I have been taking a lot of time to reflect and make meaning about my experiences as a student of a liberal arts college, more specifically Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It has been over seven months since graduation. A lot has happened during the past seven months to say the least; so far I’ve been to 15 states and traveled over 11,642 miles! During this time I have felt ecstatic and I have felt miserable, and sometimes I’ve even felt both at the same time. More than anything I have felt proud to be a graduate of a liberal arts education.

I do a lot of different things at my job. Sometimes I’m a friend, sometimes I’m an educator, and sometimes I’m an author. I’ve been an organizer, an adviser, an investigator, an athlete, and a guide. I have done things that I’ve never done before and things I didn’t want to do. I’ve also done things that I would have never thought possible, only to find that I can accomplish a lot when I really try to utilize all the different components of my education.

The past seven months have reminded me that I will always be a student. We are all students. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the type of education I was lucky enough to receive. I firmly believe that a liberal arts education enables a person to do things they never thought possible. It teaches a person how to learn. A holistic way of learning challenges people to push their limits and consider facets of life they never thought about before. It’s easy to get hung up on a certain topic when you’re learning about a lot of different things. You quickly learn a lot about your strengths, but even more about your weaknesses. During my time at Coe there were plenty of topics beyond my comprehension that caused me to struggle, sometimes even fail. This challenging environment gives a person the ability to dissect a topic on multiple levels and gain a deeper understanding of what is really going on.

This style of learning has helped me tremendously as an employee who doesn’t always know what I’ll be up against or even where I’ll be in 48 hours. Adaptability is huge. I can’t thank you enough Coe, and I look forward to the learning I have ahead as an eternal student of our crazy, crazy world.