My first experience at Luther College that I can remember was a temper tantrum in the pool.

I was in preschool, when the turf room was the old pool, and I feared the water which seemed boundlessly deep. Needless to say, they didn’t let me go back after that. I still cannot swim very well, but I could probably swim to save my life.

I tell you this story, at the culmination of four years at Luther, for many reasons. It reminds me of the times long past, when I lived only 45 minutes south of Decorah, when my mom and I would make trips to the co-op; smelling the ground coffee after mom put the beans through the grinder; buying books at Dragonfly or the old library books for sale at the entrance to the Decorah Library; the Hatchery where in first grade I got nine chicks and raised them until I was a teenager who lived in a different town, a different life. But these are the memories I cherish most.

Perhaps it was my love of Decorah, the town where I was born, that brought me back to Luther, despite the early tantrums. The idea that I could continue to run cross country, play French horn, and learn from an English faculty that excited me, excited me. Each of these (and more) has fulfilled me, brought me joy (and some sorrow), and challenged me.

Has it been perfect? Nope. The class of 2024 started in 2020, if that’s any indication. Have I been perfect? Far from it. I could have been a better community member, a better friend, a better student. I could have practiced more, held the hands of those I found and find dear, loved better and more fully. I still have prejudices to unlearn, poems to memorize, miles to go.

I am reminded by the phrase “moving on to perfection,” from John Wesley, a founder of a faith and denomination I find all the more dear even though I went to a Lutheran college. It was a stance I found at Wesley’s Chapel, on a Sunday in London, on a J-term trip with Dr. Weldon. “Moving on to perfection” to me is a reminder that we will never fully achieve perfection. We may never get close. We are invited to keep moving forward all the same. If I could use only one word to describe my Luther experience I would use this one: fulfilled. Who knew that all these years later, Luther College would teach me how to swim. Well, not in the literal sense, but in the metaphorical sense. To be able to swim in this ocean of the world. There will be no walking on water out there on the boundless waves.

Many professors at Luther taught me how to think critically, about literature, religion, society and the world. Some of the most important classes I took were outside my majors, still impacting the way I look at the world and how I approach my work. Professors at Luther are some of the greatest assets to this campus, assets that need to be noticed, thanked profusely, and appreciated.

Running at Luther taught me what it means to see a community change, to see that sometimes traditions need to change to reflect the people we care about most. Concert band taught me to keep practicing, to keep honing the craft. However, in the reality of live performance know: you will fail. So keep going.

CHIPS taught me how to fight for what I believe in, how to tackle difficult times, but most of all, how to care. This staff cares about what they write because they want to share what Luther does—where it shines, and where it needs to improve. Peter Heryla (’24) and Adjunct Faculty in English and Paideia Christy Vritis are both forces of nature, who made something truly special in the face of a new age for CHIPS. These are some of the greatest role models that Luther has given me. My only question is this: will Luther as an institution learn to swim?

It is sometimes enough to stay in it, to stay afloat, and to that, I tip my hat to my soon-to-be alma mater. This is a difficult time to be a liberal arts college. However, the institution must be willing to look at itself critically, to figure out where it needs to change, and where it is at its best. “Moving on to perfection” only happens when we first notice where we are not perfect. Ignoring it and moving on is not a sustainable stance, nor is having a tantrum in the pool. But hey, if even I can learn to swim, then no one’s truly hopeless.

Luther, keep striving for perfection.

Ethan Kober, CHIPS Managing Editor 2023-2024