Opening Our Hearts and Hearing Their Stories
As career professionals, it is our job to provide students with the tools they need to make good career decisions, or at least that is what we believe it to be, most days. Pumping out resumes or reminding students to smile during interviews are ways in which we support them. But what about encouraging them to use their personal stories to make career and lifestyle decisions? What about their backgrounds have led them to our campus or even into our office? I often ask students to answer these seemingly simple questions, and I find that the responses are usually not that simple. College students have interesting stories—some relatable, many unbelievable! Financial instability, physical or mental health concerns, and family obligations are just of few of the burdens our students face. Is it possible for students to use their stories in a positive way, as they take the next step in reaching their first destination?
As a native of Latrobe, PA, the hometown of Mr. Rogers, I, like most, am often reminded of his dedication to his “neighborhood,” his distinctive style of connecting with both children and adults, and his way of making each of us feel special. Often you will hear his voice, during challenging times, reminding us to “find the helper.” This phrase has appropriately been spoken, now more than ever before. However, during my years in higher education, I have been inspired by another quote from the famous TV personality: “As human beings our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has or ever will have -- something inside that is unique to all time. It is our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.” What if we, the career services staff, helped our students to see their true value and discover the connection their personal experiences have to the “real world?”
Many students hide their stories or believe they hinder their career growth. Others want to use their stories, but they just don’t know how. Those who seem to have an easy life on the outside may not be recognized by what’s in their hearts and on their minds on the inside. Still others put up a tough front while being distracted by unimaginable fears. It is our duty to constantly educate the campus and local communities on all that our students have to offer. More importantly, our students need to believe we are cheering for them because of who they are and all they have experienced. We will root for those with the with the perfect grades, but also for those entering our campus with a personal history of challenges that many of us could never understand. The more our students appreciate their own stories, the better chance they have of using them to thrive in life, both during and after college.
Serving as role models for career success, we cannot take our own jobs lightly. Let’s put ourselves in our students’ shoes and strive to inspire through conversation and encourage critical thinking by asking the right questions. If we truly listen, keeping our hearts open to their unique stories and teaching them that their stories have value, we can be the helpers and show them they are special, too.