K-State Strengths Testimonials

The CliftonStrengths assessment unlocks a student’s leadership ability as they learn to utilize their top five strengths. Students start seeing how they can use their strengths to get things done, build relationships, influence others into action, or develop a strategic plan.

It's lead to countless interactions with students who have said, "Now that I know my strengths, I have more confidence in my abilities to exercise leadership."

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In honor of K-State's Strengths, Engagement and Well-Being Initiative celebrating 10 years of engaging students in leadership development, current students have shared on the impact the CliftonStrengths have had on their lives. Here are their stories!

From surviving student, to thriving peer coach

"My first semester at K-State started out kind of rough. I was having a hard time figuring out the transition from high school to college, struggling to manage my classes and activities, and doubting the major I was enrolled in. Emily Wollard visited my Cat Community class about four weeks into school to introduce the Strengths Initiative. I completed the assessment immediately after class in the little bit of free time I had that day. I got my results and submitted them immediately; it was just something to get checked off my list.

The next time Emily came to visit, she dove a bit deeper into what the strengths were and how to communicate them with peers. I volunteered in her demonstration and found that I really enjoyed collaborating with people and learning how they individually utilize their strengths. I started to look deeper into my strengths: woo, positivity, communication, includer, and achiever. I thought about how my strengths aligned with my life at school and realized that I could be thriving if I put myself in a situation where my strengths could be identified naturally. Noticing that many of my strengths fall in the relationship building and influencing themes, I began to seriously consider switching majors.

I met with a peer coach as the other half of the class’s assignment, and my coach helped me to identify how I can apply my top 5 strengths in a future career or coursework. She was able to connect me to resources across campus that helped me determine my path for the rest of my freshman year. As the meeting wrapped up, I reflected on my few experiences with Clifton Strengths and began to consider becoming a peer coach myself.

I enrolled in LEAD 212 my second semester and we had a unit on CliftonStrengths. I signed up for another coaching session, but this time the goal was to learn everything I could about my strengths. I was set on applying to be a peer coach. I left my session feeling energized and confident in my strengths. The positive experiences I had with the Strengths Initiative truly changed my life’s course, and I couldn’t wait to share them with other people. I am now more aware of how other people can utilize their strengths, better at communicating how and why I approach situations, and generally more confident in my daily life.

As a coach, I have only come to love the Strengths program even more. As I meet with students, I am able to learn what they’re passionate about, take a walk in their shoes, and help them grow by utilizing their strengths. I know that my story is unique. The chance of someone having the exact same strengths as me is one in more than 33 million. It is exciting to think about how many unique stories I will hear and what I will learn through my future experiences with Clifton Strengths."

Communicating your strengths, no matter what

"One of the most memorable strengths peer coaching sessions I had was an ah-ha moment with my student. She came into my coaching session really unsure what her strengths meant and only took the assessment because of a class. Within the first 10 minutes of learning about her strengths her eyes lit up excited to learn more.

The biggest struggle that she faced within our session was her third strength of communication. She explained to me what it's like being an international student and that English wasn't her first language. Due to this communication in her life requires bravery. After digging deeper into her strength, we discover that communication doesn’t mean just being a chatterbox, but rather it being an active learner in her classes. It's being transparent to a friend when they need advice. It's taking leadership within her ex-curricular activities.

She learned that you don’t have to speak English or any language perfectly to be a good communicator. You just have confidence in your strength and leverage it to your advantage."

Stengthening community, one student at a time

"I am forever grateful for the CliftonStrengths assessment because it has not only positively impacted my life but relationships I have as well. When you go to college, it’s a complete change in your life. It’s a possible new location, new people, new studies, new job, etc. You have to constantly be self-reflective as you are almost creating/exploring a new life for yourself or new possibilities.

Sometimes this independence creates anxiety or self-consciousness in college students. What I mean by this is that for the first time for a lot of college students, we are not told what to do. In high school or the homes we grew up in, for a lot of people, there was a clear right or wrong. Being independent in college, you decide what’s right and wrong for your life. You are lost a little bit. You try to be like people you idolize. I think, quickly, people realize if you are not authentic, college and life become confusing. At least that is where I was coming into college. I thought I had to be a certain way to be successful. I dove into the Clifton Strengths world and felt empowered by my strengths. The self-consciousness of my personality was gone because the Clifton Strengths assessment brought confidence in me that I had the power to reach my own potential. I believe that is what this assessment is all about, your own potential.

Overall, the CliftonStrengths Assessment has deepened my understanding of myself and of the people in my life. I have confidence in my decisions that I can make the most out of my life. Because of Clifton Strengths, as a strengths peer coach, I have seen K-State students become sensitive to one another. Students are being observant of one another’s motivations. This has led students to be more productive in academics, social settings, etc as they understand what their productivity looks like. Strengths is not therapy, it is empowerment."