What Drives Me to be Who I Am

Theodore Evans
November 8, 2020
OGL 482: Pro-Seminar II
Professor Andi Hess
Introduction
The following presentation is a thematic analysis of my personal and
professional life. This analysis will dive deep into what the themes have
appeared consistently throughout my life and how they have impacted the
person I am today.
Research Process & Data Collection

1. I started by reviewing my Life Story Personal Narrative and identified any

common traits/experiences that I found.
2. I then coded and tracked the data I found so that I could easily track it in
other documents.
3. Next, I repeated this process of data collection with the other assignments
and assessments I have completed for this course.
4. Once the data tracking was complete, I grouped all common data points
together.
5. Lastly, I took all of the grouped data and compiled a list of common themes
that would be used for this thematic analysis.
My Data Sources
The data sources used for this analysis consists of different assignments and
assessments I have completed as part of the OGL 482 curriculum. Some of these
assessments I have used in the past and I took again, while others were
completely new and provided information I have not encountered before. Each
data source has a two, three, or four letter abbreviation that will be used to
identify them as a source for each point of data presented across each theme.
Data Sources
● Big Five Personality Test (BFP) - This test looks at five different traits that make up one’s
personality and ranks them according to the results: Openness to Experience,
Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Natural Reaction.
● Career Anchors Assessment (CA) - The Career Anchors Assessments measures our identified
needs and ranks them in order of highest to lowest. It then looks at what we are willing to give
up versus what we cannot live without.
● DISC Personality Test (DISC) - This assessment requires users to select two answers from a
series of statement clusters, one which they find most accurate to their personality and one
which they believe is least accurate as to their personality. Each statement has a corresponding
value which generates a score for the user in four categories: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness,
and Compliance.
● Holland Personality Traits (HPT) - This assessment groups occupations that I indicated
interest in and compared my interest to the six Holland Personality Types.
Data Sources (cont.)
● Identities Exercise (IE) - This exercise asks you to identify your primary sources of identity.
Then, looking at primary identities, classify them into how they define your self-concept and
views, and how they influence your priorities and actions.
● Jung’s Typology Assessment (JT) - The Jung personality test measures your preferences for
dealing with and relating to people, processing information, making decisions and organizing
your life. Its results give you a good overview of your personality and behavior. You can then
see how your Jung types match up with a potential employer's requirements.
● Kuder Career Interests Assessment (KCI) - One portion of the comprehensive Kuder
Assessment. This assessment asks a series of questions in relation to what I enjoy doing in my
work and then tabulates results based on what career would match best with the interests I
indicated.
● Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment (KSC) - One portion of the comprehensive Kuder
Assessment. This assessment asks a series of questions about what skills and abilities I fell that
I am most confident in performing and then matches them with potential careers or fields that
best match these skills.
Data Sources (cont.)

● Life Story Personal Narrative (LSPN) - This reflective exercise required that I create a
substantial narrative of my life story from birth to the present day. Additionally, throughout
the retelling of my story, we were required to identify major themes which have persisted
throughout our life.
● Super’s Work Values Inventory (WVI) - One portion of the comprehensive Kuder Assessment.
This assessment measures what values, in terms of in the workplace, are most important to me
and then ranks the values from most to least important. Finally, it takes these values and
suggests potential careers that best incorporate my top indicated values.
● Three Questions (TQ) - Three Questions was designed by Dr. Michael Himes of Boston
College. The Three Questions that he asks are: what gives me joy (what kind of things am I
doing when I'm most naturally content and happy?), what am I good at (what are my
strengths?), and what does the world need me to do (what can I contribute?).
● Values & Dreams (VD) - The values checklist ask you to find your top five values. This occurs
from listing several values in the beginning crossing them off a few at a time and continuing on
until you are down to your top value.
My 10 Themes
As part of the thematic analysis, I have compiled ten recurring themes that have
appeared consistently throughout my life and my assessments. These themes are
an expansion of my core values and are what make me who I am as a person.
My 10 Themes
1. I find joy in serving others.
2. I use shared experiences and empathy to connect with others, as
relationships are very important to me.
3. I use my personal experiences to evolve my emotional maturity.
4. I flourish most in the workplace when my professional relationships are
meaningful to me.
5. I have to prioritize my own needs so that I can give 100% to both my
personal and professional responsibilities.
6. I am driven by work that gives me a sense of purpose.
7. I enjoy leading others and focusing on their development.
8. I persevere through challenges knowing that I will learn and grow because of
them.
9. I define my career, not the other way around.
10. I am determined to become the best version of myself that I can be.
1. Joy in Serving Others
● Theme Statement: I find the most joy in my life when I am doing things for others. Helping those that
are the most in need is part of how I find meaning in my life.

