I had the pleasure of sitting down with President Cottrell and asking her what gives her life meaning. I was in a bit anxious, as one might imagine to be as a student sitting down with the president of my university, but as soon as we began talking her calm and genuine demeanor quelled my worries. We started off with a bit of small talk before we got to the Big Meaning Question. Mainly I just gave her the run down of the project and told her about what I study and what I want to do with it. We bonded a bit over the fact that I transferred from Baylor, as that is where she started out as well.

Once we got to the question at hand, she asked me if it would be okay if she could break it down into a framework to really give me an in- depth and honest answer that has perimeters. I was delighted by this because as I have been doing my project collecting answers about the meaning of life, I have been categorizing them into sections. I was doubly interested to see how her structuring would compare to mine. She told me that she believes meaning is found in one’s beliefs and then your values would correlate and be how you live those beliefs out. She also made it clear that connection is an over arching theme of this and that she thinks that her beliefs and values would be pretty empty without giving the proper sanctity to her relationships.

Though our language about how we express this structure is different, it lines up pretty similarly with mine shedding light on how one’s beliefs play a large factor in how to live. Later in the conversation, President Cottrell expressed a few more concepts that play into the structure that I also believe are huge influences. One of those things was around intentionality. President Cottrell said that values should be understood by how you spend your time because if you don’t spend your time on it then do you really value it? This really stuck with me and I think it is a great notion to have in mind as you assess meaning in your life and how you go about it. Another one of those concepts that is linked throughout is mindfulness. She recognizes that she cannot fix every problem that she is passionate about so being able to evaluate what she can take on and show up fully for it is important to her. I mentioned to her how Brene Brown had recently talked about how when she is asked about taking on something she always asks herself “is this something I want to be held accountable for?” That conception of it seemed to make a lot of sense to President Cottrell as well. We also touched on the interwoven sense of spirituality that she holds and how that impacts everything else. Though raised Baptist, President Cottrell identifies as an Episcopalian and told me that Episcopalians and Lutherans have a lot in common. She even said she probably spends as much time in Lutheran churches as she does in Episcopalian ones.

President Cottrell then began to verbally compile a list of beliefs she holds and following that she explained how she puts each one into practice. The first one we touched on was the power of education. This did not come as a surprise to me considering what role she decided to take on for her career. As she touched on how education has impacted her life, especially as a first generation student, I got the sense that we might be able to relate it to Elizabeth Gilbert’s discussion during her TED Talk about the word “vocation.” The way Elizabeth Gilbert defines vocation is in a way that is deeper than just a job that can help you acquire wealth but grounded in a real sense of purpose. For Elizabeth Gilbert, vocation is something you feel committed to with your life and no matter the amount of success or failure one encounters they will return each day to it with passion. When I asked President Cottrell if this notion of vocation resonated with her she said it did. Being able to talk about thought leaders that inspire me like Brene Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert and knowing that she too is a fan who believes in their messaging really gave me a sense of comfort. President Cottrell has firm belief in teaching as well as sharing her story. I felt privileged to feel included in that as she gave her time to let me come in and hear her story.

The next three beliefs felt like they fit together really well as she explained to me that she believes in respecting others, working toward equity, and service to her community. A big one for her in putting these beliefs into practice in her life is being a part of organizations that support what she believes. She also told me that she values “answering the call” and in turn, giving room for opportunities for others while also putting in the hard work herself. On the front of equity, she told me that a lot of the time it comes through one-on-one experiences with others that allows her to understand their perspectives. She enjoys helping in the ways she can in these more personal interactions but also says it can play out institutionally. President Cottrell wants to use her voice where she can when she sees injustice. 

The last belief we touched on is that of self- care. This was extra interesting for me to dive into with her especially since in my Christian Ethics class that I am taking with Dr. H. David Baer in the Theology, Philosophy, and Classical Languages Department, we cover the nuance of Christian thought around agape ethics and where and if a line should be drawn between self- sacrifice and self- love. President Cottrell explained that for her she recognizes that caring for herself will put her in the position to take care of others. She takes care of herself by maintaining a healthy active lifestyle. She also mentioned that this belief was probably a bit lower on her list of importance which makes sense as I see that it is mainly a value that allows her other values, which are all connection- based, to flourish. 

I really appreciated this time with President Cottrell and am inspired by the depth of understanding she has around her own sense of meaning. She expresses gratitude in the people who over the years have helped her get to where she is as well as the path that sometimes didn’t always look like it was are part of her calling but then led to it. And for that, I want to express gratitude to her for being one of those people who recognizes the extent others have gone for her and truly works to give others a place to grow as well.