My name is Alexander Stoltzfus, and I am from Muscatine, Iowa. I major in secondary education and am currently a student teacher at West Middle School. Although student teaching has had challenges, I have enjoyed every step of the experience. Being welcomed into each school day by my students and the staff inspires me to continue on the path of teaching.

Student teaching hasn’t restricted my ability to engage in extracurricular activities. On campus, I serve as a senator in student government and am a member of Sigma Tau Delta. Last semester, I wrapped up my final football season, and now I’m on the other side of things, supporting the Mustangs as part of the Morningside Cheer Team. Off-campus, I’m following in my dad’s footsteps by preparing to coach softball this summer at Sioux City North High School.

When I was growing up, my dad and I would support the Mustangs at their football games. Years later, it was time for me to start looking into colleges, and my dad suggested that we take a real campus tour of Morningside. The second I stepped foot on campus, it felt like a second home. During my visit, I met with coaches, faculty, and other people who became family to me throughout my time at Morningside.

Since my time at Morningside, the English department has felt like my second family. During my breaks between classes, I would make the trudge up to the third floor of Lewis Hall and hang out on the couch in the English office. This was always my favorite spot to relax on campus because of the welcoming atmosphere. The support I have received from the faculty in the department has motivated me in all aspects of my life. Jennifer Peterson and Leslie Werden have established a hard-working environment for me and pushed me to never settle for less. David Elder helped show me that teaching doesn’t always have to be serious. He instilled the mindset in me that life should be fun, even when there are challenges to face. I have taken the lessons and skills learned from my time in the English department and implemented them into how I teach my classes, as well as into my overall outlook on life.

Morningside is the place to make those lifelong connections. Don’t limit yourself by hiding in your dorm room. Go to events, hang out in the common rooms, and be nice to people. You never know who you will meet, whether that is your new best friend or a significant other. Everybody is going through their own thing, and you never know how much a simple “hello” will do to make someone’s day. I advise all students to do one thing that pushes them outside their comfort zone, even if they only try it once. In life, you learn from failure, and without failing, you will never get to the level you want to achieve.

Living in the now and focusing on the next 30 seconds is all you can do. It is easy to get caught up in the past or worry too much about the future. In football, a big thing we say is to focus on the current play. That’s all you can do in football because if I’m too focused on the last play, I already messed up our chances of having a successful run. The same applies to everything in life. Focus on the now and live in the present moment.