● Supporting Data:
○ I really think that I get the most out of what I do when I know that my day’s
work went to supporting the life of someone else and made their life better by
even the smallest margin. (TQ)
○ In serving those around me, I have to show up as the best version of myself,
and I simply cannot do that if I am in a position that makes me fill
anything less than the utmost joy. (TQ)
○ I know that what I do has an impact on the lives of the people and I can use
that as a way to try to improve the world over time. (IE)
○ Much of what I take out of my roles is either a building of relationships or
a sense of joy from helping others in some way. (IE)
1. Joy in Serving Others (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I find the most joy in my life when I am doing things for others. Helping those that
are the most in need is part of how I find meaning in my life.

● Supporting Data:
○ I would love to be able to run a nonprofit organization one day that focuses
on supporting homeless people and getting them to a place where they can
support themselves and have a stable roof over their heads. (VD)
○ One of the most important things I have taken from my experiences up
until now is that what I find so much joy in is being of service to others and
helping them in any way possible. (LSPN)
1. Joy in Serving Others (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I do not think there is really evidence I can find against this theme for
me. Working for the betterment of the lives of others has and always
will be a significant part of my life.
● Reflection
○ I absolutely enjoy being able to help others with whatever it is that they are
struggling to overcome. Being able to help another person is something
that is so unique to the human experience, as we are able to understand
their hardship. I will continue to serve others in whatever capacity that I
can, as that is something I believe every person should do.
2. Importance of Relationships
● Theme Statement: Relationships are incredibly important to me. I connect with others via shared
experiences and empathy to deepen my connection to those around me.

● Supporting Data:
○ My roles as a family member help me see myself as a person others can rely
on and trust, which has helped me build confidence in knowing that others
can depend on me. (IE)
○ I am dedicated to spending time with my friends, as they are the people
that see the world in a similar way to me and help me navigate through
whatever I am experiencing. (IE)
○ Much of what I take out of my roles is either a building of relationships or
a sense of joy from helping others in some way. (IE)
○ My top five values are as follows: honesty, personal development, quality
relationships, friendships, and meaningful work. (VD)
2. Importance of Relationships (cont.)
● Theme Statement: Relationships are incredibly important to me. I connect with others via shared
experiences and empathy to deepen my connection to those around me.

● Supporting Data:
○ Social (S): Confident in developing and growing human relationships.
Solves problems through empathy, helping others to succeed, and seeking
mutuality. (KCI)
○ You are a charming, effervescent and people-oriented individual. You have a
contagious enthusiasm and love to inspire others to greater things. (JT)
2. Importance of Relationships (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ After I had some issues with other kids in private school,
relationships were not a priority for me at all, I wanted to just be by
myself and go to school at home. (LSPN)

● Reflection
○ If there is anything that the OGL program has taught me, it is that
relationships are the backbone of a person’s success. The people you exist
in this life with are going to be able to support you in ways that you cannot
do for yourself. I also find so much meaning in my life out of the
relationships I have with others and I would not change them for the world.
3. Emotional Maturity
● Theme Statement: I have experienced many different significant things in my life and I reflect on these
experiences to help me become a more emotionally mature individual.

