Sophomore Autumn Consier to serve others at Higher Things conference, dreams of attending law school

Sophomore Autumn Consier of Churdan, Iowa, is majoring in criminal justice, psychology and theology at Concordia University, Nebraska and minoring in pre-law. This summer, she will be volunteering as a College Conference Volunteer (CCV) at the Higher Things conference taking place at Concordia Nebraska in July. CCVs support the conference by helping with registration, worship, supporting speakers, supervising activities, providing photography and audio visual support and more. 

“I have attended Higher Things three times in the past, and each time I have learned more about God and have had a blast!” said Consier. “I think that it is important to be involved. For me, Higher Things was a very important part of my life. It was the first time that I was exposed to so many youths who held the same beliefs as me, and it was very eye opening. By being involved in Higher Things, I can give back to the conference, so that youth can experience the same thing that I did.” 

 Consier is a member of the university Cantamus Women’s Choir and Wind Symphony. She is also involved with the Swing Dancing Club, Concordia Youth Ministries, the Pep Band, the Criminal Justice Club and the Pre-Law Club. In fall 2025, she will also begin her term as president of Bulldogs4Life, the campus youth Lutherans for Life group. 

“I choose to study at Concordia because I love the atmosphere, and I wanted to go to a college that uplifted my Christian beliefs. The college is friendly, and the professors care about you. It is a small college that makes me feel like I’m back home in the country,” she said. “Concordia is different from other universities because the professors care about you. They want you to succeed, and you are never just a number to them. I love that I can walk through the halls and talk to the professors that I had my fall semester of freshman year.” 

A life-long Lutheran, Consier said she’s known about the university her whole life, but all of her siblings – Robin ‘19, Garion ‘19 and Tabatha ’19 - and many of her cousins also attended the university, which made her decision to come to Seward an easy one. The youngest of four, Consier had the opportunity to see her siblings thrive at Concordia Nebraska and pursue their various interests. She said the university’s criminal justice and psychology majors are different from other universities because Concordia Nebraska incorporates faith and lessons from the Bible into daily learning.  

“In the criminal justice field, I think that it is important to remember that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love others, and this is something that one of my criminal justice professors teaches in all of his classes,” she said. 

“My favorite thing about my Concordia experience is a combination of the awesome professors, the great friends that I have made here, and the numerous opportunities to worship God,” she said. “My professors are always willing to help and talk to me. It has meant a lot to me when my professors pull me aside to let me know that I am doing well in a certain area. They do a great job of encouraging me and they also give me more ideas of what I could do.” 

Being from the country, Consier said that she loves the fact the Concordia Nebraska is nestled between old neighborhoods and corn fields in the heart of Seward. 

“It is so close to the country and open plains, and it feels like home to me,” she said.  

She said the solid foundation she’s received at Concordia Nebraska will prepare her for her vocation serving in the criminal justice system. 

“In my area of study, it can be easy to get pushed and pulled around by the world and fall into despair. But I am confident that I will be able to persevere because I know that God is always with me, which is something that Concordia teaches,” she said.  

Following her time at Concordia Nebraska, Consier said she hopes to attend law school. 

“I hope to go into family law. Eventually, the end goal is that I can be a child advocate in the law to ensure that the decisions that are being made are made in the best interest of the children,” she said. 

Higher Things “All Things New” will take place at Concordia University, Nebraska July 8-11, 2025. The mission of Higher Things is to make the Gifts of Christ Jesus known to youth and young adults. Higher Things offers a variety of resources such as conferences, retreats, camps, mission events, videos, devotions, podcasts and books.  Higher Things is a Recognized Service Organization of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Throughout the last 25 years, Higher Things has supported the congregations, universities and seminaries of the LCMS by helping to create a distinctly Lutheran identity in our youth and young adults.