Vocation is: Life on Purpose. For the Common Good.
At St. Olaf, vocation is who you are called to be and what you are called to do across all the parts of your life – not only in professional work, but also in your family and friendships, community engagements, relationship with the earth, search for meaning, and pursuit of justice. It’s living your life on purpose, directed toward both your personal flourishing and the common good.

About the “Life on Purpose” Project
In 2023, St. Olaf College was awarded a grant from the Network of Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) under its Vocation Across the Curriculum initiative. Life on Purpose is dedicated to helping faculty and staff infuse vocational reflection and discernment in the classroom, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and a new holistic advising program.

Vocation at 150: How We Learned to Live on Purpose for the Common Good

What Vocation Means to Me: Anthony Bateza

What Vocation Means to Me: Dick Nchang ’25

What Vocation Means to Me: Pin-Ni (Gloriana) Ye ’24

What Vocation Means to Me: Lauren Skare Ferry ’17
