It’s a journey, not a destination

Learn more about resources that can help you pursue the things you’re passionate about to have a greater impact on the world around you.

Explore Your Purpose

What is Purpose?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. Purpose and the journey of purpose looks different for everyone. Ultimately, purpose is what drives us forward; it’s about exploring who you are, where you want to be, the impact you want to have and the resources available to get you there.

Explore Your Purpose

What We Offer

The Purpose Center offers a variety of self-discovery and connection opportunities including a variety of purpose and strengths workshops, as well as one-on-one coaching sessions.

Purpose Workshops for Students

Purpose workshops focus on a variety of topics from self-discovery and vision work to service, values, and building essential skills such as resilience, communication and conflict resolution.

Purpose Pods for Students

For those looking to do more self-exploration. Start with self-discovery and end with a project that helps you set goals to pursue the things they’re passionate about.

Strengths Workshops for Students

After you’ve taken your assessment, consider joining a workshop to learn more about the practical application of your strengths in your academics, career journey, leadership and wellbeing.

Purpose Workshops for Faculty and Staff

Purpose workshops focus on a variety of topics from self-discovery and vision work to service, values, resilience, communication and wellbeing.

Strengths Workshops for Faculty and Staff

Now that you’ve completed your strengths assessment, dig deeper by learning more about intentional application through a variety of workshops related to career, leadership and wellbeing.

Individual Coaching Sessions

Strengths coaching sessions are a great way to dig deeper into your strengths results to apply them more effectively and learn more about where they might get in your way. Coaching sessions are 45 - 60 minutes and are free for students, faculty and staff.

Team Coaching Sessions

Learn about the strengths of your team and how to build stronger partnerships and communication by understanding the strengths of others on your team and how they work together to achieve goals. Sessions are customized to meet the needs of your team.

Topic-Based Learning Series for Students

The Purpose Center offers a variety of strengths-based pods for students which provides a deeper understanding of strengths in specific areas such as career, leadership and wellbeing.

Topic-Based Learning Series for Faculty and Staff

A variety of topic-based pods have been created for faculty and staff to continue learning about strengths in small-group settings.

In the News

Discover recent media coverage highlighting the Purpose Center’s impact on student engagement, well-being, leadership, and WVU’s land-grant mission.

Positively WV Podcast

Positively WV invited WVU Purpose Center Director, Cate Schlobohm, had the opportunity to discuss purpose as a journey, not a destination, and how intentional reflection helps students build lives and careers rooted in meaning.

Watch

The Holler Podcast

Listen to WVU Purpose Center staff discuss "Finding Purpose in Place: A Strengths-based Approach to Tourism" on the Visit Mountaineer Country podcast, "The Holler."

Listen

WVU Wins Gallup's Strengths Based Campus Award for Second Time

For the second consecutive year, WVU has received the 2025 Strengths-Based Campus Award— honoring the University’s work as a Strengths-based campus and its deep commitment to building a thriving culture where performance and people matter. WVU is the only institution to win this award twice consecutively.

WVU Student Experience Manager Finds Joy In Helping Others With Purpose

Jessie Barclay says she loves her work at the Purpose Center and finds great satisfaction in helping those that she works with realize their strengths and find their purpose.

Court Lanham

Paint Creek, WV Behavioral Health Therapist / BeWell Clinician

Top 5 Strengths

Maximizer®, Relator®, Arranger®, Learner®, Adaptability®

In life, pursuing your purpose (or purposes) will not only give you a sense of your position in this world, but also the fuel to keep you on that journey. It is important to remember your purpose may change, or lead you on journeys you may never have sought out, but it leads you exactly where you are meant to be. For me, my journey is about identifying the things in life I am good at or I bring to the table, and focusing on how to utilize those as skills and strengths. When I was younger, I struggled with getting stuck on my deficits or differences (it was easy because that is what so many others were pointing out). Once I was able to make that shift in my own mind, I was able to change the narrative and also how others viewed me. I hope I can join the journey with others to figure out how to change the narrative for themselves.

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It’s a journey, not a destination

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