By: Madison Rametta

Madelyn Shoemaker is a senior student studying English and Sociology with a minor in Communication, and is from Elgin, IL. Shoemaker chose to pursue a degree in English after the encouragement of English professor, Karen Cruz. Her sociology degree comes in part from her passion toward the intriguing and eye opening field, where Shoemaker mentioned, “there are so many layers to the way our society functions, and every event in it has a deeper and socially rooted cause.”

Shoemaker chose to attend Concordia because it was affordable and that while living on campus, she would only be a short distance from her family and have the ability to save money. However, these are not the only reasons that she chose to attend. For Shoemaker, Concordia has been made special by the small, tight-knit community that it thrives in. She continues to be thankful to Concordia in helping her meet some of her closest friends. The class size also came into play in Shoemaker’s opinion, stating “if I had attended a larger university I would have not made as many friends for life.”

With her graduation shortly approaching, Shoemaker’s future plans include the pursuit of a graduate degree as well as securing a job in publishing or editing. Concordia has helped her grow into a strong woman who is able to take the information she is given, question it, and then think critically about the answers she has given, rather than accepting things at face value. Skills like these are what makes Shoemaker confident that her present pursuits will be successful and prosperous. 

As she departs on new horizons, Shoemaker wanted to offer her opinion on the college experience, saying, “embrace the community around you and keep in mind and heart to new and sometimes scary information.” Shoemaker is glad for the opportunity that Concordia has provided her and looks forward to tackling new challenges as she leaves the university and moves on to her new big conquest.