An Investment of Time: Richard Sévère

Richard Sévère shares his approach to mentoring, friendship, and vocation in this episode, drawing in part from his work with first-generation students and students from the Black diaspora. As a professor of English and interim associate dean at Valparaiso University, Richard shares how purposefully connecting with colleagues and students to hear their stories can allow a sense of difference to inform vocational discernment. Such intentional conversations foster an exploration of life, identity, and diversity that can build students’ confidence and a willingness to explore all aspects of a college experience. In such moments, vocational discernment emerges as an “investment of time.”