Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

Anna Wallace started her first year in the same boat as her peers — exploring UD’s campus, classwork and where she fits. But without a compass, it was easy to feel lost. Then, a class assignment helped her navigate the semester with ease.

Wallace, a marketing major, took the CliftonStrengths assessment, formerly known as StrengthsFinder, for an introductory business course at the start of the year. The test identifies a person’s top five strengths and how to use them to work through challenges, build confidence and succeed.

Her top strength is relationship building, but she noticed she became quiet in the bustling new spaces on campus. Joining UD’s marching and pep bands changed that, and as she leaned more into her relationship building strength, she started befriending bandmates in her classes and speaking up more.

“Those first couple weeks, you don’t really know much about yourself,” she said. “This process helped me set a foundation. It motivated me to connect with people and feel rooted in my new home here at UD.”

“This process helped me set a foundation. It motivated me to connect with people and feel rooted in my new home here at UD.” — Anna Wallace

Wallace is one of many first-year students benefiting from CliftonStrengths in the School of Business Administration’s introductory course BIZ 101, Welcome to UD and Dayton Business. The assessment is incorporated in the class thanks to the Dean’s Fund for Excellence, a fund supported by alumni and donors on One Day, One Dayton.

“Our students are entering a brand-new phase in their life. Many are high-achievers, but college is a big change,” said Misty Bruns, SBA lecturer and BIZ 101 course director, who earned CliftonStrengths certification over the summer with support from the Dean’s Fund. “By identifying their strengths, they gain confidence and learn to use those strengths as they enter into new spaces at school and work.”

Before joining UD, Bruns helped companies identify strengths in leadership teams to push the bottom line.

Now she’s using those same skills with CliftonStrengths to develop the course for Holistic Academic Advisors to coach students on how their strengths influence their personal and professional paths.

“This assessment goes beyond career development — it gets to the core of who we are,” Bruns said. “It builds a solid foundation for students, helping them align who they are with where they want to go.”

Accounting major Jack Kramer did well in high school working independently, but his top results are developer and empathy, so he tried studying in groups and quickly found himself applying to become a supplemental instruction peer.

“I’ve always liked helping people grow and understanding where they’re coming from,” he said. “But this gave me something tangible to grab onto, something that made me realize how much connecting with others could help me grow, too.”

According to Brad Balser, director of the Mittelstaedt Center for Academic Advising and Business Student Success and assistant dean for undergraduate programs, utilizing the assessment is already leaving a lasting impression. 

“Thanks to this resource, our students have identified their strengths and are beginning to understand how they may tap into those strengths to best learn, lead and serve their communities.”