On January 28, NetVUE hosted its first webinar of the calendar year, which explored this year’s Big Read—Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore’s Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies about Calling—from diverse perspectives and lived experiences. Three faculty members from NetVUE institutions reflected on the book’s major themes, including the reality that responding to our callings often requires us to wrestle with both the joys and the hardships that we face in our many roles in life. The presenters shared some of their vocational experiences that resonated with Miller-McLemore’s framework, hoping to help webinar participants find their way into it even if their lived experiences differ from the author’s.
Webinar presenters brought a diverse set of experiences and examples to the conversation. C. Douglas Johnson serves as a full teaching professor in the School of Business at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is committed to developing the next generation of leaders and inspiring social action and transformation in his students’ lives and work. In his part of the presentation, he shared some of his stories on the topic of missed callings. Douglas holds an MBA from University of Connecticut and a PhD in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Georgia.
Esteban Loustaunau is a professor of Spanish and the director of the Center for Purpose and Vocation and the Community Service-Learning Program at Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts. His scholarship centers on exploring and telling stories of immigrants and migrants of Latin America. In his reflection, Esteban shared his experiences with conflicted callings. He earned his PhD in Latin American Literatures and Culture from The Ohio State University.
Finally, Tara Brooke Watkins is an assistant professor of music, theatre, and dance at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. She is an award-winning theatre director and is devoted to bringing untold stories to the stage in efforts to work toward social change in communities. Tara’s contribution to the webinar explored Follow Your Bliss in the context of her experiences with unexpected callings. She earned her PhD in theatre and performance studies from Tufts University.
The concluding 30 minutes of the webinar were dedicated to questions the presenters posed to each other and to engaging the audience. The webinar host, Rachel Pickett, also shared additional resources, including these episodes from NetVUE’s podcast Callings: “The Double Edge of Calling: Bonnie Miller-McLemore” and “Attention and Contradiction: Willie James Jennings.” Rachel also shared these blog posts from Vocation Matters: “Seeking the Courage to Know What Matters,” by Esteban Loustauna, and “Our Students’ Vocation and the Gift of (Un)Gendered Language,” by Kiki Kosnick.
The webinar was recorded and can be accessed through NetVUE’s webinar page, which includes links to which all faculty and staff members at NetVUE institutions have access. Interested in becoming an institutional member? You can find more information on NetVUE’s website for membership.
Rachel F. Pickett is the webinar coordinator for NetVUE.
