Gustavus Adolphus College

It might not be today, or next week, or even next year, but at some point it's going to hit you. Life is not just about getting the perfect degree that leads you to that perfect well-paying job, so you can buy that perfect house and park that perfect car in your two, wait, make that three-car garage.

That perfect life will start to feel a little shallow before long unless you learn to sort through the voices that tell you who to be, to listen to your own voice and learn to trust it. You can shape a life that blends your skills with the things you care about and the needs of the people around you. We're here to help.

Welcome to the Center for Vocational Reflection. Our purpose is to encourage you to take a real look at the person you are and the gifts you possess, so you can find that way of life that matters--a life that's true to who you are, but about more than yourself.

• 24 students have been selected for the 2008-2009 Servant Leadership Program who will spend their summer working in servant-leadership roles at various sites across the world. Participants will then gather during the 2008-2009 academic year to reflect on their summer experiences and develop servant-leadership skills through a series of workshops and retreats. Check out Chris Bacon's, Lydia Davitt's or Esther Mulder's stories from their SLP experience!

• On April 16-18, we welcomed Juliet Schor to campus. Juliet Schor’s research over the last ten years has focused on issues pertaining to trends in work and leisure, consumerism, the relationship between work and family, women's issues and economic justice. Schor is currently is at work on a project on the commercialization of childhood, and is beginning research on environmental sustainability and its relation to Americans’ lifestyles. She is a board member and co-founder of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to transforming North American lifestyles to make them more ecologically and socially sustainable.

• During January 2008 interim experience, a group of 16 students were a part of the Changing the World: Justice, Action and the Meaning of Life class. This class has read, visited, and "thought outside the box" on ways of making a difference in our world. Neal Hagberg, Gustavus alumni and performer was with the class to creatively talk, through song, about social justice issues. A small group of classmates took on a knitting project for CADA House; another group of classmates have been gathering toiletries for the Salvation Armyand another group continues to work with Eric Utne in creating an Earth Council (see www.theElders.org) at Gustavus. You do not have to be a member of the class to be a part of this group. For more information regarding this endeavor, please click here.

The programs and services of the Center for Vocational Reflection are made possible through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, Inc.