McKinney 1

Kallie McKinney
Professor Robert Brown
UWRT 1103-007-Spring 2015
March 18, 2015
Learning how to deal with difficult situations can be a hard task but my
literacy sponsor, Kevin Gaughenbaugh, seems to know where to start and how to do
it. Kevin is the Residence Coordinator for Lynch Hall, which is the building that I live
in on campus. Not only have I enjoyed getting to know Kevin while working on this
project, I have grown to respect him even more by how he helped me in my own
situations.
Kevin earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of
Scranton in Pennsylvania, which is where he is originally from. During his time there
he was involved in the Mu Tau Beta Honors Fraternity and the Catholic Campus
Ministry Association, in which he was a campus minister for four years. His graduate
years were spent here at UNC Charlotte, earning his degree in counseling and
working as a Graduate Assistant for two years until his current position of a
Residence Coordinator.
The literacy that I am focusing upon is helping or guiding others in difficult
situations, or counseling, in other words. It is a complex literacy that demands
patience, knowledge and care for others regardless of differences in opinion. My
personal definition of literacy is the ability to understand concepts and apply them.

McKinney 2
This ties in with the focused literacy because one must understand the underlying
concepts of listening to others, interpreting their actions and giving feedback in
order to help them in a dire situation. I was attracted to learning this literacy
because mental illness runs in my family and I knew that counseling is a part of the
psychology field. In all honesty, I hoped that while learning about this literacy from
Kevin that he would possibly apply his literacy of guiding or counseling to my real
life problems, which he did and Im grateful that he listened to me and gave me the
advice that he gave. He also applied his literacy to me when unfortunate situations
and incidents occurred in my suite. I wont go into details, but
I will say that Kevin is a master at his literacy and did his best to use his knowledge
to help and guide us in the best direction.
I observed Kevin in a Residence Advisor meeting where he and another
woman, whom I did not know, guide the RAs in their meeting to complete the
objectives, have collaboration on future projects and complete the duties of their
positions. It was such a fun and laid back environment that I loved. Everyone was
their true self. The RAs held the meeting as their own, but Kevin was there for
assistance and guidance if needed, just as he is for me now and for anyone who
needs it.