Editor's note: This story first appeared in the spring 2020 issue of the Concordian, the official magazine of Concordia University Wisconsin.
He took a roundabout way to get there, but Brian Loesel (’19, ’20) is now officially carrying on the family tradition. He’s the eighth out of nine Loesels in his immediate family (including his siblings-in-law) to work in a school setting.
Following his high school graduation, the youngest Loesel initially struck out in pursuit of his Doctor of Medicine, and he came close to achieving it—an impressive feat, considering most medical schools’ acceptance rates hover at only 2.5 percent. Out of the estimated 1,300 individuals who applied to just one of his school selections, only 300 candidates received an interview, and Loesel was one of them. In the next round—the acceptance round—Loesel found the door closed to an MD and, after a period of wrestling with the Lord, his heart was opened to Lutheran teaching.
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Concordia University Wisconsin made the remaining path to a teaching degree quickly achievable. With a bachelor’s degree already under his belt, Loesel enrolled in CUW’s Graduate Teacher Certification Program, now called the Concordia Accelerated Program for Teacher Licensure (CAPTL). The program is designed to be completed in 2 ½ years, at the end of which students will walk away with both their teaching licensure and master’s degree.
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Loesel achieved his licensure at the end of his first year at CUW and accepted a position to begin to teach science in fall 2019 at Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while he completed the remaining courses for his master’s online.
In May, he’ll make the walk across Concordia’s commencement stage, finally with clarity and newfound direction for his life’s work.
“The idea of being able to show the wonders of the human body, to show students more of who God is through those processes, and to help them fall in love with that design is really motivating for me.” Learn more about CUW’s CAPTL program at cuw.edu/teachlearn-secondary.
—The spring 2020 Concordian hit mailboxes the end of April. View a PDF version of the magazine here. If you are not on our mailing list, but are interested in receiving a free copy, email Jennifer.Hackmann@cuaa.edu.
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
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