Strengths at Work

On November 7th, the seniors at Kearny Digital Media and Design embarked on some self exploration to prepare themselves for the next stage of their college and career journeys. Candice Fee, Program Manager for the Office of School Innovation, led students through taking the Clifton Strengths Finder Assessment in order to help students discover their areas of greatest strength and how they can put those strengths to work to develop successful futures. The assessment asks a series of questions that reveal the way students naturally think, feel, and behave. Each student gets a personalized report of their top five strengths. Dailyly Castillo, a senior at Kearny DMD, said what she most enjoyed about the Strengths Finder test was, “how much more you are able to learn and understand about yourself. When taking the test it described me using these 5 strengths which are belief, responsibility, restorative, adaptability, and ideation. I would have never chosen these words to describe myself, but after further reading and reflection, I could see how I use these skills and don’t even notice.” The assessment really helps students develop a clearer picture of who they are and put words to ideas the students’ are developing about themselves.

After discovering each student’s strengths, Ms. Fee led the students through a series of activities in which they experienced what it felt like to use their strengths to complete a task. Stephanie Clay, English teacher and Senior Internship Coordinator at Kearny DMD observed, “When students got into groups according to their strengths, it was interesting to see the students notice who among them shared their strengths and who had different strengths. Each group cooperated, communicated, and solved problems in its own way. It was really beneficial for students to be aware of themselves experiencing what it feels like to use that strength to complete a task. I witnessed a lot of ah-ha moments happening.” When the activities were complete, students had a better understanding of who they are and how their strengths can impact their future. “The activities helped prepare me for what's next in my life because whatever job I want to pursue in the future, I know that for me to learn and grow I have to do something that's more hands on rather than just listening and writing things down,” reflects Vincent Castillo, senior at Kearny DMD.


As seniors prepare for graduation, each student at DMD presents a Defense of Learning during which students defend their academic and personal growth through the lens of critical thinking, innovative thinking, the production process, civic engagement, and college and career readiness. Part of this growth includes being able to incorporate and reflect upon their unique strengths, how they use them, and, ultimately, which college and career choices will best suit them.