"I thrive in places where I am treated as a name versus a number, and I had no doubt that Luther would provide me with the individual care and attention I wanted."
Emily knew the moment she stepped on campus there was something special about Luther. “I immediately could tell how strong the sense of community was,” she says. “I thrive in places where I am treated as a name versus a number, and I had no doubt that Luther would provide me with the individual care and attention I wanted.”
Emily took on a few different work-study positions during her time at Luther. “During my first year, my roommate was on the volleyball team so I quickly became close with many girls on the team. My connections with them led to a position as the team manager,” she says. “It was my first glimpse at managing various sources of data and information.”
In addition to being team manager, Emily got a position within the marketing and communications department creating emails that were sent to various groups affiliated with Luther. The position allowed her to apply skills she was developing with her communication studies major.
Emily says the J-Term trip of her senior year was the most memorable of her many impactful experiences at Luther. She took a course in which she studied Islam and various religious and political debates and impressions of Muslims while traveling to five European countries. “Not only was it so incredible to get to travel to so many diverse and rich cultures, but it also taught me to really think critically and challenge several messages the media gives regarding Muslims and Islam,” Emily says. “I’ve now trained myself to step back and see the other side of the argument, and try to be much more accepting and less quick to judge people different than me.”
Emily advises first-year students to get involved as soon as they come to campus. The activities she joined immediately formed her best memories from that first year on campus. “Get involved with something, anything! Be willing to try new things on top of furthering your existing passions. Those involvements are a great way to start to feel like you’re really a part of the school and make your transition into college life that much easier.”
Emily has applied many of the skills she learned in the classroom. “I took a project management course my senior year because it seemed interesting. I now work as a project manager and use what I learn in that course during my everyday work.” Emily works at Polaris.