Written by Mattie Rametta

Shelby Spitz is a senior student from Paxton, Illinois. She is a secondary education major with a focus in history and a minor in theology with a middle school grade endorsement. Shelby has always wanted to be a teacher, but after high school, she knew her calling was to be a Lutheran teacher.

Spitz is also a student-athlete. She has played volleyball her whole time at Concordia University Chicago (CUC). Through sports, she was able to find a community. When asked how being an athlete will play into her future career goals, Spitz said, “Even when I’m an experienced teacher being coachable is going to be important, being a team player. Just all those skills. Knowing when to step back and let someone else take the lead and knowing when to step up and showcase your own skills. Those things are going to be very beneficial to me as I go into my teaching career.”

Spitz knows that CUC has really shaped who she has become and is grateful for the time she has spent here. In the upcoming semester, Spitz plans to focus on getting prepared for student teaching, getting all the observation hours, and finishing up as much as she can in order to be as prepared as possible for her student teaching placement. She is projected to graduate in December 2020.

As she prepares to move on, Spitz has some parting words, “Something that I’ve always brought with me through life is that you are where you are for a reason. Speaking towards Concordia (CUC), whether you’re there for all four years or just for a year, a semester, or whatever, you’re here for a reason and you meet the people that you meet for a reason and I don’t know, it’s just cool that people impact you and you can impact them.”