Mother/daughter duo Lisa and Rachel Larson earned master of education degrees together from Concordia Nebraska

Two of the graduates at Concordia University, Nebraska this spring have a very special relationship. Lisa (Cellarius) Larson and Rachel Larson are mother and daughter, and the duo walked across the stage together to receive their master of education degrees from the university during May commencement exercises.  

Lisa has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Olivet Nazarene University and completed her colloquy from Concordia Chicago in 2000. Rachel has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Concordia Wisconsin, which she received in 2020. Both teach in Lutheran schools in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Lisa is a campus manager and preschool teacher at Christ Community Lutheran School in Kirkwood. Rachel teaches fourth grade at Immanuel Lutheran School in Olivette, Missouri. 

“I will complete the course work for my master’s in education focusing on early childhood education in August of 2024,” explained Lisa. “I chose Concordia Nebraska because I wanted to earn a master’s in early childhood education, and I wanted a school that focused on our Lutheran faith and how that can be shared with the next generation. I wanted to be a more effective teacher and leader to my students, families and staff, and I want to continue to share the love of Christ with those that I serve and those that I serve alongside every day.” 

She praised the university for offering not only a master’s program but also an early childhood administration certification. She said that the university was very accommodating to her as a Lutheran educator when considering tuition costs and scheduling concerns.  

She said navigating classes with her daughter was both fun and extremely helpful. 

“Online classes were a new adventure for me,” said Lisa. “When I completed my bachelor’s, I had to go to the library on campus, and I had a typewriter for writing my papers. For this experience, Rachel was my technology support!” 

Lisa said that since she did not initially receive training as an early childhood educator, her master’s coursework and experience helped her understand more fully the foundations that early childhood education instills for lifelong learning. 

“These classes will help me be able to share how instrumental early childhood education is to our parents, and to help our staff to have a growth mindset, so that we can continue to provide our students with the best practices in early childhood education,” she said. 

Lisa began her teaching career as a Kindergarten teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Paw Paw, Michigan. She was the first kindergarten teacher, and the school added one class each year. She then taught at Zion Lutheran School in Beecher, Illinois, where she taught various subjects as well as preschool.
“It was during this time that I married Mark, and we were blessed with two children,” she said. “We then moved to Aurora, Colorado, where I taught preschool and kindergarten at Mt. Olive Lutheran Early Childhood Education Center. In 2010, our family moved to St. Louis, Missouri when my husband accepted a divine call. I began teaching in the fall of 2010 at Christ Community Lutheran School where I am currently serving.” 

She has served at Christ Community Lutheran School for 14 years. She started part-time as the parents day out program teacher, then moved to the three-year-old class the following year where she continued as a part-time teacher. In 2017, she moved to full-time and continued to serve as the three-year-old lead teacher and also served as campus communicator.  

“As time progressed, this position grew to be called campus coordinator,” she explained. “When our campus expanded to add a total of seven early childhood classrooms, I became the campus manager. The campus manager is responsible for maintaining ratios in classrooms, scheduling chapels and preventative drills and managing time cards for hourly employees.” 

Lisa said she simply loves her work, and she finds it very fulfilling. 

“I love sharing the Gospel! I love Jesus Time and chapel,” she said. “Being able to see even our littlest ones wave their hands and join in praising God during chapel is the greatest joy. I then hear the parents tell me what the children go home and share.” 

Lisa’s husband Mark is pastor at St. Lucas Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, and also serves as the SELC District Mission Executive. The couple have two children, Rachel and Jacob, who is a mechanical engineer in Nashville, Tennessee, who is engaged to Rebecca, a sixth-grade math teacher in Tennessee.  

Rachel graduated from Concordia Wisconsin with a bachelor of arts in elementary education in 2020. Her master’s degree from Concordia Nebraska is a master’s in curriculum and instruction with an endorsement in technology leadership. She discovered the Concordia Nebraska master’s program at the suggestion of her school’s principal. 

“Two years ago my principal asked if I wanted to do TEC21 (a technology enriched classrooms certification) during the school year. I told her it was a great opportunity to learn about new technology I could use in the classroom,” she said. “Concordia Nebraska offered TEC21, being one of the classes I needed for a master's degree. So I applied and started the process of working on my master's degree. I also had a co-worker who pursued his master's at Concordia Nebraska and had a good experience and was supportive of me while asking questions about the program.”  

Rachel said it was special to experience the Concordia Nebraska master’s program alongside her mom. 

“I started my master's degree before my mom so I became her tech support and showed her to use the online platforms,” she said. “It was nice to be able to talk about various things in our classes and ask each other what we thought about different educational topics.” 

Rachel said Concordia Nebraska’s online master’s degree programs are an excellent value in terms of cost. She said it was an easy decision to pursue her master’s degree and technology certification because both will benefit her students.  

“As teachers, we should always be learning new things to bring into the classroom, and I wanted to be an example of that to the people around me. I wanted to continue my education at a Lutheran institution since I have been able to attend a Lutheran school from preschool all the way to my master's degree,” she said. “I love my job because I am able to share God’s love and grace with the students that are in my classroom and their parents every day. I can see their faith grow throughout the school year. Some learn about Jesus for the first time in my classroom. My experience at Concordia Nebraska has made me think about the current vocations that God has given me and how I can serve and love the people around me every day.”  

Concordia Nebraska’s online graduate programs combining faith with rigorous academics and practical, real-life experiences, and that helps you fulfill a higher purpose in your vocations and your life. When you join Concordia Nebraska’s online graduate program, you become part of a community of believers that supports and values you as a whole individual—academically, emotionally, and spiritually. And online classes mean you can complete courses at your own pace and study whenever and wherever you work best. Learn more at cune.edu.