Sarah Strohkorb is a rising college sophomore at a school that specializes in engineering. She’s spending her summer break as an intern conducting research projects under the direction of scientists at NASA.

Here’s Sarah Strohkorb’s True Calling™ Success Story:

I first worked with Nathan Teegarden when I was still in high school and in the process of deciding where I wanted to go to college. Both of my parents worked with Nathan after they had been established in their careers, but they thought that it would be a good idea for me to work with him while I was making this decision. I was open to the idea and found that Nathan helped me identify some things about myself that became important in my college search and in my current studies.

When I started working with Nathan, I was already interested in math and science, and I knew that I wanted to go to a small- to medium-sized school. Nathan helped me fine-tune my college search, and he confirmed what I was already leaning toward. I chose an environment with a low teacher-to-student ratio so that I could be in close contact with others who are motivated to learn and achieve.

Nathan’s strength-finder approach was extremely beneficial in helping me make this decision. It helped me identify the things that I’m already doing well, such as being a learner and an achiever, someone who likes to have focus and to analyze things. I learned that these things are all directly linked to academia and the type of environments that are best for me. Nathan helped me realize that I need to be in a challenging environment where other people are motivated, too, so I focused on finding a college that fostered these things.

I’m definitely challenged where I am right now, and I continue to remember what I learned from Nathan about the importance of focusing on my strengths. Yes, it’s good to be well rounded, but I’m in an environment where I’m able to really focus on my strengths and work on best enhancing those — and that’s the right choice for me. Nathan helped me confirm and solidify that.

It was helpful for me to work with Nathan as a high school student because he’s more of an impartial, outside advisor than a parent can be at times. Sometimes advising on big decisions such as where to go to college can be a difficult role for parents to take on, especially if they’re trying to convince their children to pursue a certain path. Nathan helps people identify what’s best for them. I think that this type of advising works only when people are open to it, and I think it would work especially well for someone who doesn’t yet have a clear focus.

I might have ended up where I am in school without having met Nathan — but working with him helped give me the assurance I needed to make this decision about my future. And in my current studies, I continue to develop the strengths he helped me identify before I even got here.