● Supporting Data:
○ The roles I play in each different context make me who I am as a person
and I know that they will only continue to grow and evolve and so will how
I see myself through the lens of these roles as I mature. (IE)
○ I am excited for this part of my future, as I think it will also help me
become a more compassionate and understanding individual that will have
to learn how to balance parenthood with the rest of my life, which I do not
have to do right now. (IE)
○ I think that honesty and transparency are more important than just about
anything else, which is why honesty ended up being my top value. (VD)
3. Emotional Maturity (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I have experienced many different significant things in my life and I reflect on these
experiences to help me become a more emotionally mature individual.

● Supporting Data:
○ Being honest gives you the emotional, mental, and even physical freedom
to be the person that you want to be, and I cannot imagine a better life
than that. (VD)
○ You are an approachable and understanding person. Your optimism
encourages you to look for the best in others. (DP)
○ I consider everything that I have gone through to be a blessing, as each
experience has helped shape me into the person that I am today and the
person that I am still becoming. (LSPN)
3. Emotional Maturity (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ This feeling of tension and distress took over on the inside, as I loved
my grandmother pretty much more than anything else, but I did not
let that show on the outside. While I was sad that she was gone, I did
not outwardly show how I was feeling, as I did not understand how to
process many of the emotions I was experiencing. (LSPN)

● Reflection
○ My own experiences have really helped me become a much more
emotionally sound and intelligent person. I use this enlightened maturity
to help build deeper relationships with others and connect with them to
the best of my ability. Emotions are key to connecting with others, and if I
cannot even cope with my own, how would I be able to expect myself to
understand the feelings of others?
4. Meaningful Professional Relationships
● Theme Statement: I flourish most in the workplace when my professional relationships are meaningful to
me.

● Supporting Data:
○ My friends and my workplace are the groups that I have the deepest
relationships with outside of my family and I can see that I cherish honesty
in those relationships because it makes them much more deep and
meaningful to me. (IE)
○ My top five values are as follows: honesty, personal development, quality
relationships, friendships, and meaningful work. (VD)
○ I think the most valuable thing anyone has is the relationships they hold
with others, as I really do think “it’s all about who you know.” (VD)
○ I have a boss who respects me, recognizes my value, is easy to talk to, and is
concerned about me as a person. (WVI)
4. Meaningful Professional Relationships (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I flourish most in the workplace when my professional relationships are meaningful to
me.

● Supporting Data:
○ Developing and maintaining relationships - at work and at play is
important to you. (DP)
○ Allows team members to share and express themselves. (JT)
4. Meaningful Professional Relationships (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ My relationship with my boss soon became a negative aspect of my
job, as we never agreed on what my objectives were and his view of
my job was vastly different from my own. (LSPN)

● Reflection
○ I flourish in the workplace the most when I am surrounded by people that I
care about and I know care about me. This is particularly the case when it
comes to the person that I work for, as I do my best work when I know
how much the person I work under appreciates what I am doing.
5. Prioritizing my Own Needs
● Theme Statement: I have to prioritize my own needs so that I can give 100% to both my personal and
professional responsibilities.

● Supporting Data:
○ I am typically super dedicated to my job and I always tend to prioritize it
over much of anything else, however, I have developed a much better
relationship with the amount of time I spend doing work. (IE)
○ You live in a busy world of possibilities where your imagination runs free
and each and every day is important. (JT)
○ My family could see how unhappy I was and I told them what I had been
going through and they immediately pulled me out of the school and I
never went back. (LSPN)
5. Prioritizing my Own Needs (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I have to prioritize my own needs so that I can give 100% to both my personal and
professional responsibilities.

