Assumption’s Vocational Exploration Program Recognized by Prominent College Organization

Assumption SOPHIA (SOPHomore Initiative at Assumption) Program has been recognized with a Best Practices in Mission Integration Award by the Association of Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU). The SOPHIA Program was the top ranked program in its category.
The award recognizes those institutions whose programs have a positive impact on student learning; successfully address student and/or campus needs; are original and creative; possess a foundation in Catholic identity; and make practical use of research or assessment. Since it was established in 2013, 98 percent of SOPHIA Collegians have demonstrated significant growth and insight into their personal vocation journey.
“An Assumptionist education is characterized by the rich and productive community between teacher and student, built upon the conviction that truth exists; that its pursuit orients love; the tradition coupled with a fundamental openness guides; and faith sustains,” shared Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish and director of the SOPHIA Program. “SOPHIA invites sophomores to recognize that vocation lasts a lifetime, but it begins in the undergraduate years with the need to respond to the world in which they find themselves.”
“This understanding and promotion of vocation runs parallel with the mission of Assumption which is ‘rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, and strives to form graduates known for critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship and compassionate service’,” said Catherine WoodBrooks, vice president for student affairs. “Such an education fosters students’ appreciation of the complexity of reality and the Divine Reality sustaining it. SOPHIA is designed to help students discern a personal response, guided by their interaction with their mentor and residential life staff.”
Now in its fifth year, the SOPHIA Program fosters the culture of vocational exploration at Assumption to enhance the educational mission of the Augustinians of the Assumption, the sponsoring order of the institution. The program encourages students, in particular sophomores, to reflect upon their lives in terms of vocation—to ask themselves about their desired spiritual, personal, and professional goals and to understand that a harmony of such, or vocation, requires constant discernment and evaluation. The program helps students realize that the opportune time to seek and establish one’s vocation is during their undergraduate studies once they have acclimated to college life. Each year, 24 students are selected as SOPHIA Collegians following a competitive application process.
The 24 students have the option to reside in a learning community in Assumption's Living Learning Center and divided into four groups, each with its own faculty mentor. The students and faculty member meet to experience, discuss, learn about, pursue, and share their vocational goals with one another. The program also includes a fall and spring retreat as well as a 10-day pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, where SOPHIA students study at the Rome Campus under the tutelage of the president.
In Rome, students are encouraged to view themselves as part of a long history of pilgrims who for centuries have traveled to Rome to discover characteristics about themselves that nurture their vocational discernment. This experience helps Assumption students appreciate how their own vocational journey intersects with the mission and identity of the institution, the mission of the Church, and the needs of society as a whole.
Assumption will be recognized at the annual ASACCU conference in July at the University of San Diego.
Related News
Assumption Women's Ice Hockey Joins Division I NEWHA Conference
WORCESTER, Mass. (June 29, 2022) – Assumption University today announced that its women's ice hockey team has accepted an invitation to compete in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), an NCAA Division 1 conference. Assumption will become the eighth member of the NEWHA, and the secon...
Jun. 30, 2022Assumption Celebrates Conclusion of Record-Setting, $50 Million Campaign
Assumption University celebrated the conclusion of the wildly successful Light the Way capital campaign on Friday, June 10 with a gala honoring those who have spent the last several years supporting the University’s record-setting campaign. After seven years, two of which were plagued by a pandemic,...
Jun. 16, 2022Nursing Schools Almanac Ranks Assumption’s Nursing Program among the Best in Massachusetts & New England
An independent organization that ranks the academic prestige, program depth and breadth, and student success in nursing programs has ranked Assumption’s Froelich School of Nursing among the top 50 programs in New England and the top 23 in Massachusetts. According to the ranking organization, Nursing...
Jun. 14, 2022Apply to Assumption
Assumption University seeks students who will take full advantage of the extraordinary opportunities available to them. Start your journey and apply today. We look forward to reviewing your application!
Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions