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"The campus visit was the clincher for me," Treu said. "Once I came to campus I felt the people would be comfortable for me – I felt I would belong. Witt became my home away from home. All my friends were here."
Soon after his freshman year began, he remembers Professor of Psychology Jo Wilson saying to him, "I believe in you. You're going to do great things."
"She made me believe it," he said, adding that Wilson reinforced that belief regularly. "During my four years at Wittenberg, I have accomplished things I never could have dreamed of."
At one point Treu thought about becoming a teacher, but he soon discovered a passion for communication. "Witt is a fertilizer for growth," Treu said. "You don't come here knowing what you want, but all things are in place to help us discover our potential.
"The faculty is so willing to provide support and they each seem to have a support system in place to offer those resources."
With his communication major, he recognized a gift within himself, and as he began to develop the skills required, they seemed second nature to him, natural.
"I'm not big on research, but I firmly believe that to solve the problems of the world, it's vital that we understand and accept other ways of thinking." Treu said, adding that logic, ethics and social reasoning guide his actions. "When we learn different points of view, it helps us to understand others and can help others understand us."
During spring break in 2009, Treu participated in a service trip to New Orleans. While there, Wittenberg students gutted houses and built decks in an area that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
"Our work was so appreciated, and the need was so great," Treu said, noting that the feedback was so rewarding that the hard work he performed seemed easier. "It was a good feeling."
In fact, Treu experienced an epiphany, and he has come to accept that he will be called to do God's work.
"I hope to serve more than myself," he said. "I've learned that I thrive on opportunities to give to others, to share values. I've learned that everything's going to be okay. When we're stressed out, God will guide us.
"For instance, when I started college, the worst thing for me was homesickness, but it helped me learn to adapt to change, and that is a skill I have developed. It was a positive experience with positive results."
Treu studied abroad in Austria, which gave him the confidence to know he can find his comfort zone anywhere.
A member of seven honors societies, including the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa, Treu and fellow members of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society received an Adviser Grant Program Award from the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) to clean up Springfield's Snyder Park, beginning in spring 2009.
Treu plans to serve an internship before heading to graduate school to help him define the area most appealing to his talents and abilities in the area of public relations and communication.
- Written by Phyllis Eberts
- Photo By: Erin Pence
