Discovering and Using Your Gifts and Talents in College: Dr. Shandra and Dr. Dar
In this episode of Academic Survival, Dr. Shandra and Dr. Dar dive into the topic of discovering and using your gifts and talents—especially for students and young professionals. The conversation explores the differences between knowing, using, and figuring out your unique strengths. Drs. Dar and Shandra share personal stories about their journeys to recognizing their own abilities, emphasizing how belief and confidence play pivotal roles in unlocking one’s potential.
They discuss practical strategies for identifying gifts and talents, the importance of community feedback, and the value of putting your strengths to use in real-world settings. The episode breaks down the college journey year by year, providing actionable advice on how students can explore, develop, and maximize their talents for both personal fulfillment and professional growth.
Three Key Takeaways:
- Belief Comes First: Recognizing your gifts and talents starts with believing that you have them. Avoiding comparison and deficit thinking is crucial—focus on what energizes you and what makes you unique.
- Growth Is a Community Effort: Seeking honest feedback from friends, family, and peers can help you see your strengths more clearly. Your value is often best reflected in how others experience what you bring to a group or community.
- Develop Over Time: Through each college year—exploring as a freshman, participating as a sophomore, leading as a junior, and mastering practical experiences as a senior—you build and refine your skills. Investing in your talent, skill, and spiritual gifts prepares you for a meaningful, impactful career and life.
Tune in for empowering insights, actionable advice, and inspiration to let your gifts and talents shine where you can truly thrive!
Other Episodes with Drs. Shandra and Dar:
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Academic Survival: The Podcast That Gets Freshman to Graduation
Shandra L McDonald
Podcaster | Public Servant | Student Success Strategist | Lifelong Learner | Determined
Shandra L. McDonald, DPA, is a student success strategist. She's an Upward Bound Alumni and a former Educational Opportunity Program student. She’s passionate about helping college freshman survive and thrive during their first year of college so that they can graduate within 5 years. She knows first-hand what it is like to struggle academically as a college freshman. Completely overwhelmed her first year of college, she often felt like giving up. She had a difficult time adjusting to the fast pace and the workload. She eventually developed strategies to improve her grades because she knew that a college education was her ticket to a better life. She’s on a mission to teach self-awareness and her SELF-Discipline System to college freshmen.
Dr. McDonald's strategy took her from clueless to Cum Laude. She's earned three college degrees (Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Master of Public Administration, and Doctor of Public Administration), entered Federal service under the Outstanding Scholars Program, served as an adjunct professor, and appears as a guest lecturer. She is the author of Academic Survival: Simple Strategies for Improving Your Grades, contributing author of the textbook Government at Work: Policy Making in the Twenty-First-Century Congress, and host of the Academic Survival Podcast.
Dar Mayweather, Ph.D.
Professional Speaker
As a professional speaker, Dar will teach you inclusive leadership strategies so that you can close the gap between your intention and action. His inclusive leadership activities will equip you with the tools to understand your leadership superpowers and how to use them across l identity to discuss critical conversations with peers, supervisors, and more!
