At the University of Mobile, we want students to Know and Be Known. College is a time to not only gain knowledge in the selected field a student chooses, but also to learn more about oneself; to discover the gifts and talents from the Lord.
To help students discover their gifts and talents, all UM freshmen, when they take our Freshman Seminar class, take the CliftonStrengths Test.
The CliftonStrengths Test identifies 34 of the most common human talents that are used to describe an individual, pointing to his or her greatest potential. CliftonStrengths is a psychometric assessment or a scientific tool that measures cognitive formation and function. To put simply, this test is meant to help students learn more about who they really are and how they can use these strengths to fulfill their calling.
This test was originally developed by Dr. Donald Clifton in 1999 from the perspective of Positive Psychology to help people focus on what they do best. Based on a 40-year study of human strengths, Gallup created a language of the 34 most common talents and developed the CliftonStrengths assessment to help people discover and describe these talents. Some examples of Talents/Strengths are Achiever, Connectedness, Discipline, Intellection, Strategic.
We are celebrating these Strengths because it is used to aid students, faculty, and staff in their forward-moving career development during their time at UM.
This year, UM’s Celebrate Strengths program is highlighting the achievements of our student workers. Colleges and universities across the country receive Department of Education funds to build work-study jobs for eligible students. UM work-study supervisors were asked to recommend a student worker from their department that actively utilizes their Strengths on a day-to-day basis. In addition, they were asked to identify and provide a short description of the specific Strength/Strengths that the student was using.
We are happy to announce that the following students were recommended by their work-study supervisors:
- Ayeshia Abraham
- Recognized Strengths: Consistency and Discipline
- Department: Financial Aid
- Abby Waldrep
- Recognized Strengths: Discipline & Individualization
- Department: Student Life
- John Mark Butler
- Recognized Strengths: Woo and Communication
- Department: Student Success
Pictured from Left to Right: Lawrencine Mason, Abby Waldrep, Charity Wittner, Ayeshia Abraham
Pictured from Left to Right: Lawrencine Mason, John Mark Butler
If you would like more information about Strengths at the University of Mobile, please contact Lawrencine Mason, Career Services Coordinator at lmason@umobile.edu.
Lawrencine Mason is the career services coordinator at the University of Mobile. She is part of the team at UM’s Student Success Center that provides a variety of resources for students, including career and job search preparation, academic coaching and tutoring, counseling, disability support and the First Year Success program.