“I found myself in a school that encouraged not only me, but every single student on campus, to try new things, to explore new subjects, to play on new fields.  But it’s more than that. Wittenberg not only taught me to try new things, but to be engaged, resourceful and creative in all things. It taught me – to shamelessly steal a word from my favorite essayist and poet, Wendell Berry – not to ‘specialize’ too soon, but to take responsibility for my own education and interests.”– Kelsey Swindler’12
For more than 160 years, Wittenberg has insisted on providing an active, engaged educational environment where a student’s capacity to think, read and communicate with precision, understanding and imagination stands at the core. It’s the liberal arts with an edge, and students' like Kelsey Swindler are forever changed as a result.
“When I began my college search, I was looking at liberal arts schools, not because I knew much of what that meant, but simply because they tended to be small,” Swindler says. “I come from a close-knit community in southwest Ohio, and I knew that this setting was where I was most comfortable. For better or worse I set out looking for an atmosphere – and so I chose Wittenberg. I could not have guessed what a huge impact the idea of a ‘liberal arts’ education would have on my classes, my emerging passions, even my choice infriends and professors.”
From study-abroad as part of the Wittenberg in Wittenberg, Germany, program to astronomy and paranormal psychology her first semester to living with a biology major and working toward campus sustainability with an English professor, to trying Ultimate Frisbee, Symphonic Band and Greek Life, Swindler took advantage of everything the liberal arts had to offer.
“Through these varying paths and experiences, Wittenberg has taught me – and is still teaching me – what it means to be a student of the ‘liberal arts.’ To be a student of the liberal arts we must learn to become people of the world before we learn to become specialists of the world,” Swindler says.
Following graduation, Swindler will head to Colorado to study at the Denver Publishing Institute.
“I will be leaving soon, hoping to find my way in a world that still has a lot to teach me. I know I will be ready for it. Wittenberg has given me that confidence. Or, more accurately, Wittenberg has taught me how to find it for myself.”
Written By: Karen Gerboth
Photo By: Erin Pence
