{"id":55802,"date":"2023-02-09T12:49:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T12:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/?p=55802"},"modified":"2023-02-09T12:53:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T12:53:31","slug":"learning-my-calling-of-storytelling-at-augsburg-jaelyn-arndts-vocation-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/2023\/02\/09\/learning-my-calling-of-storytelling-at-augsburg-jaelyn-arndts-vocation-story\/","title":{"rendered":"“Learning My Calling of Storytelling” at Augsburg: Jaelyn Arndt’s Vocation Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Ellen Weber<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jaelyn<\/a>Have you ever left a meeting and the minute you sign off or walk away you just smile as a wave of gratitude washes over you? That happened to me after meeting with Jaelyn Arndt, an Augsburg alum and current Assistant Director of Communications at the NCAA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We at the Christensen Center for Vocation (CCV) were intrigued to hear Jaelyn\u2019s story after a tweet last summer where she answered the question \u201cWhat is your calling?\u201d She credits the Auggie support system for helping her find her dream. We, at CCV are curious to know the various ways we see vocation lived out on a daily basis in the lives and work of our Augsburg colleagues, students, alums, and our neighbors in the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\n

By vocation we mean the ways we are compelled, empowered, challenged, freed, and responsible to show up (individually and collectively) in ways that help our neighbors and neighborhoods thrive. We believe every individual and every institution experiences a vocational tug.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a story about how an Augsburg alum became an engaged neighbor through learning about her own vocation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jaelyn graciously agreed to meet with me (Ellen Weber) via Zoom from Indiana and share her story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Jaelyn came to Augsburg to tour, she was guided by our Volleyball Head Coach, Jane Becker and Assistant Coach, Jennifer Jacobs. She walked away from that tour years ago thinking, \u201cThese are my people!\u201d So after her senior year at Washburn, she started at Augsburg and was part of the volleyball team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jaelyn<\/a>Throughout her time at Augsburg, Jaelyn leaned on her volleyball teammates and staff like family. \u201cBecause it is a D3 school, people actually cared about me and my wellbeing.\u201d The volleyball team was a place where Jaelyn learned who people are. \u201cBefore the season started, our coach would give us working packets about our teammates. We had workshops where we learned each other\u2019s love languages, how we like to be approached, and how we give feedback. We started our practices sharing what we were grateful for or sharing how our day was. It mattered who we are and that we knew who actually was on the court with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was clear from speaking with Jaelyn that she felt that the volleyball community honored her whole being, not just the athlete part of her identity. This is the power of an expansive definition of vocation. That it is who we are and how we show up in the world that is our vocation.<\/span><\/p>\n

She broke her ankle after her second year, and she found herself asking the question, \u201cWho am I?\u201d This isn\u2019t uncommon for someone to experience when we think about our vocation as one thing, one career, or one role. That ends up being all that we think we are, so when we all of a sudden can\u2019t perform that one role, we can end up in an identity crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After Jaelyn\u2019s injury, she decided to go to chapel more often on Wednesday evenings, which opened her ears to deep listening. It was there that she learned about the language around calling and vocation at Augsburg. She learned that who one is is different than what one does and, as she explains, \u201cWhat matters is how I show up because who I am is with me all the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaelyn shared that Augsburg taught her about how to be in the world. She learned how to show up in different spaces with all types of people and the importance of creating a welcoming space for all. Throughout her interactions in all sorts of departments, (Jaelyn worked in lots of departments throughout her time here!) Jaelyn learned how to accompany those around her by listening to their stories and finding ways to share those stories with the world. She learned how she is called to show up as neighbor through storytelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jaelyn<\/a>Jaelyn first realized her calling of storytelling when she went to Australia to study abroad. She began sharing her own stories via Visco and learned that she loved it and was good at it. Since she graduated from Augsburg she had a few different jobs sharing stories in non-profit work and coaching volleyball. Then in January of 2022, she started her dream job of working at the NCAA. She thinks about who is highlighted in the story and who is telling the story. She knows that counter-narratives matter. While she was talking with me, I could feel in my own body Jaelyn\u2019s passion and energy for her own vocation of digital storytelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I asked Jaelyn for her advice for folks uncovering their vocation. She came up with the following:<\/span><\/p>\n