Since 2014, the Caroline D. Bradley Seminar has been the event I most anticipate each year. Months and months of planning precede this exciting community gathering of students, alumni, parents, educators and supporters from across the U.S. For most of the year, CDB Scholars are separated by geography, schools, and busy schedules. But once a year, every spring, we welcome our entire community to convene in southern California for a three-day seminar where they can discuss and share ideas with like-minded peers in an inclusive and energetic environment. (If you aren’t familiar with the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, you can read more about this unique and life-changing opportunity on our .)

Since 2002, the program has identified over 230 highly motivated, gifted students across the country, providing merit-based four-year tuition to the high school program that best meets their personal and academic needs – private, public, charter, boarding, early college, online and homeschool hybrid. The seminar provides a meeting place annually for these students and focuses on personal growth through themes and topics which encourage conversation, connection and authenticity. It’s an important time because it allows each class of CDB Scholars to get to know other students within their cohort as well as the entire network of scholars from years past and present. The Bradley Seminar is generously funded by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

The 15^th annual Bradley Seminar took place March 9 – 11 at The Westin near LAX and was our largest event to date with over 240 attendees representing 30 states spanning from Hawaii to Nebraska to Florida. Through cross-generational formats, small group workshops and conversation, we delved into this year’s theme, Intersections. Our keynote speaker, Jim Davis, Co-Founder of ������Ƶ, kicked off the weekend with an interactive exploration using personality theory as a framework for better understanding ourselves and others. Using for inspiration, we discussed life at the intersection of giftedness and multipotentiality, and what it looks like to pursue life with many passions and interests. Always a highlight of the weekend, our CDB senior class shared parting words of personal experience, advice and insight to their fellow CDB community, rife with photos, tears and hugs.

On Saturday afternoon, CDB scholars and alumni visited the ������Ƶ headquarters in Pasadena to participate in a legacy project celebrating ������Ƶ’s 20^th anniversary. Students collaborated with their CDB classes to design and create a flag using meaningful symbolism to represent their CDB class, as well as commemorate ������Ƶ’s milestone year. What resulted from their collective creative vision and work was inspirational. One even made me cry (admittedly not that difficult to achieve) with its underlying story and layers of symbolism. Their designs can be viewed below and will be displayed at ������Ƶ offices at The Barder House in perpetuity.

(A note: Aside from that one summer back in 2008 when I became mildly obsessed with learning all the flags of the world thanks to Sporcle.com, I didn’t know much about the specifics of flag design or vexillology. After putting in a few hours of basic research on the subject in preparation for this project, I was hooked. Two resources in particular made a fascinating case for why good design matters. First, the definitive guide “” compiled by Ted Kaye of the North American Vexillological Association.  Second, the delightfully amusing and thought-provoking Ted Talk by podcast host, Roman Mars, “”. I recommend both to anyone interested in learning more on the topic. I also strongly recommend checking out the proposal by Calder Hansen, 2014 CDB Scholar.)

It’s hard to believe this year’s event has already come and gone. Months of pouring over spreadsheets, emails, flight details, schedules, etc. lead you to that sudden moment when everyone is saying goodbye again until next year. There’s nothing quite like the energy that fills the room that first Friday night at the seminar. It’s a feeling that follows you home and sticks with you for weeks after.

One CDB scholar said it best: “I am sure I speak for all of the scholars when I say that the opportunity to meet friends, engage in intellectual conversations, and just spend time in a like-minded community was one of the highlights of my school year so far. I personally enjoyed getting to meet the freshman class, and was so inspired by their generous spirits, open-mindedness, and excitement about what the future holds. I spent time with different parents this year as well and had many discussions about topics ranging from accents to culture to the intersection of spirituality and science. I was so sad to leave – I felt like Sunday came even more quickly than it did last year! But even a short weekend was enough to make me feel so lucky and grateful to be a CDB scholar.”

I speak for myself and the rest of the ������Ƶ staff when I say how humbled and grateful we all are to work with such a lovely community of scholars, alumni, parents and educators. We can’t wait to see you again next year!

For more photos of the event, check out ������Ƶ’s !

“When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut, a doctor, a movie star, a teacher, a fireman and president!”

Many gifted students are faced with a dilemma – “I love everything, so which do I choose?” In the 1920’s, Lewis Terman first postulated that many gifted students have difficulty choosing from their many interests and narrowing their focus to a few activities. (6)

What is multipotentiality?

Multipotentiality affects many highly able individuals:

Gifted learners are frequently offered the advice ‘You can be anything you want.’ This may seem desirable for the learner, but for many, this plethora of opportunities amounts to a major crisis. Berger (1989) raises this issue, coining the term multi-potentiality, where the highly capable student participates in many different activities to satisfy their interest. (1, 9)

In their paper “Multipotential Abilities and Vocational Interests in Gifted Adolescents: Fact or Fiction?,” Milgram and Hong conclude that identifying young people with multipotentiality – those who are “interested in many different vocational areas and having the requisite high abilities to succeed in many of them” – may be difficult and that, perhaps, gifted youngsters have “simply reached the ceiling, the highest level measured, in all their subjects” (7). They recommend observing how each individual is spending his or her time during “freely chosen leisure activities.” Milgram and Hong regard the term “multi-potential” as the inability to choose and/or the equal desire and ability to participate in many subjects or areas of interest. Therefore, if an individual indicates a clear preference, or “differentiated interests,” he or she is not demonstrating multipotentiality. If a preference is apparent, the issue of multipotentiality is no longer relevant, according to Milgram and Hong, though not all agree with this point.

