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Loras College
COM 490
Megan Wick
Professor Sullivan
February 18, 2022
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I truly do not believe a seventeen or eighteen-year-old high school student completely

have their life’s plan fully figured out. Some may have dreamt for years of being a doctor, only

to discover eight years of college and the subsequent debt is no longer a desire to attain this

profession. As people grow and change, so do dreams. In high school, academics meant nothing

to me and the thought of attending college was something I felt I had to do because of my

siblings and peer pressure. So junior college became my path to do what was expected of me.

Because I never was academically gifted, a two-year degree from Indian Hills Community

College was perfectly fine with me. While I felt the need to continue with college, I wasn’t sure I

had the desire or drive to obtain a four-year degree. I have two sisters and at that time, one was at

the University of Iowa, the other at Loras College. I knew all about the University of Iowa

having lived near Iowa City my entire life. Loras and Dubuque were completely strange to me,

until my visit. It was then I knew I would call Loras College home for the next two and a half

years.

When I arrived on campus, I very much relied on others to get me through difficult times

and what I believed were my personal problems. Being a Loras College student transformed me

quickly. At Loras, I immediately needed to do things on my own. Loras has taught me

independence and how to attack and conquer things by myself. Whether it is homework or going

to the grocery store, I became my own person. The professors are the ones that heavily guided

me to become my independent self. They continually push me and all their students to look at

items objectively and find a, or several solution(s) that best fit the question asked. When I

graduate this will be extremely valuable when I search for employment. I believe being an
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independent young woman is exactly what businesses and organizations look for when hiring

people to join their teams.

In high school and junior college, I was never interested in learning and gaining

knowledge about much of anything. I didn’t put a lot of effort into educating myself. Loras has

helped me truly understand that knowledge is a sense of power and learning can be fun. I now

understand I need to prepare and study for both classes and tests. I can’t just show up and expect

to do well, especially because of my academic challenges. I know I will never be a straight-A

student, and that is perfectly fine. But my professors and classmates make me look forward to

classes and be engaged in conversations and discussions. I am excited to take in new information

and apply it to my everyday life and what I might encounter in the future. Loras has changed me

from being passive to a student that is an involved and confident active learner.

I attended a Catholic high school and as a family, we consistently prayed and attended

mass on Sundays and Holidays. At times, I felt forced into being catholic, especially at school by

having to wear a uniform to daily mass and prayer. While I do not have huge regrets because

God and my catholic faith are extremely important to me. But at Loras I don’t feel being catholic

is forced upon me. I know there is daily mass and prayer, but I am allowed to do it on my own. I

truly appreciate this about Loras and all of the Administration. While it is certainly encouraged,

students are free to do as they please and attend mass on their own when and if they chose.

I am a member of the Loras women’s soccer team. Being on this team has helped me

prepare for my future as well. My teammates and coaches are my family. We have been through

many highs and lows together and have dealt with these issues as a team. This past season in

particular I was personally challenged due to an injury to alter my backup goal-keeping duties to

becoming a starter on a nationally ranked team. I immediately had to change my mindset and
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become a confident leader on this team. Although scared, being on this team and this position

gave me self-assurance while also understanding that it is acceptable to also rely on others to get

a positive end result. My faith strengthened during this time because we continually prayed as a

team before and during practices and matches. This team accomplished so much on and off the

field, it’s difficult to put into words what it meant to me, certainly a season that I’ll remember for

the rest of my life. The support from everyone at Loras will also hold a special place in my heart.

I recall many things about high school and junior college and as I’ve mentioned before, I

was not a great student. As previously stated, I put forth little effort and my grades meant

nothing to me. Loras changed that for me as well. While I used to cut class or sit in the back row,

I am now not afraid to ask my professors questions when I don’t understand a question or

assignment. I now am consistently seeking improvement in my thoughts and ideas, and

especially my grades. I truly compliment the faculty for this because they push us, students, to

succeed and offer a positive environment in their classrooms for this to happen. The professors

also understand that young adults need to be challenged and held accountable for their actions so

we can indeed take our success outside of college onto life’s other endeavors.

I couldn’t be happier with my decision to attend Loras college. I appreciate the smaller

size of the campus and classrooms. I feel a personal connection to my classmates and professors

that I never would have at a large University. Being a Loras college student provided me with

strong academics, becoming a collegiate student-athlete, and an opportunity to pursue other

interests outside of college, such as having a job.

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