Running head: ETHICAL FRAMEWORK

Ethical Framework: My FEWER Core Values

Mayra Sierra
Azusa Pacific University

Ethical Framework: My FEWER Core Values

An ethical framework is a system of values, which helps the person act in an ethical manner.
Once someone has established their values, they have then decided how they will live their lives.
Similarly, it relates to a persons worldview, which consists of our beliefs and assumptions
about how the world fits together (Wilkens, 2011). Further, values are similarly aligned to a
persons strengths which are tasks, skills, or areas where an individual excels in. Personally I
believe that my parents and my ethnic background have instilled in me the values that I possess. I
value family, education, work-ethic, and religion. Building relationships and having time for my
family is important. Obtaining an education is another piece that I value since my parents did not
have the opportunity to acquire this additional knowledge. Religion is another one of my values;
coming from a Mexican background introduced me to many different cultural and religious
traditions. Lastly, work-ethic because I have seen my parents work their best to offer their family

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a decent life. An acronym that would fit my core values is FEWER: family, education, workethic, and religion.
Furthermore, the values I inherited from my family are work-ethic, family, and religion. Both
my parents came to American back in 1989 to give their future family a better life. They have
provided us with what we most needed. They have shown us how hard they have had to work in
order to be where we are now. Both of them have been in the same low-wage jobs since they
arrived to America. My father works at a landscaping company while my mother works as a
housekeeper for a hotel. As a little girl, I rarely got to spend time with them due to their work
schedule. It was difficult growing up, but I had my older brother by my side. Although my
parents instilled these values on me, there have been times that I have challenged them. This has
happened not because I wanted too but because in order to fulfill my value on education I needed
to put family aside for a while.
There have been some instances where my values have been confronted. First of all, my role
as a student has challenged my value on family. One of my values is education and being the first
one in my family to have graduated with a Bachelors degree and now in the process of
completing a Masters degree, makes it even more important. In order to go forth with my dream
of obtaining a higher education, I needed to leave my home to go off to college. Coming from a
Mexican family, leaving the house without being married is not acceptable. Many people talked
while others were proud of me. Growing up in a community that valued family was hard,
especially for my father since he had a difficult time accepting that I needed to leave. This relates
to Wilkens (2011) view on ethical egoism, which states that a person should be concern with
ones own interests. In other words, we are just looking after ourselves, which is what college
students do. We are going to college for a better quality of life.
As a student, my religion was also challenged. Being a psychology major, one of the
courses I needed to take was Senior Seminar. The professor that was teaching the course decided

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to assign the topic of God for our seminar topic. Throughout the quarter students needed to
facilitate a discussion around religion, faith, or spirituality. Many of the students did not know
what they believed in or if they did, they doubted in Gods existence. There were times when I
myself experienced doubt and started to re-think my value of religion. Some of the conversations
were about intelligent design and the power to create such an exact world. Though, I have to say
that coming to Azusa Pacific University made me appreciate my value on religion. This place has
given me the opportunity to pray without judgement and believe in God.
The people who have inspired me to think about my values the most, aside from my family,
have been my role models. I can say that my teachers both my eighth grade math teacher, Mrs.
Garcia, and my high school AVID teacher, Mrs. Hernandez, impacted me the most. Both of them
came from a Hispanic background, therefore, there I found a common ground among us. They
both encouraged and guided students towards a college path. As AVID teachers they pushed us to
value education and hard work. My strengths being discipline, responsibility, and achiever fit in
with my values on work-ethic and education.
Moreover, there are some authors who have made me think about my values as well. The
film Freedom Writers based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and the
film Stand and Deliver written by Ramn Menndez and Tom Musca. These films were
motivating because they illustrated a cultural and historical significance to students of difference
races. Though I excelled in my classes, teachers saw me differently based on the color of my
skin. Hence, these films showed us that even though students might look dull they can still shine
if they challenged and supported instead of being undermined. Not only did my role models and
these films inspire me to think about my values but Wilkens (2011) views as well.
Wilkens (2011) brings out his opinions on the different ethical views that we see in our
culture and society today. His views on egoism, cultural relativism, natural law, and
multiculturalism relate to my core values. According to Wilkens (2011), peoples actions are

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based on their culture which is seen as cultural relativism. Humans act according to how they
were raised and taught. Personally, I believe this is true since my parents instilled in me the
values of family, work-ethic, and religion.
My FEWER core values influence me to work with college students in a meaningful way.
Since I value education and work-ethic, I feel that these values inspire me to want to work with
college students. I can say that college students value education and work-ethnic as well for the
fact that they decided to go to college and strive for something better in life. Thus, having
students who I share values with makes it easier for me to work alongside their journey. In
addition, my values are congruent with my decision to enter the student affairs field. Having
family as a value, means that I also value relationship, compassion, and helpfulness. With this
value I feel that I can guide students and help them feel heard, understood, and supported.
Religion also plays a role with this career path because students need someone who is full of
hope and who trusts Christ. Being able to offer aspirations through a spiritual lens can be
beneficial to students who also value God and his sayings. This is relatable to Wilkens (2011)
view on natural law ethics, which tells us how God wants us to live here and now.

References
De Vito, D., Shamberg, M., Sher, S. (Producers), & LaGravense, R. (Director). (2007) Freedom
Writers [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

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Musca, T. (Producer), & Menndez, R. (Director). (1988) Stand and deliver [Motion picture].
United States: Warner Bros.
Wilkens, S. (2011). Beyond bumper sticker ethics: An introduction to the theories of right and
wrong. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press.