Last weekend, 12 students participated in a sophomores-only retreat at Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse in Boiling Springs, Pa. The retreat, which is a component of the new Sophomore Experience program at Elizabethtown College, featured two days of vocation-related activities.
Stacey Zimmerman, the assistant director of Called to Lead, facilitated the retreat. According to her, some students from last year’s sophomore class participated in a pilot trip to Allenberry in Feb. 2013.
In addition to Zimmerman, Dr. Kristen Waughen of the College’s computer science department and Professor Tyler Grimm, an adjunct faculty member in the English department, were among the faculty and staff who presented their vocation stories to students and interacted with the Class of 2017 in small discussion groups. Topics included how the term “vocation” is defined, how careers can differ from vocations and self-reflection as a method to determine purpose in life.
Prior to the retreat, Zimmerman asked students to interview a professional who they want to emulate.
Students also took the online StrengthsFinder evaluation, which identifies a person’s top five strengths or character traits. Much of the discussion stemmed from the students’ varied StrengthsFinder results and what insight students shared from their interviews. Each student received a “Passport to Purposeful Life Work,” which has the appearance of an actual passport book, to take back to campus. Inside the book are certain activities related to vocation that students can check off to earn prizes from Career Services.
During the first night at Allenberry, Grimm led students on what he called a “Haunted History Tour” of Boiling Springs. As he identified the most historic buildings, such as houses involved in the Underground Railroad, and landmarks in the town to students, he discussed some of the town’s supernatural stories as well. Grimm also brought along ghost-hunting paraphernalia for students to try out before they returned to Allenberry and attempted to sleep. Another sophomore retreat will be held at the same location in Feb. 2015. Both are funded by a grant from the Council of Independent Colleges Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education.