● Supporting Data:
○ While I was only required to complete twenty hours to graduate, I did well
over 200 hours at the YMCA because I so thoroughly enjoyed what I was
doing, and it became a place of solace for me. (LSPN)
○ While the two of us love each other a lot, we do not always see things from
the same perspective, so we tended to butt heads more and more as I
became more of a fully-fledged adult. In September 2014, I moved out on
my own for the first time and rented an apartment with a good friend. I
felt so empowered by making this decision and actually going through with
it and it was the first time I truly felt as if I was completely responsible for
my own life. (LSPN)
5. Prioritizing my Own Needs (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence (if there is none then a brief explanation why
feel this is so)
○ I have certainly been in a place before where I focused too much on just
my work and it hurt other aspects of my life. (IE)

● Reflection
○ One of the things I have come to learn in my working career is that I have
to be able to put myself first, otherwise, I drain myself both physically and
mentally and I am not able to give things my all. This is particularly hard
for me because I hate it when I cannot give something everything I have,
so I had to learn this type of behavior the hard way.
6. Work that Gives Me a Sense of Purpose
● Theme Statement: I am driven by work that gives me a sense of purpose.

● Supporting Data:
○ There are so many people just in the United States that need some extra
care and support and I will always be thrilled to help them in any way
possible, even if all I was able to do was put a smile on someone’s face or
give them a good laugh. (TQ)
○ My roles as an employee help me see that what I do is important and I can
focus on being a leader that can accomplish something. (IE)
○ I think my roles help me see the world as a place of endless possibilities, as
I can use my skills and passions to find a job that I will love that will impact
the world in a positive way. (IE)
6. Work that Gives Me a Sense of Purpose (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I am driven by work that gives me a sense of purpose.

● Supporting Data:
○ Interest in activities that include working to inform, develop, heal, and
teach other people. Solves problems through empathy, helping others to
succeed, and seeking mutuality. (KCI)
○ Work ethic: Conscientious, disciplined, efficient, well-organised, strong
sense of duty (BFP)
○ I have discovered through hardship that the most meaningful thing I can
do in my short life is to serve others and help them with whatever they may
need to better their lives. (LSPN)
6. Work that Gives Me a Sense of Purpose (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I do not think that there is any evidence to suggest that I do not want
work that gives me a sense of purpose. I have always wanted to find
meaning and purpose in whatever I am doing, whether it be work or
for personal reasons.

● Reflection
○ This is the reason why I like working in the nonprofit field, because
everything I do has some sort of meaning or greater purpose. I enjoy my
work the most when I know what I am doing is for a greater cause and is
going to help people. I want to make the world a better place for every
person on this planet, and while I know my individual contribution may
be small, it still matters in the long run.
7. I Enjoy Leading Others
● Theme Statement: I enjoy leading others and getting the chance to focus on their development and help
them become not only better employees but better people.

● Supporting Data:
○ Something I have been told over and over again throughout my career is
that I am great at teaching others and explaining even the most
complicated processes. (TQ)
○ What I have found is that my teaching abilities come in handy as a leader,
someone who is in charge of a team that has a goal or a mission that needs
to be accomplished. (TQ)
○ I am currently a Shift Supervisor for Starbucks and I use my skills to help
teach new employees how to communicate and help them learn how to
become leaders themselves, as the world can never have too many good
leaders. (TQ)
7. I Enjoy Leading Others (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I enjoy leading others and getting the chance to focus on their development and help
them become not only better employees but better people.

● Supporting Data:
○ I want people to see that my actions are heartfelt and real and that I am
here to just be a support system for others and want to be a part of their
lives. (IE)
○ Interest in activities that include working to inform, develop, heal, and
teach other people. (KSC)
○ You are likely to be a good listener and offer constructive advice rather
than imposing your own ideas and values on others. (DP)
○ Extraversion: enjoys direct leadership roles (BFP)
○ Is committed to the progress and growth of people. (JT)
7. I Enjoy Leading Others (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ In the Career Anchors Assessment, I scored lower in the area that
indicated having a job where a group of people have to report to me is
important. This does not mean that I do not like leadership. I have
learned to be a leader to everyone whether or not they report directly
to me. (CA)

● Reflection
○ Being in a position that allows me to lead others and help them learn and
grow is one of my passions. In my working career I have discovered that I
get a lot of personal fulfillment by being able to help someone else learn
and push them to be better. Being a leader for someone else is a unique
experience that I want to make positive for as many people as I can in my
life.
8. Persevering Through Challenges
● Theme Statement: I persevere through challenges knowing that I will learn and grow because of them.

