By Katie Kreis ’19

For Luke Oberbroeckling ’22, the decision to attend Wartburg was rooted in one teacher’s passion for the college.

“The band teacher at my high school who gave me the Alumni Referral Award, Staci Speer ’11, is a really great person,” said the history education major from Dyersville. “We were talking about colleges and where to go, and she had this big Wartburg flag up in her office. We asked her what her experience was at Wartburg, and I remember her telling me that she’s got a little bit of debt from student loans that she’s paying off. She said that if she would go to Wartburg just to have the same amount of debt again, she would do it 10 times out of 10.”

For Oberbroeckling, the testimonies he received from educators, friends, and peers solidified his decision to strongly consider, and then attend, Wartburg.

“I was kind of on the fence between Wartburg and a couple of other colleges, but because of the Alumni Referral Award and the effort Staci put in to filling that out, I knew it was going to be a good place,” he said. “I knew I was going to enjoy myself no matter where I went, so I figured I would come to Wartburg, especially because Staci put in the effort to make sure that I came here.”

Speer continues to refer students to the college.“Right now, I’m not in a place to give to the college, so this is such a small way that I can enjoy giving back,” said Speer, the band director at Beckman Catholic High School. “I saw the email, looked through the nomination process, and thought that it’s such an easy way for students to get money. Anything I can do to help students out financially I do, because some students are scared to even apply to Wartburg because of the sticker price. This is one easy way to help them with that or put a bug in their ear about Wartburg.”

To begin the referral process, Speer sends all of her students an email explaining what the award is and that she wants to nominate them.

“Almost all band seniors even just thinking about visiting Wartburg come to me, and I nominate them,” said Speer. “I get the pleasure of having students for four to eight years, so I know them well and feel good about referring those students.”

Oberbroeckling was only in Speer’s band for a short time, but she made a large impact on his future. Since coming to Wartburg, he has been able to enjoy exploring his passions through the History Club, Game Knights, and Catholic Knights, and he hopes to start an Ultimate Frisbee or disc golf intramural team on campus. Speer advises current students to take advantage of the alumni network and has begun that connection with Oberbroeckling already with her referral.

“Wartburg is very unique in that the alumni watch out for each other,” said Speer. “Students shouldn’t be afraid to reach out and get their advice, ask to shadow, and get opinions on the profession itself.”Looking toward the future, the opportunity to excel in every area of his life is something Oberbroeckling is excited about.“I don’t think I would’ve gotten the same education at a bigger school,” he said. “The faculty-to-student ratio is pretty small. If I’m not doing well in a class, I can reach out to the professor or they’ll even reach out to me. It’s nice to know that somebody’s always there to help you along the way.”