Workshops draw out strengths

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There is a solution for students who find themselves in college’s biggest quandary: What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

OCCC’s Student Life is offering a free seminar that might help answer that question, said Amy Reynolds, first year experience and Student Life programs coordinator.

StrengthQuest, a series of three one-hour workshops, is scheduled at noon on three consecutive Mondays, Feb. 13, 20 and 27. The first meeting will be in room 2F2 in the Arts and Humanities Building, while the last two meetings will be in CU1.

The program is designed to reveal a student’s strengths and explain how to maximize those strengths for a better life, Reynolds said. It requires students to take an online test to begin, which they will do at the first meeting.

Some OCCC students have already had an opportunity to take the assessment and discover their strengths.

“I really enjoyed it,” said music major Candice Parker. “I didn’t have to language to why I do what I do. StrengthQuest gave me that language.”

StrengthQuest gives students a voice to describe their own personality by evaluating a test used to identify their strengths.

“To start the program, students will show up on day one and take an online assessment to determine their top five personal strengths,” Reynolds said. “The assessment doesn’t take very long because (with) each question they are trying to get your first response, so there is a timer.”

The assessment is similar to personality tests, but it is unique in one important way.

“StrengthQuest is different from other similar programs because it never focuses on your weaknesses,” Reynolds said. “It tells your five strengths, but you have no idea what your sixth strength is or what your last place strength is, so it stays positive.”

Once students are aware of their strengths, they return to the seminar a week later to discuss how to explore their strengths.

“The seminar gives personal insight on why you do what you do,” Reynolds said. “It’s great for people who don’t know what they want to do in life or are asking themselves, ‘how do I fit in?’”

The last meeting of the seminar is to discuss how to use personal strengths in business and student life.

During the final day, students learn how their strengths interact with other strengths, and how they can be used to succeed when working with other people, Reynolds said.

For students unable to attend the February meetings, another three-day StrengthQuest seminar is scheduled for April.

For more information, contact Reynolds at areynolds@occc.edu or by phone at 405-682-1611 ext. 7523.

To contact Wes Carter, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.

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