At Concordia, I have grown so much in my faith. I am surrounded by people who are all striving for different goals but approaching them with the same Christ-centered motivation.
Katelyn Pagel’s story is deeply connected to an idea of home. Home can be defined by varied factors, but one that remains a constant theme for Katelyn is the idea of connection. “When I first visited Concordia, I found out that my tour guide came from my high school’s rival football team. In that moment, it didn’t feel like I was six hours away from home. It felt like I had just walked out my back door.”
This importance of connection persisted in the decisions Katelyn made for her major. “I’ve changed my major a few times, but I’ve kind of landed on Elementary Education. I chose that because of the examples I had in the past and the examples I have now. My teachers in elementary school were great at making people feel welcome and making the content accessible for people. I think I’m capable of doing that for others.”
As Katelyn has become more connected to Concordia’s community, she has found more ways to establish her identity, and has been met with continual encouragement. “This semester, I joined Concordia’s speech team. I have never done speech in my life, but the community and coach have been a constant source of encouragement. I’ve also recently been accepted onto the Student Activities Council, and I’m so excited to organize the activities that I appreciated having on Concordia’s campus.”
Katelyn has grown a great deal since being at Concordia, but she recognizes her own potential for more growth. “Since coming to Concordia, I have grown so much in my faith and in my willingness to connect with people.” When Katelyn graduates, she wants to exemplify those qualities even more clearly. “When I leave here, I want to be the same thing my teachers were to me. I want to show my faith and show people that they can come to me if they need to.”