After spring break, the Career Center will offer a discernment course for first-year students who are wondering how to make the most of their time at Notre Dame.
Elly Brenner, an academic advisor for First Year of Studies, said the course aims to help students learn the skills necessary for career discernment at a faith-based university.
"We will ask students to take a pretty hard look at their lives," Brenner said. "We want them to have the opportunity to evaluate what it is that makes them tick and think about whether or not they are feeding their passions."
Brenner said she and Hilary Flanagan, director of the Career Center, will teach the course on Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. The pair will collaborate with several campus organizations like Campus Ministry, the Center for Social Concerns and the Institute for Church Life.
Various campus advisors and faculty members from the Mendoza College of Business will also assist in the course.
"We hope students who take the course will be better prepared to be more intentional in their personal development during their time at Notre Dame, as well as in their lifetime pursuits," Brenner said. "[To take] time for self-assessment and make use of campus resources to focus on discerning a path for their truest and best selves."
The course aims to help students assess personal strengths and areas for growth, develop an appreciation for good mentoring and cultivate a disposition for informed exploration during the college years, Brenner said.
"It's a lofty goal, but I think we have the right team put together to make this a tremendous experience for the students who participate," she said.
Brenner said she hopes students discover campus discernment resources and recognize why they make certain choices about courses of study and future aspirations.
Flanagan said the Career Center is excited by the interest the course has generated.
"As we seek to create an authentic human community, it is imperative that we allow students the opportunity to discover their authentic selves and think about where their unique talents can best serve the world in a way that is also personally filling," she said.
