What is (M)Talent?
There are three levels of (M)Talent, each with a point threshold and a special challenge. Meet the point requirement to unlock that Impact Challenge, and then earn points for it to receive the awards associated for that level.
- (M)Talent Maize: 20,000 points; develop a challenge for other students to complete
- (M)Talent Blue: 35,000 points; reflect on the 8 career-ready competencies outlined in the Are You Career-Ready? module
- (M)Talent: 50,000 points; present at the (M)Talent Showcase
Students who achieve the (M)Talent distinction are recognized at graduation as well as on their official transcript. This distinction identifies students who demonstrate the characteristics of an exceptional employee who has gained the professional skills needed to excel in any setting.
What are "Challenges"?
In simplest terms, a Talent Gateway “challenge” is a task – do this thing, think about that, go here – and then answer a variety of questions that prompt students to reflect on how that task impacts their academic, personal, and professional success. By completing these challenges, students gain - and learn to articulate - the soft skills that employers seek in today’s graduates.
Because the Talent Gateway is a web-based, virtual program, students can submit challenges any time, any where. They choose which challenges to work on, charting their own paths of professional development. Submissions are read and responded to by the Talent Ambassadors, who are upperclassmen or graduate students.
With each challenge submission, students earn points towards the (M)Talent distinction on their official transcript and recognition at graduation. Along the way, as students "level-up", they earn awards and digital badges. For example, by completing the 10K challenge, they earn a Talent Gateway water bottle; by completing a competency capstone challenge, they receive a digital badge.
Challenges are Grouped into the Following Categories:
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Expanding Your Comfort Zone
Use these challenges to stretch your personal boundaries and broaden your perspective.
Examples include: Explore Diversity on Campus, Volunteering: Stepping Up and Stepping Out, and What Mentoring Means to Me.
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Scanning the Landscape
Explore new ideas and new directions while observing the world around you. What's happening and what can you learn from it?
Examples include: Career Scan: Informational Interviews, Inspiration Station, and Professional Communication.
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Mining My Own Business
These challenges help you reflect on who are you as a person in all aspects of your life: at home, in class and at your workplace. How can all of these experiences come together to make you more marketable as an employee? Use these challenges to inventory your skills and practice communicating them.
Examples include: Jobs and Employment: Workplace Dynamics, Owning Your Mistakes, and Skills Inventory.
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Learning in Action
What things are you doing to develop your skills? How can you reflect on the experiences you are having that will take your career development to the next level?
Examples include: Invest in Yourself! Attend a Professional Development Workshop, Participate in a Co-Op, Internship, or Experiential Learning Opportunity, and Student Organization Leader.
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Learning Modules
These multimedia modules help students learn about a specific topic or skill, and the challenges provide a follow-up and assessment for each learning module.
Examples of learning modules include: Are You Career Ready?, Design Thinking, and Financial Literacy.
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Achieving Your Career B.E.S.T.
These challenges and modules are based on the Office of Career Service's Achieving Your Career B.E.S.T. model:
Career BASICS: The essentials. Your foundation.
Career EXPLORATION: Knowing what you do, could, or should bring.
Career STRATEGIES: What’s your plan?
Career TRANSITIONS: The world will always change.Examples include: BEST: Career Exploration: What Can I Do With This Major?, BEST: Setting Career Goals, and BEST: Creating a Career Action Plan.
Meet Our (M)Talent Students
Our students are active members on campus and in the community; many have earned the University of Michigan-Dearborn Difference Maker Award. Hear the stories of our students who have presented at our showcases and have earned the (M)Talent distinction:
Octavia Edwards, CASL, April 2019 graduation
Raquel Estrada, CECS, April 2018 graduation
N’Kenge Gonzalez, CASL, April 2018 graduation
Nadine Jones, CASL, April 2018 graduation
(Learn more about her work with Veterans)
Rachel Leonard, CASL, April 2018 graduation
Robert Moores, CASL April 2017 graduation
Sara Neuenschwander, CASL, December 2018 graduation
Karthik Raghupathy, CECS, April 2019 graduation
Clinton Randall, COB, April 2018 graduation
Priyal Sheth, CECS, April 2018 graduation
Candice Tudor, CASL, April 2018 graduation
Bryce Weick, CASL, December 2017 graduation