Alumni Stories: Emelia Koehler ’18

What have you been up to since graduation?
I’m currently a senior studying entrepreneurial studies at Grand Canyon University. While I will be graduating in a total of three years, my time at GCU has taught me how to independently explore new surroundings’ outdoors, carve through unknown career territories with confidence and conscientiousness, and value people as the wondrously unique individuals they are. These learned experiences, coupled with the trusting relationship I’ve developed with the certainty of the Lord’s plan, have made college the most transformative time of my life.

As for career fronts, I am currently celebrating my anniversary with LittleBird, an apartment smart technology company that approached me during my sophomore year, as their content strategist. This past summer I was also asked to write and direct an infomercial— that now has over 1 million views and led to a 5% increase in subscription customers— for Simply Earth, an essential oils company. Looking towards post-graduation life, I am in the process of choosing between multiple exciting offers.

Outside of school and work, I could not be more thankful for the family I’ve found at both GCU and SCS. The Lord has placed the most inspiring, high-quality people in my life; one of which happens to be my fiancé, Brett. He’s also a 2018 SCS grad and I’m rather excited to marry him come summer of 2022.

What do you love about Sheboygan Christian School?
The thing I love most about the Sheboygan Christian School is the authenticity of the staff. While at SCS, I was always confident that the way my teachers interacted with others in the classroom was the same way they would engage with people outside of the classroom. I knew they were never putting up a front as they taught me; rather, they pushed, challenged, and respected me the way they would anyone.

Describe one of your favorite teachers and tell why he/she is a favorite.
Mr. Kevin Gesch sure comes to mind as one of my favorite teachers from my years at SCS. Anyone who has met Mr. Gesch knows that he’s not one to let students take the easy route out… on anything. It is for that reason that Mr. Gesch is one of my favorite teachers. His intense drive and character as a teacher shows each and every one of his students the importance of upholding outstanding work ethic and character. You couldn’t ask for a better lesson than that.

In what ways have you grown in your faith as a result of your experience at Sheboygan Christian School?
Sheboygan Christian School influenced my faith in two major ways: it taught me how to truly evaluate what I believe while simultaneously offering an outstanding faith-based community. On one hand, the rigorous course walk, thanks to classes like advanced doctrine and ethics, challenged me to rip the rug right out from under my faith, start from square one, and figure out the legitimacy of my faith piece by piece. At the same time, the school backed me as a believer by coming together as a supportive Christian community to which I could trust my most honest questions, concerns, and joys.

How do you feel that SCS prepared you for graduation, college/career, and life?
SCS prepared me for graduation through the intense teaching structures of certain teachers, dedication of college advisors, and dependable community of the school body. Teachers like Mr. Gesh and Pastor Dave make sure that any student in their class understands the importance of work ethic and drive. Consequently, I felt fully prepared for the rigorousness of college courses. As for college advisement, I was very thankful for the intent the staff showed in finding attainable and fitting scholarships that ended up making my college career significantly more affordable. Lastly, SCS, to this day, supports me in my college, career, and life pursuits by upholding an outstanding community that I can always count on and come back to.

What sets SCS apart from other schools?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the community at SCS is like none other. The people that make up this school are overjoyed to aid you in any aspect of your life. With great sincerity, they journey alongside you as you navigate each and every interesting event that you walk through. It would be inappropriate to describe SCS’s community as anything other than a dedicated family.

What would you say to a prospective family considering enrollment at Sheboygan Christian School?
If I were speaking to a prospective family, I would tell them this:  If you decide that Sheboygan Christian School is right for your family, be prepared to join a community that’s going to show up for your kid. This doesn’t mean that things will always go “smoothly”— there tends to be a false stereotype that sending your child to a Christian school will alleviate inevitable social strains and educational hurdles. Rather, it means that the community at SCS will provide the support, challenge, and intentionality that your child needs to figure out how they desire to walk through and serve this world.

What advice would you give to current SCS students?
In talking to any current SCS student, I would give them the same advice:
Take a minute to pause, look around, and realize how much this community is invested in you. The teachers, staff, and families that make up this community would do anything to help you grow as a person. Notice this, appreciate it, and emulate this same form of investment in others in your life going forward.