● Supporting Data:
○ Interest in activities that include working to achieve economic gain as well
as personal or organizational goals. Confident in persuasive, leadership,
sales, and entrepreneurial skills. (KCI)
○ Having challenge in my job means that I need to stay mentally sharp and
that I have opportunities to continue to learn and to expand my work tasks
into new areas. (WVI)
○ Natural reaction: not upset in stressful situations - I know that I am relied
on to get things done, so I have to keep my head straight so that I can help
those that need support (BFP)
8. Persevering Through Challenges (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I persevere through challenges knowing that I will learn and grow because of them.

● Supporting Data:
○ Seeks variety, challenge, diversity, novelty and ideas. (JT)
○ I decided that if he didn’t care about me, why would I bother caring about
him? I now admire the resolve that I had as such a young kid, as I do not
think many kids decide to write-off one of their parents without a second
thought as I did. (LSPN)
○ I would not wish what I experienced with my family passing on anyone,
but I will say that I came out a much stronger person for it at an age where
most people are only just discovering who they are as an adult. (LSPN)
○ My roommate moved out of state and I could not afford to live on my own,
nor did I have many options of where to live, so I ended up living in my car
for about three months. (LSPN)
8. Persevering Through Challenges (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ Upon completing the Big Five Personality Test, it indicated that was
in the middle range for agreeableness. Meaning that I prefer
competition over cooperation, and at time prefer cooperation over
competition. Being overly competitive and not wanting to cooperate
with others hinders the ability to find common solutions, limiting the
growth I can have from challenges. To overcome this, I work on
compromising and being inclusive of teamwork. (BFP)

● Reflection
○ I have endured many professional and personal challenges throughout the
course of my life. In no way do I think this has been a hindrance, as the
most growth I have ever experienced is because of the hardship I have had
to deal with. I am going to be willing to work through challenge and make
the best of it as much as I can in the future.
9. I Define my Path/Career
● Theme Statement: I define my path in life/career, not the other way around. While my work may be an
important part of my life, my job does not dictate who I am, I dictate what my job is and how I make it a
part of who I am.

● Supporting Data:
○ I think a position that allows me to teach people to become good team
players and good leaders is going to be a great fit for me and not only will I
enjoy it but it will benefit their futures and the futures of those they work
with later on in life. (TQ)
○ What I really discovered in going through my thoughts about my dreams is
that I want to see the world and help people not just where I am now but
wherever I end up being. (VD)
○ Having independence in my job means that I am trusted to make many
decisions on my own and do not have to constantly report to a supervisor.
(WVI)
9. I Define my Path/Career (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I define my path in life/career, not the other way around. While my work may be an
important part of my life, my job does not dictate who I am, I dictate what my job is and how I make it a
part of who I am.

● Supporting Data:
○ Contributes creative ideas along with humanitarian values and limitless
potential. (JT)
○ These feelings did not define me as a person but it did make it clear that I
felt as if I had been wronged and I needed to understand how to move past
the experience and feel emotionally at ease. (LSPN)
○ The recurring theme of death in my immediate family may seem
horrendous for someone that was so young but I attribute much of who I
am today to the fact that I have had to experience so much emotional
turmoil and learn to live with the concept of mortality. (LSPN)
9. I Define my Path/Career (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I think my identity as a parent will shape who I am as a person probably
more than anything else in my adult life, as having to be responsible for
the lives of other people is a lot to take on. (IE)

● Reflection
○ At many times in my life I have felt as if it was unclear as to whether or not
I was in control of who I was or if my life was just happening in front of
me. I can confidently say now that I am the one driving my life and I
define who I am by the choice that I make and what I want to do with the
rest of my life.
10. I Want to be the Best Version of Myself
● Theme Statement: I am determined to become the best version of myself that I can be.

