DCE Students Present “Who Am I: Identity War”

Kelley Limback speaks alongside Reference and Instruction Librarian Billy Moore, Associate Dean of the College of Education Lorinda Sankey at the “Technology and Social Media” panel for the DCE “Who Am I: Identity War” event. Photo courtesy of Sarah Van Duser.

by Paige Uzzell

Concordia’s Directors of Christian Education practicum students presented “Who Am I?” on Saturday, March 16. The event was about discovering who you are as Christ’s child and had three sessions: social comparison, technology and social media, and athletic and academic performance.

The “Who Am I?” program was created to help students find worth in themselves through a message, faculty panels and small-group discussion. The DCE practicum students brought the event together.

“It was a needs assessment,” senior Brittany Fulcer said. “We looked at what we thought the campus, as a whole, struggled with and we did some big brainstorming. We came up with different things that we identified as problem areas in student life on campus.”

The first session, titled “Social Comparison,” began with a message from President Brian Friedrich and was followed by a panel made up of Director of Student Development Rehema Kavugha, Jessica Brashear, and Director of Health Services Andreea Baker.

“When it comes to our identity, most of us tend to look around at other people and find that identity in relationships with them,” Friedrich said. “Doing this causes confusion and distract(s) us from where our identity really lies: in our relationship with God and His children.”

“Technology and Social Media” was the message of the second session, which came from Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Sara Brady. The panel following her message included Reference and Instruction Librarian Billy Moore, Associate Dean of the College of Education Lorinda Sankey, and Kelley Limback.

“Technology is continually growing and shaping our identity,” Brady said. “We have phones and other devices that constantly keep us connected. It shapes our identities in good ways, but also bad ones.”

The final session, presented by Assistant Professor of Theology Rev. Russ Sommerfeld, was titled “Athletic and Academic Performance.” The message was followed by a panel made up of Director of Career Development Corey Gray, Director of Student Teaching Beth Pester, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Drew Olson, Director of Strength Conditioning and Training Todd Berner, and Counselor Cara Kroeker.

“Sometimes we try to find our identity in our grades or our wins,” Sommerfeld said. “This can leave us feeling like we’re not good enough when we fail. Our true identity in Christ stays the same, even when we mess up.”

Overall the program taught the listeners how to find who they are through Christ and prayer, but this was not the only program the students have put together. The DCE practicum students have put together a program that targets issues within Concordia’s community every year.

The Director of Christian Education 2019 Practicum class. Each DCE class is in charge of a campus-wide event during the spring semester. From L to R, top: David Schrampfer, Aidan Moon, Naomi Moon. Middle: Rachel Norem, Miranda Unverferth, Brittany Fulcer, Josiah Schulz. Bottom: Jeramy Willis, Beatrice Lala, Sarah Van Duser, Amanda Segebart, Alex Lillis. Photo courtesy of Sarah Van Duser.

“Every year the DCE practicum students do an event and every year it’s something different,” Fulcer said. “Last year it was an event about prayer lives and the year before that was about service in the community, so it is something that will happen every year in some way, it will just be a different need that they’ve seen, and they want to address.”

Throughout “Who Am I?”, the audience was asked tough questions about themselves, and found advice through the leadership of Concordia’s faculty and mentors.

“Don’t let other things tell you who are, turn to the Bible, listen to God, and He’s going to tell you who you are,” Fulcer said. “Don’t listen to other people on social media, and don’t listen to everyone because that’s not who you are.”

If you missed the program but would still like to hear the speakers, you can find the videos on Concordia’s DCE Facebook page under the “Who Am I: Identity War” event page.