REACH and Student Accomplishment Statements

Helping students be more aware of what they are gaining through their university experience is a core part of our work in student affairs. Coaching them to think in terms of accomplishment statements can be a great way to do that. Help them think through how they are applying responsibility, engaged citizenship, active leadership, critical thinking or healthy and balanced living in terms of specific actions and outcomes.

The Purpose of Accomplishment Statements

• Concisely describe your achievements, gains and outcomes from your past experience.
• Convey your potential value to prospective employers and organizations.
• Forecast your future development goals and likely contributions.

A Quick Formula for an Accomplishment Statement

SAy SO = Resumé-ready Bullet Point

Identify the Situation, Action, Skills and Outcomes for each of your leadership experiences.

• Situation
  • New student, looking for ways to get involved, make a difference.
  • Identifying opportunity to support Roadrunners Give Back Homecoming service project.
• Action
  • Recruited and led team of volunteers for the SA Food Bank.
• Skills
  • Networking and inspiring others to get involved, time-management, organization and coordinating team efforts.
• Outcomes
  • Tripled volunteer team size (15 students); assembled 1,208 boxes consisting of 36,000 pounds of donated food, thereby providing 8,456 meals to senior citizens.

Submitted by —
Eliot Howard
Associate Director,
Student Leadership Development

Any questions or comments? Please send us an email at VPSA@utsa.edu.