Student affairs professionals have hearts of superheroes, always ready to save the day, and often completing projects with superhuman abilities.

The new Wonder Woman film inspired us to explore superhero archetypes and how they show up in our student affairs and higher ed work environments.

Here’s to all the heroics of our amazing, sensational, spectacular, super campus colleagues; may you all be them, work with them, and learn from them.

1. Wonder Woman

The recent Wonder Woman film depicts the hero’s origins during World War I and the beginning of her journey to be the savior we know (and was shown in modern times in a standout role in Batman v Superman). The movie explores a lot of different, and important concepts about being a woman in a man’s world.

Wonder Woman, otherwise known as Diana, confronts skepticism from nearly everyone she meets and she has to prove her worth time and again. This is the experience our colleagues (and students) face who come from underrepresented backgrounds. Often times they’re leaving a world that is familiar to embark on a new adventure so they can grow (just like Diana). This comes with difficulties, doubt, and a lack of support from a community that is unsure of who you are.

In the film, Diana has a wealth of optimism and idealism about her journey out to save the world. She is met with harsh realism and inequalities. Often our students (or ourselves) want to “save the world” but get disappointed by the difficult prospect that lay ahead. But just as Wonder Woman eventually does, that only means we have to commit ourselves to fighting the good fight even more. It also means we need to bring everyone together, especially the Wonder Women in our teams, to work to do right by each other.

2. Deadpool

On the more comedic side, Deadpool is a character who is always aware he’s in a comic book and typically speaks directly to the reader.

It is in this meta self-awareness we see the student affairs personality of the student development theory lover who is constantly seeing theories playing out in front of them and explaining them out loud. Theoretical frameworks are a valuable asset, but Deadpool-type personalities can sometimes be characterized as off-putting (although well-intentioned). Overall we can learn from Deadpool’s humor and intentionality.

3. Captain America

Captain America is a classic character who serves as a symbol of justice, in a similar way that Wonder Woman does. The current comic book Cap (the former Falcon, Sam Wilson) and the former Captain America, Steve Rogers, are committed to freedom and stick to their values no matter what.

While Steve Rogers is currently acting as an agent of the nefarious Hydra organization (don’t get me started), he has some amazing moments in the history of the comics where he fights for freedom, and always is his own person. He opposes the Superhero Registration Act in Civil War, and in a recent film, Cap works to dismantle the SHIELD organization when he discovers it is implementing mass surveillance and undermining people’s privacy.

We all have — and need — someone on our teams working for the rights and freedoms of our students.

4. Batman

Batman (and, for that matter, the whole Bat-family pictured below) have nothing other than their tech, wits, and detective abilities to help them. They’re not like the prior two heroes on this list that have the benefit of super abilities.

Batman (or his alter ego, Bruce Wayne) has all the money in the world and uses his resources to research, analyze, plan, and act for the greater good with his team. They learn all that they can before they act. They consider all of their options to make sure they can  avoid killing no matter what — this is Batman’s one cardinal rule.

There are always people on our teams who are very detail-oriented and can be called upon for the most accurate answer. And hey, if they are trained in martial arts that’s great too, but not required.

5. The Flash

The Flash (as well as his teammates, Kid Flash and Jesse Quick) all have the benefit of super speed.

These speedsters zip around saving the day, just like student affairs professionals zoom all around campus to have meetings, host programs, and work to support our students. We all know those professionals (or maybe you are one yourself) that you always see jetting all over campus, making it to every program and event on time. Super speed would be a pretty practical superpower for student affairs folks. Now if we could just be in two places at once…

6. ElastiGirl

You know her from the Pixar movie The Incredibles. You may also know this character as being one of the most efficient and budget-conscious heroes on your student affairs staff.

ElastiGirl (far right) is known for wanting to shatter the glass ceiling through her dream of becoming a prominent super heroine. She is known for her elasticity, resilience, and positive reactions when dealing with crisis situations on the fly. When the anti-Super law goes into effect, she still uses her superpowers for good and utilizes them where she can (helping raise her three kids).

7. Spider-Man

One of the classic elements of Spider-Man’s story (as well as those of his counterparts in alternate universes, like Spider-Woman or Miles Morales) is balancing his personal life with his life as a superhero.

Peter Parker (the original Spidey) had a complicated life before he became a superhero. He was taking care of his Aunt May, trying to find a girlfriend, had a job, and went to school. Juggling all that along with being a responsible hero often comes at a cost for Peter. He often has to sacrifice something and always feels like he’s not doing enough. Only when we welcomes people into his life and his struggles does he begin to gain a better balance.

Student affairs professionals can commit a lot of themselves to their jobs, so it’s just as important for us as it is for Spider-Man to make sure we have folks around us help to keep everything in check.

8. Green Lantern

The members of the Green Lantern Corps are able to create energy constructs through sheer willpower.

There is a great diversity of Lanterns across the universe (the ones protecting Earth typically being Hal Jordan or Jon Stewart) and they all use different tools, whatever comes to their mind given the situation. They wield great power and can do amazing things.

Some student affairs professionals seem to create amazingly engaging programs out of thin air. If only they could move stuff around with the magical properties of a green ring.

Which superhero do you resonate most with?

Let us know! Tweet us @themoderncampus & @HigherEd_Geek!