My Wartburg connections can’t be quantified

NAME: Amelia Weber Armstrong 

CLASS YEAR: 2004 

MAJOR: Music education 

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT: Vocal music teacher, Platteville High School

WHY WARTBURG: I knew about Wartburg because my dad and uncle are alums. When I visited, I found out about outstanding music opportunities and a tradition for training educators.  It also felt welcoming and homey, something that was lacking in the other campuses I’d visited. 

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOU COULD DO BEFORE COMING TO WARTBURG: Learn Spanish by living with a host family in Mexico.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WARTBURG TRADITION: Midnight breakfast during finals. What could be more ironic that your religion prof serving you two helpings of eggs at midnight to fuel you through his own final?

WHY WAS YOUR WARTBURG EXPERIENCE WORTH IT: I graduated in four years, and with the scholarships I’d earned, it cost me the same to go to Wartburg as it cost my high school classmates for five years at UW-Madison. I built connections with my classmates and professors that cannot be quantified. I traveled every single year in college, sometimes twice. The character education happening at Wartburg prepared me not only to get a job but to be civically engaged.

HOW DO YOU LIVE OUT THE WARTBURG MISSION: It’s not enough to do my job. I need to make my community a better place by giving my time, energy, and financial support to causes I care about. I serve on a local arts committee and am involved with statewide music initiatives.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS: Squeeze every last opportunity out of your time at Wartburg. There are so many. Make real connections with people, and put effort into them regardless of time or distance.