Several hundred freshmen and transfer students filled the Cage Arena recently to hear from the author whose words were a substantial part of their introduction to Berry College.
Notable author and StoryCorps founder Dave Isay visited Berry to speak about his book, “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work,” which was the summer reading assignment for all incoming students. The book was picked because it encompasses many of the varying themes students will encounter as they begin a new phase of their lives at Berry.
StoryCorps is an ongoing history project that records stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. StoryCorps’ purpose is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.
"Our Mission is to turn a documentary on its head...that is to get as many people as possible to be listened to... to honor someone by listening to them," Isay told the audience.
"Callings" is an essential contribution to the StoryCorps collection and in it Isay presents unforgettable stories from people doing what they love. The book gives a wide range of stories from those young and old, those who have overcome great odds and those who have completely changed their life to pursue what matters to them.
Freshman Joe Wallace said, “It was great hearing him speak about the book, I got to understand the background of why he wrote the book and the meaning behind it all.”
During the lecture, Isay shared audio recordings from the people behind the stories and talked about upcoming goals for StoryCorps. After the lecture, Isay encouraged students to explore opportunities and continue to do what they love.
“The lecture was amazing,” First-Year mentor Hannah Norman said. “He shared heart felt stories that were very inspiring and also hilarious ones that made us laugh.”
For more information go to https://storycorps.org/
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Written by Public Relations Student Assistant Alisa Jordan
