Blogs

By Anna Mumma

In the Spring of 2020, the Vocation Implementation Team sent out a call for proposals to faculty and staff within the University of Dayton with the hope of creating a vocation-based book to be used by upper-level educators, collegiate students, and others involved in vocationally-inspired work. Because of the inspiring chapter proposals, we decided to highlight the voices behind each chapter. Thus, the “Vocation Perspectives” blog series began.  

Adrienne Ausdenmoore, the founding director at the Institute of Applied Creativity for Transformation (IACT), has 15 years of experience in education and innovation. She has spent time managing innovative learning spaces, leading visioning initiatives, design experiential learning, and vocational discernment opportunities. By teaching the University of Dayton’s “design your life” course, Adrienne has spent time with students and guided them alongside their vocational journey. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Adrienne this summer to hear more about her work, what she has chosen to write for our upcoming Vocation book, and general advice she has for students and faculty. Within her “Design your Life” course, taught through IACT, students are encouraged to remember that vocation (and life) is a process and are given guidelines for how to navigate that journey. For Adrienne, vocation is about “wayfinding” and while she never realized that was what she was doing when she was in undergrad, she realizes how her decision to follow her passion instead of following what her friends expected of her to do, she was able to travel along her own vocational journey. Now, as a professor, she hopes her students can “make meaning of everything” and find a connection between their classes and their own interests.  

We, the Vocation Implementation Team, hope you are able to take some time and listen to Adrienne’s interview. With the uncertainty, stress, and world-wide changes that 2020 has brought, this is the time for students, faculty, and our greater University of Dayton community to come together. Adrienne shares wonderful advice, tips, and comfort for everyone, no matter where they are on their own vocational journey.  

Click here to access the transcript.