What does MP look like?

In A Handbook for Counseling the Gifted and Talented, Barbara Kerr lists characteristics of multipotential individuals. Here are a few (1999, p. 87):

• Difficulty with decision-making
• Difficulty with follow-through
• Excellent performance in multiple subjects or academic areas
• Multiple hobbies and activities
• Schedules packed with a wide variety of social, recreational, and academic activities as determined by the student (not mandated by the school or encouraged by the parents)
• Little free time
• Chosen for leadership roles in a variety of groups and organizations
• “Occasional signs of stress and exhaustion: absences, frequent or chronic illnesses, periods of depression and anxiety, particularly during busiest times”
• “Delay or vacillation about college planning and decision making” in high school

Why does it matter?

MP students often feel confused, lost, and uncertain about direction:

A multipotential student may take a vocational test only to learn that he or she is ‘similar’ in interests and abilities to biologists, librarians, musicians, reporters, English teachers, and ministers. Attaining straight A’s and uniformly high achievement test scores means that the student cannot make decisions based on what he or she ‘does best.’ After graduation from high school, the multipotential student may vacillate between career choices, delaying career decisions until financial need and the end of a nonfocused education drive the student to take a job by default… Parents, teachers, and counselors continue to insist, ‘But you could be anything you want to be!’ not understanding that this is precisely the problem. (1)

Gifted education specialist Tamara Fisher quotes a graduating senior: “‘I find it difficult to choose between careers because I fear how large the choice is. Having many options available is pleasant, but to determine what I will do for many years to come is scary.’” (3)

Pursuing a life of meaning is important to the gifted mind, and selecting a career that provides meaning is difficult for the person whose interests and gifts are extensive and varied. Author Emilie Wapnick notes,

My resume reads like it belongs to ten different people. Music, film, web design, law, business, personal development, writing, dance, sexuality, education– all of these are or have been interests of mine. They come and go (and sometimes come again). Would I have to settle on a ‘practical job’ and pursue my various passions on the side or choose among my interests and just commit to one thing? Both options made my heart ache… I knew I could be doing more – that I had more to offer the world. (4)

How can I help my child master MP?

In “,” Nicholas Colangelo suggested that we help individuals in four ways (2):

1. Remind students that they do not have to limit themselves to one career.
2. Use leisure activities as a way to continually develop areas of abilities and interest, apart from one’s career.
3. Use career counseling as a value-based activity, exploring broad categories of life satisfaction.
4. Emphasize peer discussions and group work with other multipotential youth so that one can see that he/she is not alone with concerns.

Because gifted individuals often have the ability to excel in many different areas, focusing on values and then discovering activities and career paths that support those values can often provide a more fulfilling and clearer path towards happiness.

In an interview with Charlie Rose in November 2013, James Franco discussed his choice to create art / work that allowed him to combine several of his interests into one project. He stated that he wasn’t trying to do everything; he just wanted to be able to utilize each of the areas he enjoyed at one time.

There is a current trend in hiring towards individuals with multi-faceted abilities. In his book, To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink says:

Large operations discovered that segmenting job functions didn’t work very well during volatile business conditions—and because of that, they began demanding elastic skills that stretched across boundaries.…When organizations were highly segmented, skills tended to be fixed. If you were an accountant, you did accounting. The same was true when business conditions were stable and predictable. However, in the last decade, the circumstances that gave rise to fixed skills have disappeared. (10)

This is great news for the multipotential individual because it means that various interests can have value in career and artistic endeavors and may be better appreciated than they had previously been.

Do you feel you or your child exhibits multipotentiality? What challenges or opportunities have you experienced because of this? We’d love to hear your story!

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References

1. Berger, S.L. (1989) College Planning for Gifted Students. [Online.] Council for Exceptional Children.

2. Colangelo, Nicholas. “.” The University of Iowa, Fall 2002 Newsletter.

3. Fisher, Tamara. “.” Unwrapping the Gifted. Online.

4. “.” Developing Multiple Talents. 7 May 2012. Online. < http://developingmultipletalents.com>

5. Kerr, Barbara. A Handbook for Counseling the Gifted and Talented. 1999.

6. McKay, Robyn. “Career Counseling.” Encyclopedia of Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent. Edited by Barbara Kerr.

7. Milgram, Roberta M. & Hong, Eunsook. “Multipotential Abilities and Vocational Interests in Gifted Adolescents: Fact or Fiction?” International Journal of Psychology 34.2 (1999): 81-93.

8. “” Talent Development Resources. 7 May 2012. Online. <http://talentdevelop.com>

9. Page, Jeremy S. “.” Student Pulse 2.11 (2010): 1/1.

10. Pink, Daniel. To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. 2012.