● Supporting Data:
○ In serving those around me, I have to show up as the best version of myself,
and I simply cannot do that if I am in a position that makes me fill
anything less than the utmost joy. (TQ)
○ I want people to see that my actions are heartfelt and real and that I am
here to just be a support system for others and want to be a part of their
lives. (IE)
○ Honesty is such a defining part of how you learn and grow, if you are not
honest in who you are and what you want out of life, then you are not
going to become the best version of yourself that you can. (VD)
10. I Want to be the Best Version of Myself (cont.)
● Theme Statement: I am determined to become the best version of myself that I can be.

● Supporting Data:
○ You will find like-minded, incredible people that will help propel you to
become your best self when you are honest about who you are and what
your values are. (VD)
○ I consider everything that I have gone through to be a blessing, as each
experience has helped shape me into the person that I am today and the
person that I am still becoming. (LSPN)
○ I have learned how to not only process my own emotions but understand
the emotions of others, which now helps me connect with other people in a
way I never would have been able to otherwise. (LSPN)
10. I Want to be the Best Version of Myself (cont.)
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ As a child, I was not always focused on this aspect of my life, as I had
some emotions I did not want to resolve, but that is not the case
anymore. (LSPN)

● Reflection
○ Going back to my first theme of helping others, I think that this theme is
what helps me do my best to accomplish my goal of helping others and
doing things that give me purpose. I want to constantly grow and become
a better person and doing this enables me to be better at helping others
and making a difference in their lives.
My Personal Vision Statement

To serve others in the most effective and meaningful way possible by

becoming the best version of myself that I can be.

Reflection: To create my vision statement I looked at all of the themes that

is used for this project. The two that stood out the most to me turned out
to be the first and the last ones. I love being able to serve others and I have
come to learn that I can do this in a more effective way by becoming the
best version of myself that I can. I can give things my all by ensuring that
the person I am is the most educated and empathetic person I can be. This
is not easy task that will never truly be accomplished, as it will be a lifelong
journey.
My Personal Mission Statement
I am dedicated to making the world a better place by utilizing my skills as
a leader to help others become the best people they can be.

Reflection: Because this mission is something I have aspired to now for a

number of years, this statement was not difficult for me to create at all. My
mission for my life is to make the world a better place for others to live in.
This is a mission that will require more than just me being dedicated to, so
I have to instill this same goal in other people. I think the best way for me
to do that is to be an example for others and be the type of leader that can
make a difference in the world. Being this type of leader will allow me to
have influence over those under me and help them become effective
leaders than can then do the same thing I am doing. This domino effect
will theoretically make the most impact on the world and eventually make
it a better place.
Conclusion
Now approaching the end of my OGL program, I can say that I have learned
much about who I am and the type of person I want to be in the world.
Completing this thematic analysis has shown me what things have been
prominent and impactful for me, which I can now use as a basis for how I create
an impact in the lives of others.
References
● Big five personality test. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28,2020 from
https://www.123test.com/ personality-test/
● DISC personality test: Take this free DISC profile assessment at 123test.com.
(2018, December 14). Retrieved October 28, 2020 from
https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/
● Himes, M. (2016, April 20). The 3 Key Questions. Retrieved October 16, 2020,
from https://youtu.be/P-4lKCENdnw
● Jung Personality Test (n.d.) Retrieved October 28, 2020 from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
● Kuder Assessment (n.d.) Retrieved October 28, 2020 from
https://journey.kuder.com/account/adult-login-register?Timeout=True