Rebekah Henschen
Ever since I was in first grade, I’ve wanted to go to a place where I could freely express my faith. Concordia has become that place for me.
Rebekah Henschen’s love of Concordia started at a very young age. “My dad graduated from here and he always made it sound so awesome. You were free to go to church and chapel whenever you wanted to, and you didn’t have to be afraid to talk about your beliefs.” This rhetoric about Concordia caused Rebekah to know that it was the best place for her. “I didn’t apply or visit anywhere else. I knew Concordia was where I wanted to go.”
Rebekah was also quite sure of her vocation at a young age. “When I was in third grade, I started helping out in my mom’s classroom. I would help with lessons or play with the students. Then when I was in sixth grade, I started babysitting. I loved all the time I got to spend with kids, and it really made me realize that I wanted to be a teacher.”
Rebekah hopes to integrate her love of Jesus into her teaching. “I’m getting my degrees in elementary and early childhood education and I’m also getting my Lutheran Teacher Diploma. This is important for me because I know that I’ll be free to share God’s love with the kids.
So far, Rebekah’s decision to join Concordia’s education program has paid off. “I’ve met so many amazing people. There are lots of connections you wouldn’t really expect to happen but do happen through group projects and activities. I know these connections happen at a lot of colleges, but it’s a lot easier to make connections here due to the smaller class sizes.” Rebekah also appreciates the classroom experiences she’s been getting. “The professors are amazing. They’ve all had many years of experience and they can bring up real scenarios from their past jobs that they use to help us learn.”
Even though much of Rebekah’s life has been orchestrated by decisions made in her early childhood, she understands that there are some things you just can’t be prepared for. “One thing they tell us is that we can never be fully prepared for teaching a classroom. I know going in, that no experience is like the other and you can take bits and pieces from every teaching scenario.” Rebekah is also trying to relinquish control when it comes to where she’ll be teaching in a few years. “I’m just trying to leave it up to God, because I know he knows what’s best for me. I know I’ll be happy wherever he leads me.”