Lander Students Learn from Leading Expert on How to Develop Career Potential

When students from Lander University had the opportunity to hear from a guest speaker, they were not just passing time between classes. Instead, they were engaging with a New York Times best-selling author and learning how to shape their future success from her accomplishments.

Jennifer Kushell is a recognized leader on youth empowerment, employment and entrepreneurship, and her book, “Secrets of the Young & Successful,” has been recognized by critics and business experts for its important message on how young people can get ahead without having a wealth of experience.

For the business majors in the Lander audience, Kushell already is helping change their lives through a program she developed, “Exploring Your Potential (EYP).”

Dr. Michael Fekula, dean of the Lander College of Business, calls EYP “a revolutionary career exploration program that sets the standard for empowering people to determine their personal best pathway in the world.”

For the Lander students on the cusp of their first careers, EYP provides a series of engaging, relevant and practical online courses to supplement their classroom experiences. The course guides students to develop a clear sense of who they are and what they want. They learn to recognize their unique value to a prospective employer, how to tell their own story and identify opportunities, as well as how to think like an entrepreneur and develop leadership skills.

Kushell was personable and empathetic as she talked about the realities of college life. “How many people feel a bit overwhelmed?” she asked the student audience, noting that about 55 percent of the audience had responded affirmatively, and another 10 percent were unsure of what they wanted to do in their careers.

“You are not alone. These numbers are common,” she said, emphasizing that students can have careers that they will love and that will drive and motivate them despite their current doubts and uncertainties.

She said that talking about ambition can be difficult when “you don’t know where you want to go.”

Kushell, who has served as a delegate on U.S. State Department-led entrepreneurship missions and was a youth advisor to the United Nations, affirmed the challenges facing 21st-century students. These challenges include depression, disruptions in education systems because of the COVID-19 pandemic and instances of school violence, as well as political and financial concerns.

Kushell encouraged students to take the following key steps during their college experience:

• Confidence: “Confidence is going to change everything,” Kushell said, explaining that “people love to see people fired up and excited. People want to cheer you on and see you succeed.”
• Clarity: “Be crystal clear,” she said, encouraging students to develop the language they need to understand what they want to do and how to present themselves to others. Kushell said she didn’t always know that she wanted to be a speaker, but she did know that counseling and coaching others on their success were part of her future. “Grab words, language about what matters,” and start integrating those works into “your pitch … that sense of courage is going to attract people to you faster.” The more clarity a person has, Kushell said, “makes all the difference.”
• Direction: Finding passion helps people connect with other people, she said, and is a crucial step in moving forward.
• Ambition Is Everything: Kushell said that “how much time you’re investing in what’s next” is a vital key to success and what “you are going to be in the world.”

Through the EYP experience at Lander, Kushell said, “We are wrapping you in possibilities” and helping people see “where you can go and what you can achieve.”

Kushell’s success in helping inspire and guide young people in business led Lander University’s College of Business to present her with its Distinguished Business Leadership Award. Fekula said the honor recognizes Kushell’s “exemplary commitment to inspiring others to achieve their full potential.”