Meet Concordia Nebraska alum and dual credit instructor Chris Wilson ‘16

Chris Wilson ’16 grew up in the Lutheran church and said the Concordia system came up a lot when he was considering colleges.  

“We were in California at the time, and I figured I'd like to go back to a place with four seasons,” he said. “My sister Alyssa ’14 chose Concordia Nebraska for its art program. I chose it because of my sister, its education program and most importantly its campus life.” 

Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with emphasis in history and drama as well as a Lutheran Teacher Diploma from Concordia Nebraska. He said his favorite thing about his time on campus was the campus atmosphere and community. 

“The community spoiled me. That took the form of having people to reliably have food with, us nourishing each other spiritually, the activities, the caring professors and opportunities to grow,” he said. “Although the content [in classes] itself was good, the best lessons were usually when the professor got a little off topic from the lesson but stayed on focus when it came to teaching us what we needed to be taught. Especially Dr. Reek. The education professors always had good and relevant stories. It was very seldom that I was sitting in a class relevant to my field of study and considered changing my major. The classes were useful, yes. But even the professors acknowledge that life and experience are the best teachers. So they prepared us to learn about how to get the most out of life and experience.” 

When asked if he had any special memories to share of his time at Concordia, he chuckled and related some his favorite pranks performed while on campus which included setting up a swing set in front of the sand volleyball court on campus with the help of some rope from Walmart, chain links and some scrap wood.  But that’s not all. 

“I also went around Dorcas and unscrewed several doors off the hinges while residents were either in class or still asleep. One of them was in the shower when their door was taken away. The RAs and RCs found it funny,” he said. “I also set up a BBQ pancake stand on the newly-built plaza. [Vice President for Student Affairs] Gene Brooks enjoyed this one!” 

He said it is also important to note that he was among the last generations of male students to experience living in the Ruth A and B dorms without air conditioning. 

But all joking aside, Wilson said he greatly appreciated the Christ-centered atmosphere at Concordia Nebraska and the many daily opportunities to grow in faith.  

“It now takes effort to maintain my faith these days. It's hard not being surrounded by so many opportunities to worship and grow spiritually with fellow siblings in Christ. It's still important though,” he said. 

“I knew from day one that I was meant to be a teacher.”

Following a December graduation from the university, Wilson expected to have to wait until the end of the following summer to begin teaching. 

“While tracking down paperwork needed to be a substitute teacher in Crescent City, California, where my parents were at the time, I got a call from Bill Schranz saying that a school in Rockford, Illinois, needed a history teacher urgently,” he recalled. “Between the phone calls and interviews, I found out the job existed and accepted the job within 23 hours. I made it to Rockford about a week later and started teaching WWI to juniors and the Renaissance to sophomores the first Monday after I arrived. I knew from day one that I was meant to be a teacher.” 

He said his first months of teaching were fraught with challenges that made the reasons for the teacher shortage incredibly obvious.  

“But it made every year of teaching since then so much easier by comparison. I have now been at that same school for nine years,” he said. 

Wilson teaches U.S. and World History, coordinates worship arts for chapel and teaches dual credit U.S. History at Rockford Lutheran.  

“When I first started teaching, it was just US and World History. I have also taught geography as an elective and world religions as well,” he said. “Lesson planning takes much less time than it used to, because I have taught pretty much everything several times already, and it only needs to be updated or refined; not started from scratch. If I ever do need to teach something new, I have enough experience to come up with that lesson on the fly and build all supporting materials around it.” 

“I teach sophomores why the world is the way it is and how to be stewards of it from a big picture perspective,” he added. “I teach juniors why the country is the way it is and how to be stewards of it from a more specific perspective. In both classes, I make sure they know their geography and where things are. For chapel, I take on the songs from the student worship crew, put the slides together and make sure the students running tech set up for chapel properly.” 

This is his first year teaching U.S. history at the dual credit level which he describes as incredibly fun because the class feels more like a conversation than a lesson. 

Wilson loves to travel and usually spends his summers going on road trips “that can go on for a week or three.” He enjoys LEGOs, video games and hosting friends at his house. 

“I have an active and wonderful Dungeons and Dragons (DND) group made up of friends that I met through our amazing community theater at Starlight,” he added. “I also spend time working on my masters degree through the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I will be done this summer.”  

Wilson said his family has an active and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. His sister majored in ecclesiastical art and now uses her art skills in her human trafficking relief ministry. His father previously served as a pastor and his mother works for Thrivent.  

He said his work is incredibly fulfilling because he knows he is making a difference in people’s lives, and he is blessed by the community that comes from relationships with students and their families.  

Concordia Dual Credit offers students an opportunity to get a jump start on college, allowing them to earn college credit at a reduced cost before graduating high school. Concordia Nebraska’s dual credit program offers courses found in the general education requirements of most colleges and universities, meaning credits earned through Concordia Nebraska are eligible to transfer to most other colleges and universities.