My Capstone Experience at Concordia College

As apart of my capstone class at Concordia College, I took the course Neurochemistry. The class was filled with 14 seniors, from a range of backgrounds, and from a range of course experiences (mostly Chemistry, Biology, Neuroscience and Psychology). We delved into a VERY interesting field, and one emerging further into science every year. We reviewed current literature on the neurological mechanisms of numerous mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Autism, but also looked into the neural implications with conditions such as Obesity and Diabetes. It was challenging and fascinating, something I have found to be a core principle with coursework at Concordia College.
As apart of engaging with the community, each student wrote a blog on what they found significant in each neurological condition. It was fun and fulfilling to educate the community on sometimes contentious issues such as endocannabinoids or alcohol addiction. There are a complexity of neuronal mechanisms happening in each psychological condition, and the general community often is very unaware this. The understanding of things like alcohol’s affect on the brain is often over-simplified. Substances like these affect each structure of the brain in a unique way, and can have various long-lasting effects on neuronal signaling for a lifetime. Through education and communication throughout the community, understanding of such drugs and conditions can become common knowledge! Overall, being involved with the off-campus community was an enriching experience, and something Concordia College values throughout their teaching.
Learning into neurochemistry and how these things affect real life conditions was very rewarding. Each student, with his or her academic and experiential background contributed to how these conditions are approached both scientifically and from a social perspective. On a liberal arts campus, each student has a very unique perspective to which they approach each condition or situation. More than half of the students in our senior capstone had studied abroad, which contributed to the diversity of ideas in our discussions. We even had an international student in the class which further helped add multiple viewpoints. In our discussions, we often confronted the heavy social issues that surrounded each psychological disorder, which was very engaging. With backgrounds in numerous parts of life and academic focus, our group worked successfully to have a thorough understanding of each condition, which reflects fundamental pillars of liberal arts learning!
By taking classes through multiple departments at Concordia, students often find topics they become very interested in. In addition by taking classes from a wide variety of fields, Concordia College grows a culture of loving to learn.   I have certainly grown to appreciate an education and passion for learning while at Concordia. I have added a major and minor to my original plan. Growing a culture of open-mindedness and learning is what Concordia College is all about, and these principles can be directly applied to issues throughout the world!
Overall, Concordia College is a rigorous but amazing school that prepares people to think critically on whatever task they come across in life! With such a globally conscious foundation on campus, accompanied by excellent academics throughout the science and humanities departments, Concordia College gives you the tools to succeed and be well aware of multiple perspectives from various aspects of education.