When Juezihan “Lucy” Wang first took the CliftonStrengths® assessment during Orientation Leader training at Carolina, she gained a new perspective on the talents that were already shaping her approach to learning, leadership and involvement. Today, the senior psychology major serves as a Student Engagement, Empowerment, & Development (SEED) coordinator and Resident Advisor and continues to apply those strengths across her Carolina experience. Wang has also deepened her understanding of CliftonStrengths at the 2026 ACC Leadership Symposium, where she represented UNC-Chapel Hill and explored how CliftonStrengths talent themes influence leadership styles, teamwork and personal development.
One of the biggest takeaways from the assessment was how accurately it reflected her natural approach to work and leadership. Wang’s top five strengths are Learner, Achiever, Consistency, Deliberative, and Responsibility, with several of those strengths falling within CliftonStrengths’ Executing domain. “I was indeed someone who strongly values intentional behaviors and thoughts, being consistent on one’s performances, and being accountable for one’s responsibility,” Wang said.
Those strengths show up when she leads a team project and collaborates with others. Drawing on strengths like Consistency, Deliberative, and Responsibility, Wang gravitates toward creating structure, establishing deadlines and helping everyone stay aligned with assigned responsibilities. Understanding her strengths has helped her embrace that leadership style while also appreciating the different strengths others bring to a team.
CliftonStrengths has also encouraged Wang to lean into her curiosity. As a psychology major, Wang’s Learner strength often shows up in the way she explores courses beyond her major, including statistics, music, drama, history and business. She enjoys discovering unexpected connections across disciplines and finding ways to apply ideas from one field to another. “It excites me when I find such interdisciplinary connections and similarity where I can apply a theory from psychology to the business settings, or the history of musicals back in the 17th century,” Wang said.
For students considering CliftonStrengths, Wang believes the assessment is a valuable starting point for understanding and intentionally developing their natural talents. “A talent would only become a strength with intentional practice,” Wang said. She also encourages students to learn about the strengths of others. Recognizing different talents and leadership styles can lead to greater collaboration with more effective teams.
“Collaborating with others would be the most productive if people with different specialties and strengths come together,” Wang said. “Take the lead confidently at your strength areas and meanwhile, also be humble to let others lead at their strength domain.”
For Wang, CliftonStrengths has become a framework for understanding how she learns, leads and contributes at Carolina. Any undergraduate, graduate, or professional students interested in exploring CliftonStrengths can do so through the SEED Strengths Track, part of the Leadership Development Series (LDS). To learn more about CliftonStrengths at Carolina, visit Strengths First at learntolead.unc.edu/stengths-first.