Strengths to Value Spotlight - Elizabeth Calagias
Featuring: Elizabeth Calagias, Business Manager at Fort Lewis College Center for Innovation
Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Strategic | Maximizer | Woo | Communication | Ideation
Core Values: Gratitude & Creativity
From Orientation to Infinite Welcome (contributed by Elizabeth Calagias)
One of the clearest moments in my life when everything clicked was during my time as the Coordinator for New Student and Family Orientation at Fort Lewis College. That experience was transformative — not because of the logistics or the planning, but because of the joy of creating a space where people truly felt like they mattered.
Leading a team of student leaders, I watched how small moments — a smile, a greeting, or a simple conversation — could completely shift a new student’s experience. My Positivity was at the center of that energy, helping students feel welcome and excited from the moment they arrived. My Strategic mind allowed me to design intentional processes so that every interaction mattered, while my Maximizer pushed me to refine every detail to make the experience the best it could be. It was in that role that I realized the power of creating belonging and the deep fulfillment it brought me. That was the moment when my strengths and values clicked perfectly: spreading joy, creating meaningful experiences, and honoring the importance of connection and gratitude.
That realization became the next chapter: my business, Infinite Welcome, which will launch in 2026. I wanted to take that same philosophy — the power of making people feel valued and seen — and help organizations build it into their culture. Infinite Welcome isn’t about customer service; it’s about designing environments where employees, clients, and communities all feel welcome, included, and appreciated. It’s where creativity meets strategy, positivity meets action, and every interaction becomes an opportunity to make someone feel like they belong.
Looking back, both my time in orientation and the creation of Infinite Welcome show how my strengths — Positivity, Strategy, and Maximizer — work together with my values of Gratitude and Creativity. They shape not just what I do, but who I am, and how I want to impact the world.
P.S. I designed the “Welcome” shirt in the 3rd photo.
Elizabeth
