For many students across the country, one of the biggest challenges in college can be trying to figure out what you’re meant to do and who you’re meant to be. In high school, you may have thought your AP biology class was a piece of cake and that you were destined to be a heart surgeon. After a week in a college-level biology class, however, you begin to realize the idea of leading a team of physicians to help save lives makes you nauseous. Suddenly, you’re unsure about where your talents and best interests stand. This can be nerve-wracking, but Trinity understands how common and stressful this situation is. By offering students the opportunity to take StrengthsQuest, students can learn more about their natural abilities, allowing them to find security and stability in making choices about their future.

In its second year on campus, StrengthsQuest is a relatively new online tool that students can use to learn more about themselves.

“StrengthsQuest is an online inventory that allows individuals to learn more about their natural leadership talents, as well as receive a lot of information about what they do well,” said Melissa Flowers, director of the residential life office.
The results StrengthsQuest provides demonstrate the top qualities an individual naturally possesses. Each student is different.

“The results show five talents you have innately that are as natural to you as breathing. The clues to these talents include satisfaction, yearning, glimpses of excellence, rapid learning and flow,” said Flowers.

Once individuals get their results, they can pursue learning more about what their talents can do for them.

“These talents are indicative of how you might interact in your relationships and they are connected to potential career fields, so members of the Career Services staff can help with that,” said Flowers.

Though anyone on campus is welcome to use StrengthsQuest, sophomores are highly encouraged to look into it.

“StrengthsQuest is an assessment that students use to evaluate their greatest talents. You understand leadership development and career exploration, so because of the timing, we use it in sophomore college,” said Lisa Petrakis, Residential Life coordinator for sophomore college.

Although it has only been on campus for a short time, access to Strengthsquest has been increasing.

“It’s been used in the past for some leadership trainings, Residential Mentors’ training have used it as a leadership tool, but the expansion is fairly new. In the 2014-2015 year about 200 students used it, but already about 165 students have used it this year, so we are expecting a lot more interest this year,” said Petrakis.

With increasing interest in the program, members of the StrengthsQuest staff are looking forward to seeing greater results.

“We’ve seen a lot of success and exciting results with StrengthsQuest. I’d like to see that momentum continue and more students express an interest in it,” said Petrakis.

StrengthsQuest is a prime opportunity for students to learn more about themselves and determine what their most valuable traits are. As a free program on Trinity’s campus, it’s a great chance for any individual curious about their strengths to pursue. Students interested in learning more can contact Lisa Petrakis in Residential Life for more information about how to access the program.