If you viewed the last video, then you know I have something super exciting I want to share with you! It’s a special, limited-time opportunity that I can’t wait to tell you about: a live training course for practitioners (student affairs professionals, college ministers and church leaders) who want to equip students to thrive after college. Are […]
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The Importance of Place and Space in Preparing Students for Life After College
The Importance of Place and Space in Preparing Students for Life After College
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo9ZVK_I9aE[/embedyt] In this video I share a little bit about how the Life After College program got started at Hope College. One of the key things we talked about as it was getting off the ground was the importance of space and place. At the end of the video I mention a special, limited-time […]
5 “Must-Have” Features of the Best Interventions to Equip Students for Life After College
5 “Must-Have” Features of the Best Interventions to Equip Students for Life After College
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMB4QiSMtqw[/embedyt] I’m excited to share the second video in this series! If you’re wondering where to start or what to works towards, this next video covers 5 “must have” features we should include in any intervention to equip students for life after college. I also touch on the question of “Who is responsible for our […]
Why Equipping Students for Life After College Matters & How You Can Help
Why Equipping Students for Life After College Matters & How You Can Help
This is the first of series of videos for those who are serious about equipping students for life after college. In this video I get personal – see if you notice it before the reveal. 🙂 I also share why this matters – how intervening in the lives of students during the college years makes […]
Happy Epiphany! & Tips for Transitional Times
Happy Epiphany! & Tips for Transitional Times
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you continue to celebrate as we remember today the Magi who traveled miles to visit the new born King. As students also travel miles to return for classes (today or in the coming weeks), they too many be looking to encounter the Savior. As great […]
Special Video Message from Erica
Special Video Message from Erica
Those who approach transitions (vs. avoid them) are more likely to thrive within them. Here’s a special video message you don’t want to miss! Your comments and feedback help me create customized content. Thank you for filling out the survey. If you haven’t, it’s not too late. I want to hear from you! Please leave […]
Making the Most of Trips, Retreats, and Conferences
Making the Most of Trips, Retreats, and Conferences
What’s the secret to making the most of trips, retreats and conferences? If you work with college students and want to maximize the potential of your fall retreats, winter events or spring break trips, check this out! Making the Most of Trips, Retreats, and Conferences
Life After College is Weird
Life After College is Weird
When conducting my research and talking with dozens of post-grads about life after college, the most common word they used to describe the experience was “weird.” It’s not like anything they’ve experienced prior to this time. It’s not like it stays weird until we’re 30, but until we find our new normal, life after college […]
What’s the Hardest Part of Transitions?
What’s the Hardest Part of Transitions?
One of the most difficult parts of any transition is the “in-between” time — that fallow, middle space in which the former thing has ended but the new thing has not yet arrived. This photograph of a fallow Pennsylvania field was taken by my friend, Howie Shultz. He titled it, Waiting for Spring. During transitional […]
Why Are You Hurrying?
Why Are You Hurrying?
Why Are You Hurrying?
Just Try Something: Personal Finances and the “Real World”
Just Try Something: Personal Finances and the “Real World”
Penn State alum, Paul Girgis, and his friend, William Ferguson, have spent considerable time exploring how millenials approach money. You can check out some of their research findings here. In this article below, they apply concepts of design thinking to personal finance; we have to test, try, and even fail to learn what works best! Just […]
What Home Remodels Teach Us About Transitions
What Home Remodels Teach Us About Transitions
My husband, Craig, and I love watching home remodel shows. We grieved the Fixer-Upper farewell with the rest of the HGTV-watching world, and we’ll continue to tune into some of our other favorites. The son of a contractor, Craig comes by this interest honestly. While I have no talent for repairs, seeing an old home […]
When Passions Don’t Pay: Trusting God With Your Work
When Passions Don’t Pay: Trusting God With Your Work
What do we do when our paid work and passions don’t align? While it’s ideal to find a job where we get to do what we do best everyday, only a small percentage of people enjoy that luxury. If we find ourselves in a less-than-best job, let’s not lose heart. Here’s some perspective, wisdom, and hope […]
Not What He Expected
Not What He Expected
When life after college does not pan out as expected, it can be easy to question, “Have done something wrong? Did I make a mistake in moving here, taking this job, or marrying this person?” Just because something feels disorienting or distressing, it doesn’t mean we need to go somewhere else. In fact, we might be […]
Launching College Students Who Land in the Local Church
Launching College Students Who Land in the Local Church
By September of his senior year, David had two great job offers. Two offers. In two totally different cities. As he compared the hiring packages, starting salaries and corporate cultures for each position, we challenged him to consider one more factor: location. As his campus ministers, we asked, Which offer will land you in a […]
Change is the Only Constant: Wisdom from a Graduating Senior
Change is the Only Constant: Wisdom from a Graduating Senior
In her Onward State column, photographer and graduating senior, Sarah Snyder, looks back on her college journey, which did not play out as she predicted. Instead of freaking out or throwing her hands in the air when things did not go as planned, Sarah embraced the unknown. She writes, “There are always so many blessings in […]
It’s Okay to Cry: Helping Seniors Leave Well
It’s Okay to Cry: Helping Seniors Leave Well
It’s Okay to Cry: Helping Seniors Leave Well
Millenials & Money: What’s Your M.O. & Is it Working?
Millenials & Money: What’s Your M.O. & Is it Working?
Financial faithfulness — how we steward the money that God allows to pass through our hands — is not easy, especially right after college. If we want to pursue a healthy approach, one of the best things we can do is take an honest look at our current habits. Penn State alum and innovator, Paul […]
Just Tell Me What I Need to Know: Community After College
Just Tell Me What I Need to Know: Community After College
What’s one of the top issues post-graduates face? Finding friends and community. I had a blast this past weekend talking with students about this issue and others at CCO’s Jubilee Conference. See below for some of what we discussed. Just Tell Me What I Need to Know: Community After College It’s Friday night. After a […]
Two Truths and a Lie About Singleness
Two Truths and a Lie About Singleness
When I was in my mid-twenties, my friend Kimi and I entered an essay contest for twentysomething writers that invited us to explore a question that was keeping us up a night. Kimi wrote a thoughtful piece about race issues and ethnic identity. I, too, had deep questions related to politics, justice, and so on, but […]
God is Not A Magic 8-Ball
God is Not A Magic 8-Ball
Life is chock-full of choices. Every day we make thousands of little decisions—what to eat, what to wear, how to spend our time or money. And this doesn’t even include the huge questions we may be contemplating: Where should I go and what should I do after college? Should I go to graduate school or […]
5 Strategies for Preparing Students for The Workplace
5 Strategies for Preparing Students for The Workplace
What’s the best part of the transition into the workplace? The hardest? This article looks at the opportunities and obstacles of adjusting to that first job as well as 5 strategies for workplace success. 5 Strategies for Preparing Students for the Workplace
Stop Overspiritualizing Calling
Stop Overspiritualizing Calling
Am I called? This question can plague us or send us into analysis paralysis. In this article, Bethany Jenkins helps us stop overthinking, challenges us to start well and work hard (no matter what job we do), and reminds us that we are all called to be children of God. If you’re agonizing over your next […]
11 Things to Never Say in an Interview
11 Things to Never Say in an Interview
As you interview for the potential job, here are some practical tips and pitfalls to avoid. Read more here…