From Ecuador to Seward, secondary math education major Anne Aschmann seeks to serve wherever God places her

Senior Anne Aschmann was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, but decided to come to Concordia after a student teacher from the university taught her 11th grade AP Literature class. Now, as she’s finishing up her final year at Concordia, Aschmann is thankful for the people she met, the community she found and the education she received here.  

As someone raised in the global mission field, Aschmann is attending college farther away from home than most students. Her brother, sophomore Nathan Aschmann, is also attending Concordia, and she’s grateful for both the individual relationships and overall community that she’s found at the university.  

“Concordia has a strong Christian environment and community focus, while still being open to students of any faith backgrounds. It is both a place to be discipled and surrounded by fellow Christians and a place to witness to the people around me. The community is huge for me; I feel at home at Concordia,” she said.  

“I think my favorite thing about my time at Concordia so far is meeting my best friend and now roommate. She is also a missionary kid, and we connected right away,” Aschmann said. “We learn from each other, encourage each other in the faith and know each other very well. God is so good to provide a friend like her for me!”  

I am so glad I came to Concordia to be a teacher, because the professors here are very prepared, knowledgeable and down-to-earth when it comes to teaching us about education. I feel very prepared for both the challenges, the downsides and of course the upsides of teaching, and I know that teaching is where God wants me for the moment.

Aschmann will receive her bachelor’s degree in secondary education, with a focus on mathematics. She hopes to serve as a teacher at a small Christian school in Nebraska but recognizes that God may lead her to unexpected places. 

“[God] will equip me for whatever situation He wants to use me in,” she said. “I intend to build strong relationships with my students in order to teach them how to learn, grow and rely on God.” She cites her professors as sources of encouragement for this understanding she’s developed.  

“My professors have been very personal, kind, honest and godly in the ways they teach me. Professors like Dr. John Hink, Dr. Reinke, Dr. Blanco and Pastor Sommerfeld pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to grow as a student, as a person and as a Christian, and professors like Dr. Kerschen, Dr. Lorinda Sankey and Dr. Coe taught me about my vocation and helped me to understand who I am and how I will teach,” she said.  

“I am so glad I came to Concordia to become a teacher, because the professors here are very prepared, knowledgeable and down-to-earth when it comes to teaching us about education. I feel very prepared for both the challenges, the downsides and of course the upsides of teaching, and I know that teaching is where God wants me for the moment,” she said. 

In addition to her core academics, Aschmann is also part of the Luke Scholars honors program and leads the creative writing club on campus, which is a subset of the international Sigma Tau Delta Honors Literature Society. She says that she enjoys stories of all kinds.  

“Outside of school, I love to write novels and poetry, read books, manga and fanfiction and watch anime and dramas. I’m all about stories!” she said.  

She said that she also loves learning Japanese, talking or reading aloud with her roommate, doing crafts and playing with her dog. She misses home but says that she enjoys having her brother on campus with her. She is also very close with her parents, both of whom were raised – and met! -- on the mission field. Her father grew up in Mexico and served there as well as in Colombia and Ecuador, where he met Aschmann’s mother, who was serving in Ecuador.  

Aschmann also speaks highly of the ways in which Concordia has helped her to develop her faith, especially in theology classes, chapel services and the literature covered in other courses.  

“I have learned so much about what I believe and why at this school...I have learned that God is compassionate in the face of suffering, rather than expecting me to be stoic and solely learn from life’s difficulty – though He does use our suffering to teach us and bring about good. Finally, I have learned that it is okay to be wrong and to need help.”  

Concordia University, Nebraska welcomes students from all over the United States and the world. Its education programs teach undergraduate and graduate students to teach, learn and serve from a foundation of faith that asserts the value of every individual. Learn more about education programs at Concordia here.