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Abstract
Universities often champion an agenda focused on helping students find their direction and purpose in life. Although these efforts are supported by research consistently showing the benefits of purpose, several students may feel implicitly or explicitly left out of these university efforts, because they are in minority with respect to one or more personal identifications. This viewpoint discusses the potential obstacles and opportunities for underrepresented students in their pursuit of a purpose, and how university administrators can assist these students with purpose development. Recommendations focus on how to provide underrepresented students with purposeful role models, a greater sense of belongingness, and exercises to help them reflect upon their past to find their direction for the future.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Patrick L. Hill
Patrick L Hill ([email protected]) is a professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on how purposeful living promotes adaptive development across the lifespan, and considers how best to cultivate purpose among adolescents, adults, and older adults.
Megan W. Wolk
Megan W. Wolk ([email protected]) is a post-doctoral researcher in the Psychological & Brain Sciences department at Washington University in St. Louis, where she received her PhD in 2023. Dr. Wolk’s work broadly examines the relationship between marginalization and one’s purpose and direction in life.
Gabrielle N. Pfund
Gabrielle N. Pfund ([email protected]) is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She received her PhD in Psychological & Brain Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis in August 2022. In August 2024, she will start her position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at Auburn University. Dr. Pfund’s work examines macro- and micro-level changes in sense of purpose across the lifespan and their implications for health and well-being.