Find Your Stories

• 5

  Adaptability & Leadership

  A time you adjusted when something changed, stepped up without being asked, or helped someone keep going when things got hard.

  Practice guide
• 6

  Professionalism Course focus skill

  A time you followed through when it was hard, owned a mistake, managed competing responsibilities, or were someone others could count on.

  Practice guide
• 9

  Knowledge Application Course focus skill

  A time you applied something you learned, in a class, at work, or through experience, to a real situation.

  Practice guide
• ?

  Your choice

  Any of the other seven skills. Begin by naming your skill and explaining in a sentence or two why you chose it.

  Practice guide

Assigned: find your moment

• 5

  Adaptability & Leadership Assigned

  Adapting to changing circumstances, finding ways to work and thrive in different settings, and supporting others toward a shared goal.

  Leadership doesn't have to mean team captain or club president. It also means leading your own life: making decisions, taking responsibility for your choices, or stepping up in a small way without anyone assigning you the role. Sometimes it's just becoming someone others quietly look to because of how you handled something.

  Starting college is itself a major adjustment. Was there a moment early this semester when you had to adapt to something that caught you off guard? Or think about Module 3 (time and energy) or Module 10 (collaboration): when did something change unexpectedly, and how did you adjust? When did you lead yourself, or quietly help a group move forward?

• 6

  Professionalism Assigned

  Acting with honesty and fairness, prioritizing tasks, managing time, taking initiative, and following through reliably.

  At its core, professionalism is being someone others can rely on: doing what you said you'd do, acting with integrity, and staying aware of how your actions affect the people around you.

  Think about Module 3 (your time plan) or Module 8 (your career snapshot). When did you follow through on something even though it was hard or inconvenient? When did your word matter to a classmate, coworker, or instructor, and you kept it? When did you balance what you wanted to do with what you knew was the responsible thing?

• 9

  Knowledge Application Assigned

  Applying what you've learned, including academic knowledge, skills, and abilities, to real situations connected to your field or career direction.

  It doesn't have to be a big "aha" moment. It can be something from a class showing up somewhere outside that class: a concept that clicked once you saw it in real life, or a skill from an assignment that turned out to be useful for something else.

  Think about Module 6 (academic planning) or Module 8 (career exploration). When did something you learned in a class, or discovered about a career path, change how you thought about your future or what you did next?

Your choice: does one of these spark something?

• 1

  Communication Your choice

  Listening, weighing different perspectives, and expressing your thoughts clearly, in writing, in conversation, or in a formal setting.

  Real communication goes beyond the words. It includes listening, and being honest with yourself about why you're saying what you're saying: angling for something, nervous and filling space, or trying to control where a conversation goes.

  When did you have a conversation you weren't looking forward to: asking for help, clearing up a misunderstanding, or explaining something to someone who saw it differently? Or when did you notice something about how you were communicating, and what was driving it?

• 2

  Critical & Creative Thinking Your choice

  Evaluating information and assumptions to reach informed conclusions, and combining ideas in original ways to solve problems.

  Part of this is being strategic instead of reactive. A lot of what competes for your attention is designed to provoke a quick reaction. Noticing that, and choosing your response anyway, is critical thinking too.

  Think about Module 9's 4C Check or Module 4's SIFT method. When did you slow down and think something through instead of going with your first reaction? When did you notice emotion pulling you toward a quick conclusion, and step back?

• 3

  Quantitative Reasoning Your choice

  Using data, numbers, and evidence to guide decisions and choose the best approach to a problem.

  If "I'm bad at math" is your first reaction, you're probably using more math than you give yourself credit for: budgeting, fitting time between classes and shifts, adjusting a recipe, comparing prices.

  Think about Module 5 (financial planning). When did looking at actual numbers (a budget, a schedule, a pattern you tracked) change a decision? Or when did you use numbers to figure something out in everyday life, even if you wouldn't have called it math?

• 4

  Interpersonal Relations Your choice

  Showing self-awareness and appreciation for different perspectives, and working respectfully with others.

  Think of this one as your own planet: what's going on with you in relationships, how you connect, and what you need. (Collaboration & Teamwork is the solar system: how you operate within a group.)

  Think about Module 2 (your support system). When did you notice something about how you connect with people, or navigate a relationship that mattered to you?

• 7

  Civic Engagement Your choice

  Taking part in activities, political, social, or otherwise, that address issues and benefit a shared community.

  There's a saying often associated with Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world." It doesn't have to mean something huge. It can mean noticing a gap in a community you're part of and helping close it.

  Think about Module 11 and your Mile Marker #11. When were you part of that kind of change, even informally? Or how do you want to start being that kind of presence, building on your offer and boundary?

• 8

  Collaboration & Teamwork Your choice

  Working effectively in teams, being an effective team member, and managing conflict constructively.

  Where Interpersonal Relations is your own planet, this one is the solar system: how you operate within a group, and how everyone's orbits affect each other.

  Think about Module 10 (your collaboration profile). Almost everyone has a group work story, and it's not always a good one. A project that went sideways often makes a better story than a smooth one, especially if you can point to something you did or learned because of it.

• 10

  Information Literacy Your choice

  Identifying, evaluating, and responsibly using information to make decisions.

  This one connects to Critical & Creative Thinking. Approaching information, especially news and what you see online, with healthy skepticism often means staying calm enough to evaluate it before reacting.

  Think about Module 4, where you learned SIFT. When did you have to stop and check whether something was true or trustworthy before relying on it or reacting to it?