Vocare, which is Latin for “to call,” was a one-day retreat that Loyola Marymount University offers twice a year to Sophomore and Transfer students for career development. That one day retreat was the most transformative experiences of my entire life.
I went into Vocare not knowing what to expect. I assumed there were going to be a few guest speakers, some group discussion and some free time to chat among ourselves, but instead I got a jam-packed weekend full of people who were at the same place that most of us college students were at years ago; not really knowing what they were called to do in life. Even though each speaker had their own unique experiences, they all had one thing in common; they all had one idea in mind for what they wanted to do in life and that idea changed drastically to something else before or even a little after they graduated from college. As a college student this is something comforting to hear. From way before we even start filling out college applications we are supposed to know what we want to do with the rest of our lives at such a young age where we have not experienced so many things that comes with life. Hearing the people who came before us experiences and realizing they turned out just fine is what is comforting because they did not have an easy life where everything went perfectly fine, just like us.
The number one thing I learned at Vocare is to do what you are truly passionate about. If you are truly passionate about something you will work through blood,sweat and tears to get to where you want to be ,and that is what is important. If you are not passionate about something you would want to give up at the first sign of hardship which is something you cannot do whatsoever. Nothing in life comes easy ,but if you are willing to fight for it you can make it happen. Every single speaker at Vocare is now doing something they are in love with and are continuing to advance in their careers every single day. All that I have to say is this: When you hear you calling screaming your name, follow it, whatever it is because it is the path for you and nobody else.