June 15, 2018 | UHCL Staff
A committee composed of faculty, staff and a student representative selected the book “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work,” by Dave Isay, to be the focus of University of Houston-Clear Lake’s 2018-19 Common Reader Program. The committee chose the book because it explores overarching themes that resonate with the UH-Clear Lake student population.
“Because of our university’s identity as a Hispanic Serving Institution that serves many first-generation students from a variety of backgrounds, this book’s illustration of themes regarding identity, belonging and civic engagement were issues we wanted to address in this year’s Common Reader selection,” said Lecturer in Humanities Anne Gessler, who is also the 2018-19 head of the Common Reader Committee.
The book is a collection of 50 unrelated stories from National Public Radio’s StoryCorps
program, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to share humanity’s stories to
build connections and create a compassionate world.
“The stories are all about how people came to their vocation,” Gessler explained. “Since we serve so many first-generation college students, transfer students, and back-to-school students, we thought this was a great topic. Finding your vocation is not a linear process, and that’s what these stories illustrate.”
Additionally, said Gessler, the stories are incredibly diverse. “It runs the gamut of stories from people of different religions, races, genders, sexual identities and abilities,” she said. “It reflects the diversity of our students and our country. This books talks about how people have empowered themselves in unusual ways. One of the Common Reader’s missions is to find stories which demonstrate people self-advocating, and 'Callings' explores that in depth.”
With each Common Reader selection, the committee plans a number of events to take place throughout the academic year to supplement the themes discussed in the book. The 2017-18 Common Reader selection was “Hidden Figures,” by Margot Lee Shetterly, which was made into a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer and was nominated for three Academy Awards in 2017.
Gessler said the first event for “Callings,” which is planned in collaboration with Career Services, will take place Sept. 17. The event, called “Find Your Calling” features a cross-section of panelists representing a variety of careers. “They’ll discuss the barriers they faced finding their career,” Gessler said.
Two more events are planned for later in the fall semester. Additional events will be scheduled for spring 2019. For more information about the Common Reader Program, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/first-year-seminar/common-reader.
