As students are readjusting to being back at Capital, people cannot help but to notice some of the changes over summer. One of the recent additions to campus is the introduction of a new service offered to students, Compass Leaders. Ten upperclassmen undergraduate students have been selected to serve as Peer Vocation Mentors.
The new program at Capital University has set out to help students find their meaning and purpose when choosing what to major in and what job they would like to have upon graduation. The Mentors can meet individually with students that are questioning or wondering about finding their vocation.
Kelsey Jarrett, assistant director of Academic Success, and the one in charge of the Compass Leader program, said, “People aren’t fulfilled and happy with their jobs. The [Compass Leader] program helps start the conversation of vocation.”
Many departments across campus have joined together to help launch this new resource. During their orientation, the Peer Vocation Mentors trained with Kelsey Jarret and Bruce Epps of Academic Success, Eric Anderson of Career Development, Pastor Gary Sandberg, Dean of Studies, Dr. Jody Fournier, and Jennie Smith and John Geyer of Residential and Commuter Life. There has been a mass collaboration among faculty and staff to start focusing on vocation across campus.
Charlie Kim, a Junior Music Education major and Compass Leader, was asked about his initial interest in the program and what he was looking forward to.
“I wanted to initially become a Compass Leader because I was nominated by a professor,” Charlie said. “I know that seems silly, but being nominated by someone you admire gives you a boost of confidence and self-esteem. This coupled with the idea of helping people really got me excited enough to want to be a Compass Leader.”
He later said, “Being a Compass Leader means that I will be there for those in need. We call ourselves Compass Leaders because we want to help people find direction in life, schooling, and basically anything else. I am just someone people can talk to if they have concerns, uncertainties, or simply need someone to hear them out. We are ultimately here to help.”
The mentors are available to meet and take a holistic approach to work one-on-one with students. In the near future, the mentors can ‘Compass’ in six locations on campus: Lohman, Saylor Ackerman, Cotterman, Kern’s Religious Life Center, Career Development, and Academic Success.
Compass Leaders will primarily be working with first-year students, but all students can schedule an individual meeting with a mentor. The purpose of this program is to help students with life after graduation.
Jarret went on to say, “Students aren’t just getting a degree, they’re contributing to the greater meaning and greater good.”
The phrase that has become the Compass Leader slogan is “Ignite your passion, shape your future.”
Christin Koosman, one of the 10 Vocational Mentors, said, “[Compass Leaders] is a good way to work and build relationships with first-year students. I look forward to helping students find not only what they’re good at, but also their interests in their majors.”
Although the mentors focus on helping students with finding meaning and purpose, they also will work on presentations and programming for student organizations by talking to the groups or bringing in a speaker to help address organizations.
If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with Compass Leaders, you can email compass@capital.edu or call (614)-236- 6191. Mentors can also be reached on the Compass Leader Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
zgerhardt@capital.edu
