'What's Your Why?' class offers support and inspiration to students on their journey towards purpose
A Semester of Discovery
For many students, college is marked by a sense of urgency – pick a major, land an internship, map a career, and begin. Amid this pressure, Belmont students are invited to take a step back and ask a deeper question about their life’s work: What’s my why?
This semester marked the fifth iteration of What’s Your Why? a semester-long course that invites students to consider who they are, what makes them feel alive, and what experiences have shaped their journey. Envisioned by President Greg and Rev. Susan Jones with support from Belmont’s Formation Collaborative, the course places purpose and character at the center of the Belmont experience.
Reflection-based Learning
For Dr. Jamie Adam, Professor and Director of Student Success and Flourishing at the Inman College of Nursing, that intentional pause is the heartbeat of the course. “Instead of rushing students toward a predetermined career choice, we want to encourage exploration through reflection, design thinking, and purpose-centered learning.”
Early in the semester, students select one of five purpose areas: Compassionate Guide, Creative Visionary, Thoughtful Investigator, Sincere Storyteller, and Organizational Innovator, each taught by interdisciplinary faculty from across campus. These sections give students language to recognize emerging strengths and create affinity-based connections with peers.
A Safe Place to Wrestle with Uncertainty
For recent transfer, Ryann Coan, the Creative Visionary section with Associate Professor of Costume Design Jessica Mueller offered guidance amid uncertainty.
“As someone who moved schools and changed my major, I was really confused about what I wanted to do next,” Coan said. In What’s Your Why?, I listened to guest speakers share their challenges and how they overcame adversity. It reassured me that I can figure out a new career path.”
Coan credits Mueller with fostering a space where uncertainty was welcomed rather than discouraged. “Dr. Mueller was so kind and supportive,” Coan said. “She really wanted to help guide us along this journey. She gave us a safe place to open up about our future goals and plans.”
Storytelling as a Healing Art
For Dr. Amy Hodges Hamilton, Director of Undergraduate Core Curriculum and Professor of English and Global Honors, teaching the course for the first time affirmed a truth that guides her life, research, and instruction: stories have real power to teach, heal, and strengthen. She saw this power unfold as students carried lessons learned in large-group seminars on Mondays into deeper, more vulnerable small-group conversations on Wednesdays.
“This course is unique because it allows faculty to learn alongside students,” Dr. Hodges Hamilton said. “It reminded us that our “why” is not about having arrived but about staying open to the ongoing work of learning, reflection, compassion, and growth.”
Growth on Creative Display
The semester culminates in the Journey Showcase, hosted by Dr. Greg and Rev. Susan Jones. Students share their insights, growth, and emerging sense of purpose through a creative medium. Projects ranged from poems and original songs to short films, game boards, and personal artifacts.
“The flexibility of the Journey Showcase reinforces the core message of the class: purpose is personal, evolving, and best understood through authentic reflection,” Adam said.
The Showcase also fosters connection across sections. “It builds community as students listen to one another’s stories and see the incredible diversity of pathways represented across the five purpose areas,” Adam added. “It’s a celebration of growth and an invitation to continue the journey.”
Music Business Major Griffin Stewart saw the Journey Showcase as more than a final project. It was a chance to celebrate what he loves most – creating with others.
“I think collaboration is one of the coolest things that humans can do,” Stewart said. “There’s nothing better than a concert: you have the lighting, the full band, the vocals… everyone’s working together to create something that’s better than the sum of its parts. I want to give people the opportunity to show what they can do
Belmont and the Global Character Education Movement
Ted Peetz, Professor and Department Chair of Sport Administration, describes What’s Your Why? as an unconventional academic reset for students and instructors.
“This class gets you out of the mindset that learning is just about tests and quizzes,” Peetz said. “It helps you pay attention to what’s going on inside – to your purpose and your future. It’s a pointer toward a new direction, not just for a career, but for life.”
As a community, we are embracing purpose as a life-long journey shaped by experience, relationship, and knowledge. What’s Your Why? gives students the tools to engage intentionally with purpose and navigate uncertainty with confidence. In doing so, Belmont joins a growing network of institutions dedicated to cultivating purpose and character within higher education.
Learn more about 'What's Your Why'