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[/media-credit]Momentum is an interactive workshop focused on providing students with practical strategies for achieving goals whether they are academic, spiritual or personal.
The workshop was held Monday, Sept. 8, in the Penick Academic Complex and included presentations by Ben Burleson, programming coordinator for the Vocatio Center and Bethany Morse, director of the Hundley Center.
The short course educated students on the importance of taking proactive steps to implement or increase positive momentum in their academic and career development.
“When students feel confident about their abilities and have clear career goals, they succeed in the classroom,” Morse said.
Burleson defined Momentum using Isaac Newton’s law of inertia, “an object in motion stays in motion…”
“Whether that momentum is positive or negative depends on the small decisions we make every day,” Burleson said. “Therefore, we hope to empower students to begin or continue making small positive choices faithfully that will build positive momentum resulting in holistic success, both academic and personal.”
The workshop strove to impress upon students the significance of knowing their starting points, how to sharpen skills, explore options, deal with obstacles and how to achieve goals.
At the end of the workshop, students had the opportunity to sign up for individual appointments with Burleson and Morse to further discuss their unique circumstances and hone in on key strategies that the students can implement.
The partnership between the Vocatio Center and the Hundley Center permits the departments to reach a larger number of students, particularly students who are unsure about their major or minor and students who may be uneasy about succeeding at Union.
Jacqueline Taylor, assistant dean of students and director of the Vocatio Center said, “We want students to graduate with a sense of purpose and self-knowledge and ultimately a true understanding of what their calling is in life.”
Burleson said, “We also hope to connect students with resources through the Hundley and Vocatio Centers that will support and facilitate this process.”
Burleson said the workshop was a success if students felt empowered to be proactive in achieving their personal goals in and outside of the classroom and if they were able to communicate tangible steps to assist them in doing so.
This was the first workshop of its kind on the campus.
Both centers are using it as a precursor for students who need a more in-depth process such as the eight week Personalized Academic and Career Exploration (PACE) class offered by the Vocatio Center later in the fall semester.
