Jennifer's Journey: Rebecca

Standpartners at Concordia in 1996

At a Texas Rodeo in 2007

I met Rebecca my freshman year of college (1996). We were stand partners in the Concordia College Orchestra and became fast friends. I will forever be grateful to Mr. Hoglum for putting us together. He was an inspiring conductor and we all loved him. We had such fun writing quotes from Mr. Hoglum on our music: "dead chickens" and "swoosh!" are two I vividly remember scribbling onto the music. Rebecca and I had stand partner bracelets and matching Concordia Orchestra sweatshirts. She had a love of languages and taught me how to say, "beautiful music" in Russian. We laughed a lot. Rebecca has a wonderful sense of humor. I remember having a blast on tour together too. Fun memories! Rebecca was only at Concordia that one year. We were going to be roommates sophomore year. I was so sad to see her go.
The Concordia Christmas concert was a major highlight for both Rebecca and me. Rebecca wrote about her experience: "[I remember] coming to tears because our Christmas concert was so powerful and sounded so amazing that it overwhelmed me to realize I was a part of such a group." I remember that feeling too and it was all the more powerful sharing it with a friend. Neither Rebecca nor I were music majors, so we were both choosing to spend our time in the Orchestra, knowing this may be our once in a lifetime experience with such a fine group.
Rebecca had a passion for the violin that inspired me. She considered being a music major, but fell in love with Latin instead! She explained it well in an email to me, "I loved music, but poured blood and sweat (yes, my fingers had bled before!) into it to get where I was, and would have to continue that pace in order to keep my edge. It was part of me and a beautiful hobby, but it didn't come to me as naturally as the Romans and Latin and getting others fired up about it. Call me weird. But, all Latin teachers are; I consider it a badge of honor."
Rebecca's Latin teachers inspired her in her studies and later in her vocation. She wrote, "I had two teachers that kindled my interest of languages into a bonfire of passion for the language and culture." These teachers encouraged Rebecca to compete in the Junior Classical League as well.
Rebecca taught Latin in Texas for a number of years, but she stays home with her daughters now. She writes, "Teaching is a very close second to me (after motherhood) as my dream job and most important job in the world. You have all this time, every day, you spend with the same people, so why not make everyone benefit from that time and when we all go home for the day, let's be able to say, 'I left today better off than I came into it.' That, and everyone expects Latin teachers to be weird, so I can be myself and no one is surprised!"
Rebecca went on to write, "It is so empowering to empower others with a classical education. It's not just about the Latin itself. It teaches you how to think logically, expands the vocabulary, promotes perseverance and patience, builds the ability to memorize, teaches you about your own culture and language, your place in the world, a sense of heritage, and the interconnectedness of it all."
In 2002 I had the opportunity to visit Rebecca in Colorado and then in 2007 I got to visit her in Texas. Both were such joyful reunions! We laughed a ton! We did sight seeing and played violin duets together and made new memories. In Texas, I got to meet her daughter, Kaitlyn. What a doll and she is one smart cookie too! I haven't met Hunter or Nessa yet, but I look forward to the day when I can! What a beautiful family!