Staying close to home was right for me
NAME: Sam Bast
CLASS YEAR: 2022
HOMETOWN: Waverly
MAJOR: Engineering science
WHERE DID YOU VISIT DURING ORANGE CONNECTION 2019: Bridgestone Tire and MODUS
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE WARTBURG: I like the smaller feel of the campus. I can walk around and people know me by name. I like Waverly and the area. I knew the town, but didn’t know the college, so it’s like discovering another portion of the city. And they had engineering.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR MAJOR: I like the problem-solving and teamwork aspects of it. Through job shadowing and talking with with others, I thought it would be a good fit. I think I would like to do mechanical or environmental engineering, but I am still exploring my options.
HOW DID ORANGE CONNECTION HELP YOU FOCUS YOUR DECISION TO MAJOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: They both resonated with me for different reasons. My dad works at John Deere and Bridgestone reminded me of what my dad does. MODUS was cleaner and a different kind of environment. That was nice seeing that you didn’t have to get dirty, but you could still do the work. Before my Orange Connection experience, I thought Bridgestone was the standard for engineering, but with MODUS, it really another perspective of what you could do with renovating and fixing old buildings.
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ORANGE CONNECTION EXPERIENCE: I enjoyed seeing where I could be in the future. You could already have an idea and then when you job shadow you get a more certain view. That gives me a little more hope and confirms that I want to do this.
WHY WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A FUTURE OC OPPORTUNITY: I know from the other students I talked with, they came away narrowing down what they wanted to do or what they didn’t want to do. At the very least, this opportunity gives you a chance to experience a real workplace, and there are some fun activities over the weekend, too. We did an escape room, visited the state capitol and art museum, and made friends with some others on the trip. It’s also interesting to stay with a Wartburg family and hear their wartburg story.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU NEVER IMAGINED YOU WOULD DO BEFORE COMING TO WARTBURG: I joined Ritterchor. Dr. Nelson sent an email out but it felt like he was emailing me specifically, so I joined as a tenor II. I can have fun with these guys and relate to them. At the beginning of the year, I never thought I would be in a music group again, but I’ve had some great experiences with Ritterchor. It’s something I look forward to. It’s an hour or so to just sing and have fun. Singing and having that musical aspect of your day or life is a great thing to have.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS: Have a planner. Make sure you know when you have to go to classes. Sign up for things, but if you don’t like it, don’t feel like you have to do it. Find what you enjoy and make time for that. Have time for classes and job if you need to make money.