Pre-deaconess junior Emma VanTol leads university’s Bulldogs for Life group, gives thanks for faith-focused campus

Junior Emma VanTol is majoring in business administration at Concordia Nebraska with a concentration in communications. She is also in the university’s pre-deaconess program, sings in the university’s Cantamus Women’s Choir and serves as president of Bulldogs4Life.  Last year, she served as secretary for the Student Senate, and this year she is the treasurer. She is also a member of the pre-seminary club which consists of pre-Seminary and pre-Deaconess students. 

Bulldogs4Life is the pro-life club on Concordia’s campus and an official Y4Life (Youth4Life) team. Y4Life is the youth branch of Lutherans For Life, and they serve high school and college-aged youth across the United States and Puerto Rico.  

“We are dedicated to being a Gospel-motivated voice for life amidst the many life issues surrounding us. God has truly blessed this club over the past few years, with many opportunities for education on different life issues and serving in our community. Our biggest event every year is traveling to the ‘Y4Life in Washington D.C.’ conference and participating in the national March for Life,” she said. “Last year, we took a record-breaking 100 people to the event and this coming January, 68 people will be traveling from Concordia to Washington, D.C. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to see that they aren’t alone as they speak up for the unborn. They also receive education about different life issues and learn how to respond to them in a Gospel-motivated way. I have learned so much as President of Bulldogs4Life and am so grateful for the opportunity to help others uphold the sanctity of life. 

She said that when choosing a college, she knew she wanted to attend a college in the Concordia University System but wasn’t sure which one. She visited many universities but realized that Concordia Nebraska felt like home to her. 

Not many universities offer a learning environment where you can talk about God in all your classes, but Concordia has just that!

“The school’s values align with mine, God is at the center of all that happens here, and the faculty and staff are amazing. This was evident when I visited for the first time and has been held for the past three years,” she said.  “I also liked the small-town feel of Seward. The other Concordias are in highly-populated areas, but Seward doesn’t have that feeling. My hometown is a small rural farming community, so Seward feels the most like home, especially when you drive out of town and see all the farm fields!” 

She said one of the many things that makes Concordia Nebraska special is the university’s commitment to high-quality, faith-filled education.  

“Not many universities offer a learning environment where you can talk about God in all your classes, but Concordia has just that!” she said. “The professors here are wonderful as well. They truly care about the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of their students.” 

The Concordia University System (CUS) has been a big part of VanTol’s family for many years. Her maternal grandparents, David (‘72) and Susan (’71) Reed graduated from Concordia Nebraska when it was Concordia Teachers College. They began their teaching careers, then headed to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They had four girls, all of whom attended either Concordia Chicago (River Forest at the time) or Concordia Ann Arbor. VanTol said she has seen how much of a blessing the CUS has been, and she is thankful now to be a part of it. 

“I have learned a lot of new things in my classes during my time at Concordia, but nothing can replace the friendships I have made here,” she said.  “My friend group has people from all over the country, and while we will probably never visit each other's hometowns, we have become like family. I am so thankful for the people God has placed in my life here at Concordia.” 

In addition, she said her professors have been very supportive, and that her time on campus has taught her many skills and prepared her for her future. 

“The professors at Concordia help students see that no matter their vocation in life they can serve the Lord,” she said “It isn’t only church workers who share the love of Christ, but all Christians as they live out their faith in their daily lives. Concordia has given me multiple opportunities to practice skills that I can use in my future career. As the president of Bulldogs4Life, I learned how to plan travel and on-campus events and educate others about important life issues. In my roles on the Student Senate, I can work with university leadership, learning how the organization works behind the scenes. These experiences are ones I can take with me when I enter the workforce, no matter what that job may be.” 

She said her time on campus has also helped to develop her faith. 

“Concordia offers so many opportunities for faith formation and growth. Chapel happens every day, there are student-led services three days a week, there are Bible study opportunities on and off campus in large or small groups, and faith is included in many of the classes. These aren’t opportunities you can find at other colleges. I am so blessed to be a part of this community.” 

Emma is the oldest daughter of Jeremy and Rebecca VanTol. Her dad is an engineer, and her mom is a Lutheran school teacher who graduated from Concordia Ann Arbor. Emma has two younger sisters: Claire is a freshman this year at Concordia Nebraska studying art therapy and is a thrower on the track team. Her youngest sister Hannah is a sophomore at Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw, Michigan. Emma’s fiancé, Jason Kettelhake is a senior at Concordia and will be graduating in May. He is majoring in business administration with an agriculture science minor.  

Following graduation, VanTol said she would like to work for a Lutheran Recognized Service Organization (RSO).  

“I have never wanted to be a teacher or DCE, but I still want to serve in the church,” she explained. “This is why I choose to major in business administration and complete the pre-deaconess program. The pre-deaconess program requires me to take doctrine and confessions and other biblical history classes, allowing me to learn more about the Lutheran faith. When paired with a business major, I can serve people physically but also spiritually, upholding their lives and faith.” 

In the pre-deaconess program at Concordia University, Nebraska, students are prepared with a broad, liberal arts education supplemented with a base of theological and sociological courses designed to help them further their education at the seminary level. Deaconesses are called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through works of mercy, spiritual care and teaching the Christian faith. Deaconesses in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are professional church workers trained to share God’s word as a missionary or in congregations or in a variety of other settings and service organizations. Deaconesses are trained, called and commissioned by the LCMS to serve Christ in the mission field, at home and around the world.