With the school year and their journey as college students about to begin, Dr. Brooke Odle told the members of Hope College’s incoming Class of 2028 that there may be times ahead that they question whether they’ve earned their place.
Presenting the college’s Opening Convocation address on Sunday, Aug. 25, she also assured them that they needn’t worry.
Held in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, the convocation is the formal beginning of the academic year, the college’s 163rd this year, with fall-semester classes beginning on Monday, Aug. 26. The event, which was also livestreamed, was attended by the incoming class along with members of the faculty and staff. The college has enrolled approximately 800 freshmen, with an additional 50 students transferring to Hope for the new year.
Odle, an assistant professor of engineering, outlined the phenomenon of imposter syndrome, which she recast as “imposter training” to reflect that it is not an inevitable, internal condition but is instead learned — and can be unlearned.
Read the Full Convocation Address, "Victory is Mine, But God gets the Glory"
Watch the video livestream of the Fall Convocation ceremony
“Victory is Mine, but God gets the Glory”
“I’ve noticed more students struggling with a sense of belonging and how it relates to their perception of how successful and intelligent they are,” she said. “When these feelings get the best of them, it causes them to feel like they are unprepared or not good enough. They overwork themselves to prove their worth. In some cases, they have a frequent fear that they will be exposed as a failure or a fraud.”
On one level, she noted, anxiety is understandable: Things aren’t always easy.
“God has a purpose for all of us,” Odle said. “He is a big God who calls us to do things that will stretch us and challenge us. Discomfort and doubt are natural reactions to these calls.”
“On your journey at Hope, you’ll experience ups and downs. That is normal and it’s part of the process,” she said.
However, Odle said, being challenged is not the same as being inadequate.
“[N]o one really has imposter syndrome,” she said. “We are fearfully and wonderfully made in his image, so we don’t need to internalize any feelings of inadequacy or failure.”
Instead, Odle said, the students can find comfort and strength in trusting that the challenges they experience are part of their journey toward achieving God’s purpose for their lives.
“So, what do you do when you are walking in your purpose and these feelings start to arise?” she said. “I like to think that it comes down to this key question: Despite what is going on around you, in the moment God gives you an assignment, where is your faith placed?”
“God called you to be here, so you belong here,” she said. “He knows everything that you will experience, so trust that you are well-equipped for this journey.”
The students, Odle said, won’t be on their own as they travel through their years at Hope but lifted up by those around them. Professors will teach and conduct collaborative research with them; resident directors and resident assistants will help build community and provide guidance to campus resources; coaches will provide training on and off the field; staff members in offices and departments will advise and mentor; chaplains will engage them in faith formation.
“[All] of us here at Hope work together to help you walk in your purpose. That is a part of the Godly mission that we have been called to,” she said.