Meaningful Careers | Naropa University

Our Graduates Are Catalysts for Change

Naropa University’s mission of contemplative education invites students to engage in an internal process of exploring how they might make a positive difference in the world. Naropa’s emphasis on cultivating present-moment awareness and encouraging courageous engagement with the world attracts students who want to be catalysts for change.

A Naropa education prepares graduates for meaningful, purpose-driven work across a lifetime. Our graduates develop the contemplative and communication skills, adaptability and leadership capacity that are increasingly vital in today’s changing world.

Teachers. Psychologists. Chaplains. Entrepreneurs. Nonprofit directors. Novelists. Artists. Farmers. Ministers. Professors. Aid workers. Leadership consultants. And so much more. These are some of the careers forged by Naropa’s fierce, unflinching graduates.

Naropa University has also been recognized for its high percentage of alumni who go on to found companies and organizations. In June 2021, Digital Information World highlighted Naropa University in their survey of the best U.S. universities for aspiring business founders and entrepreneurs. At 14.2 percent, Naropa has one of the highest percentages of founders, ahead of Stanford University with 13.6 percent.

How Our Graduates Make a Positive Difference

The Industry, occupation, and job title table data below originates from Lightcast. Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) integrates, cleans, and analyzes data from over 215,000 global sources to map labor market trends, job postings, and skills. Key data sources include public government records (BLS, Census), online job postings, and professional profiles. The data provides insights on employment by occupation, demographics, education, and salary, updating in real-time.

Top Industries

Industry	Profiles	Percent
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	540	5.49%
Elementary and Secondary Schools	162	1.65%
Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)	146	1.48%
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	105	1.07%
Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	98	1.00%
Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists)	92	0.93%
Other Individual and Family Services	82	0.83%
Software Publishers	68	0.69%
Junior Colleges	66	0.67%
Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services	50	0.51%

Top Occupations

Occupation (SOC)	Profiles	Percent
Chief Executives	1349	13.71%
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors	491	4.99%
Medical and Health Services Managers	392	3.98%
General and Operations Managers	333	3.38%
Producers and Directors	260	2.64%
Therapists, All Other	252	2.56%
Postsecondary Teachers	213	2.16%
Marriage and Family Therapists	205	2.08%
Writers and Authors	194	1.97%
Training and Development Specialists	187	1.90%

Top Job Titles

Job Title	Profiles	Percent
Psychotherapists	458	4.65%
Owners	252	2.56%
Therapists	155	1.57%
Founders	130	1.32%
Licensed Professional Counselors	102	1.04%
Executive Directors	97	0.99%
Mental Health Counselors	68	0.69%
Mental Health Therapists	62	0.63%
Writers	58	0.59%
Art Therapists	57	0.58%

A Naropa education supports people in getting clear on who they are as individuals and how they want to shine. Contemplative education embraces inner discovery, and this speaks to the students that want to learn more about their unique gifts and strengths that they bring to this world…. Naropa students inspire each other to be creative and embrace an entrepreneurial spirit.

—Lyndsay Farrant

(MA, Transpersonal Counseling Psychology)

Watch Alumnx SparkTalks on YouTube

The Art of Life: Welcoming Grief as Creation

Naropa alumnx Paula Gasparini-Santos (MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Transpersonal Art Therapy) reimagines grief not as a force that diminishes us, but as a profound source of creative potential. She explores grief as an energy that directs us toward wholeness—inviting us into the art of surrender, deep acceptance & transformation.

Re-contextualizing Embodiment

Tajah Schall (MA Somatic Counseling Psychology, 2015) & Rachael Collins (MA Somatic Counseling Psychology, 2015) explore how rhythm, presence, embodiment and connection to the more-than-human world helped them to find belonging together across their different socio-cultural identities.

Lead Yourself First: Who You Are Is How You Lead

Dr. Kevin Mays (MA Contemplative Psychotherapy, 1994) presents Lead Yourself First: Who You Are Is How You Lead for SparkTalks 2025

Both / And: Duality's Ashes

Joe Richie (BA Writing, 1984) and Carla Friedman (BA Poetics, 1985) present Both / And: Duality’s Ashes for SparkTalks 2025. A triptych on the poetic, psycho-spiritual and political contradictions found in Joe Richie & Carla Friedman’s formative years at Naropa and a homage to the late great song man Glenn Edward Seaman.

Dear Belly

Naropa alumnx Lucia Cordeiro Drever (MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology, 2020) presents Dear Belly for SparkTalks 2025.

Resonating Inspiration: Inspiring Culture Through Story & Song

Naropa Alumnx Gabriel “Gah-bé” Vanaver (BA Music and Traditional Eastern Arts, 2017) demonstrates the importance of stories and songs as a way of strengthening culture. And how, combined, musical storytelling can impact our current culture.

The Intersection of Personal & Collective Transformation

Naropa alumnx Yasha S. Wagner (BA Religious Studies, 2018) presents Both Inner and Outer Change: The Intersection of Personal and Collective Transformation for SparkTalks 2025.