What are your strengths?

To help students at Grand Valley State University navigate their academic and personal lives, the Office of Student Life is hosting a StrengthsQuest series to help students discover their particular specialized knowledge and skill sets.

A three-part leadership series, students started by taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder, a 30-minute web-based assessment, to find their top five signature themes and then bring that report to the discover session, which was on March 2 in the Grand River Room in Kirkhof, to learn how to implant their given strengths in their daily lives.

Nicole Wilson, graduate assistant in the Laker Leadership programs at GVSU and one of the facilitators of the leadership-based series, said that the reason why this series is being conducted at GVSU is because it is rooted in positive psychology and helping students better themselves.

“Normally, we focus in our society on what we are not doing well,” she said. “Instead, StrengthsQuest focuses on what we are doing well.”

Focusing on discover, work and leadership in the series, StrengthsQuest emphasized that taking the assessment is the first step in the program. The second step, work, teaches students how to incorporate their strengths into their career plan so that they may narrow down a career path or learn how to include those strengths within their resume or cover letter. A work-focused session will be held on March 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Kirkhof Center Room 2259.

The third step, leadership, will help students maximize their strengths for current and future leadership roles. A leadership session will be held on April 2 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Kirkhof Center Room 2263 and on April 6 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Kirkhof Center Room 2259.

Emily Cabot, an intern in the Office of Student Life who helped conduct the discover portion of the series, said that attendance was five times greater in the winter semester than in the fall semester.

She hopes the strengths-based series will become more well-known on campus and will allow further participation in the following academic year.

“StrengthsQuest is beginning to become more well-used across campuses and in the career field as it is an asset that students can use to set themselves apart,” she said. “The participants are always really awesome and we have great conversations and the feedback is always positive. We hope to develop this even more in the future.”

Wilson said that while the series has been branded into focusing on discover, work and leadership, the series is focused on positivity and working for themselves.

“(If) you are a first year student and trying to just become more self-aware, this is a really great tool for you,” she said. “It’s also equally as great for graduating seniors who will be going career field soon and need to find a best fit of an employer who will be able to use their strengths.”

For more information about the StrengthsQuest series, visit www.gvsu.edu/leadership.

To take the online strength finder assessment, visit www.strengthsquest.com.