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Presenting the college鈥檚 Opening Convocation address on Sunday, Aug. 25, she also assured them that they needn鈥檛 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鈥檚 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 鈥渋mposter training鈥� to reflect that it is not an inevitable, internal condition but is instead learned 鈥� and can be unlearned.

Read the Full Convocation Address, "Victory is Mine, But God gets the Glory" 

鈥淰ictory is Mine, but God gets the Glory鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e noticed more students struggling with a sense of belonging and how it relates to their perception of how successful and intelligent they are,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen 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.鈥�

On one level, she noted, anxiety is understandable:  Things aren鈥檛 always easy.

鈥淕od has a purpose for all of us,鈥� Odle said.  鈥淗e 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.鈥�

鈥淥n your journey at Hope, you鈥檒l experience ups and downs.  That is normal and it鈥檚 part of the process,鈥� she said.  

However, Odle said, being challenged is not the same as being inadequate.

鈥淸N]o one really has imposter syndrome,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are fearfully and wonderfully made in his image, so we don鈥檛 need to internalize any feelings of inadequacy or failure.鈥�

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鈥檚 purpose for their lives.

鈥淪o, what do you do when you are walking in your purpose and these feelings start to arise?鈥� she said. 鈥淚 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?鈥�

鈥淕od called you to be here, so you belong here,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e knows everything that you will experience, so trust that you are well-equipped for this journey.鈥�

The students, Odle said, won鈥檛 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.

鈥淸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,鈥� she said.