Life After Graduation
Greetings Concordia College!
A lot has happened since graduation six months ago. It is amazing how fast time seems to go. In May I traveled to Europe with a good friend. During our 24 day journey we hiked and camped near the German and Swiss Alps, relaxed on the beaches of the French Riviera and experienced the rich culture of Ireland. The realization of graduation had not hit me yet.
I returned home to spend a summer at camp. It was a great summer out on the lake. After camp I had a week to get ready to move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. It finally hit me that I would not be returning to a place I called home for four years, Concordia.
Life away from Concordia is different, new, hard in many ways and exciting. After two months in graduate school I have finally settled into a routine and feel comfortable with my surroundings. I am in the master’s program in the communication department at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
The program is quite intense with a lot of work to keep us young scholars busy. The faculty here is very helpful and highly respected in their field.
In addition to being a student I am a teaching assistant for the intro to interpersonal communication course. I teach three sections of 22 students twice a week. The first class was definitely an overwhelming experience. All I could think was, “I just graduated five months ago and now I’m teaching a college course!”
It was a sobering feeling. After getting past the first week I was thankful for my position as a teacher. Teaching has been a lot of fun and I could see myself teaching in some capacity in the future.
Although graduate school requires a lot of work and dedication, I think I am very well prepared to face the challenge. The focus on academic excellence at Concordia prepared me very well to participate in the rigor of graduate education. In addition to challenging me academically, Concordia provided experiences for me to grow as a whole person ready to engage the world as a thoughtful and informed person. (No, they didn’t ask me to say that).
A few experiences that I am thankful to have participated in were studying aboard for a semester in Greece, traveling to national communication conventions, doing research that could possibly be published, traveling on Habitat for Humanity trips, being a resident assistant and many more. Many people do not have the opportunity to do these kinds of activities. I am fortunate to have chosen a school that allowed me to grow as a person and face new challenges with wisdom and confidence.
Leaving Concordia is a bittersweet experience. It is kind of like leaving a really big family. UWM is a great school, but it does not have the same family type atmosphere as Concordia. I now know why the joke about being ‘happy Cobbers’ fits so well. My students have asked about my Cobber ring and why I wear it. I explained to them the tradition and significance. It is not just a ring, but also a symbol of the Concordian tradition of excellence and camaraderie. A friend recently mentioned that I have a lot of Concordia stuff. I could not be more pleased that he noticed.
Even though I have left the frozen plains of northern Minnesota, I am still a Cobber at heart. Once a Cobber, always a Cobber.
I would like to offer a few words of encouragement before I finish. To perspective students I urge you to seriously consider Concordia. Many Universities do not have faculty like Concordia; faculty who desire to see students grow and succeed in and out of the classroom. Go for a visit, stay overnight and talk with current students. You might just find that Concordia is a special place and the right fit for you.
To the current students I hope and pray you make the most of your time at Concordia. I know it is a clich