these academic trajectories around leadership, it’s important to note that this shift has also molded the way I have approached leadership in both my professional and academic pursuits. My hope is to be led in the cultural sensitivity and awareness of which I integrate my Indigenous values with modern leadership principles.
Challenges and Turning Points
Transitioning to higher education at the National University in San Diego was one of the biggest turning points in my life. I forced myself out of my comfort zone and used surviving to forge relationships as a push to adapt to a new academic environment as well as a new social dynamism. At first, I found myself homesick for the familiar offers and self-doubting my chances of being good and competitive. Sometimes, the overwhelming pressure of being the only one you know from your hometown, the only one without a connection you grew up with, being on a new college campus with a diverse array of people just to survive the academic phase of the program, the pressure of excelling academically but building new friendships, was just too much for me. However, this experience later taught me valuable lessons in resilience and self-reliance. I learned to use my support system to still live my best life but also to draw strength from me to succeed in those challenges.
Future Aspirations
Looking ahead, I aspire to continue growing as both a person and a leader. Through my experience at the National University, my passion for social justice burns, and I am fully ready to share my knowledge and skills with my community. My number one goal is to create and initiate programs for underrepresented groups to ensure everyone is given the same opportunities. I imagine partnering together with local organizations to foster social equity and sustainability to retool the very real process of change and build a culture of inclusivity (Patterson et al. 2020). I aim to connect with lots of communities to start a dialogue, understand gaps, and increase possibilities for people to enrich their possessions. As I move forward, I know how to keep a balance between my development and my roots. I’m on a journey of finding ways to stay true to my values while contributing directly to the greater global community. I understand that growth is a continuous cycle and is dependent on learning from what we’ve gone through. I am ready to experience things never tasted before, build relationships that will enrich my life, and learn new ways to grow as a leader that so fits my dreams. Ultimately, I want to be a leader who inspires others, a person who stands for social justice, and who makes a difference on this planet.
References Abelha, M., Fernandes, S., Mesquita, D., Seabra, F., & Ferreira-Oliveira, A. T. (2020). Graduate employability and competence development in higher education—A systematic literature review using PRISMA. Sustainability, 5900. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12155900 Ayoobzadeh, M., & Boies, K. (2020). From mentors to leaders: leader development outcomes for mentors. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 497-511. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10-2019-0591 Nyanjom, J. (2020). Calling to mentor: the search for mentor identity through the development of mentor competency. Educational Action Research, 242-257. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2018.1559069 Patterson, B. J., Dzurec, L., Sherwood, G., & Forrester, D. A. (2020). Developing authentic leadership voice: Novice faculty experience. Nursing education perspectives, 10-15. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000494