For years, individuals around the country have interviewed those who inspire them and archived those conversations in perpetuity. Before students of the Class of 2023 arrived on campus, they participatedin a similar exercise, embarking upon a journey of personal exploration and discovery.
“We were excited by the opportunity to have students participate in a StoryCorps-like project where they could interview family members and others who inspire them,” shared Jenny Morrison, Ph.D., assistant vice president for academic affairs, who collaborated with Spanish Professor Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., director of the College’s Center for Purpose and Vocation (CPV), and Associate Professor of English Becky DiBiasio, Ph.D., to develop a project for first-year students to share and archive stories of inspirational people in their lives. “We hope this project will help incoming first-year students begin their journey to find meaning and purpose in life and work.”
StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization dedicated to gathering and archiving interviews of people’s stories. All first-year students were required to read Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, which was edited by StoryCorps founder David Isay, and subsequently record an interview with someone they admire and believe to have an interesting job or purpose in life. The interviews focused on how the chosen individual discovered a “calling” through employment, community service, a specific talent, etc.
According to Morrison, Callings – the first-year common book for the Class of 2023 – distinguishes itself particularly in its accessibility, its relevance to this moment in the lives of new college students, and the opportunities for developing cocurricular applications and events. “It is powerful in capturing so many different voices and in showing us that there are many ways to find meaning and purpose in how we live and what we do,” she said.
Matthew McNaughton ’23 learned that one’s calling in life does not necessarily have to be job related after interviewing his marathon-runner mother, who calls running her “sanctuary.” “I learned that your calling can be something that is a positive outlet in your life,” said McNaughton. “That this positive outlet can serve a bigger purpose, as it helps you in every aspect of your life, pushes you to be the best version of yourself, and helps you discover not only your path in life, but who you are as a person.”
Sarah Mattison ’23, whose interview with best friend Kaydi inspired her to pursue her dream of dance at Assumption, believes others’ stories are important because they can serve as learning experiences. “They allow us to explore all different domains of who we are physically, socially, and emotionally,” she said. “We can use these stories as inspiration and as fuel to empower ourselves and others.”
McNaughton agrees. “Empowering stories can motivate young minds and help them relate and discover their aspirations and goals in life,” he said.
The CPV advances institutional efforts to build a dynamic and inclusive culture of vocational engagement at the College and encourages students to explore their passions and how their chosen vocations can benefit the world in which they live.
Many students found that knowing one’s vocation isn’t always straightforward. “From this project I learned that what you are meant to do will not always come right to you. Sometimes you have to go and search for things,” said Molly Bates ’23, who interviewed her mother, Kristie Bates, an occupational therapist. “By learning about my mother’s story, I can see that I am not the only person trying to find my ‘calling.’”
Elizabeth Stone ’23 not only learned more about her father, Michael Stone, a portrait photographer, through their interview, but also that “there are so many different career paths in life, and understanding that these may change over time is perfectly fine and may sometimes be for the better. You find what your passion is and pursue it with everything you have.”
