The Life Design Academy, housed in Southern’s School of Business and open to all students, helps individuals design meaningful, fulfilling lives, both personally and professionally.
The Academy empowers students with the mindset, tools, and experiences needed to build confidence, resilience, adaptability, and clarity about their future. Through reflection, coaching, and real-world exploration, students learn how to align their strengths, interests, and values with academic, career, and life decisions.
What We Offer
Students have access to:
- Behavioral assessments to better understand strengths, motivations, and work style
- One-on-one Student Success coaching
- Personalized Student Success Plans updated throughout their college journey
- Opportunities for personal and professional development
Designing Your Future with Intention
At the core of the Academy is the belief that education is more than preparing for a job—it’s about designing a life with purpose.
Students are guided to:
- Clarify values and define what success means to them
- Set meaningful academic and personal goals
- Explore career pathways intentionally
- Build leadership, communication, and collaboration skills
- Strengthen financial literacy and long-term planning skills
- Develop resilience and adaptability for a changing world
Using principles of design thinking and modeled after a successful program at Stanford University, students learn to approach their future as an evolving project—one that can be prototyped, tested, and refined over time.
The Predictive Index
Students have access to Predictive Index (PI), a behavioral assessment that helps them better understand:
- What drives their behavior and decision-making
- How they collaborate and communicate with others
- Environments where they are most likely to thrive
- Career paths aligned with their natural strengths
PI results are integrated into coaching conversations to support informed, confident decision-making.
Getting Involved
The Life Design Academy encourages students to explore ways to get involved throughout their time at Southern. Participation is flexible and designed to complement each student’s individual goals and interests.
To learn more or get started, contact:
Amy Grotzke
Assistant Director of External Relations / Life Design Academy