Embracing Flexibility

Sophia Walton ’26 | Lake of the Woods, Minnesota
Major: Exercise Science
Minors: Business, Entrepreneurship

Please tell us about yourself.

I am a sophomore from Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. I like to describe myself as a go-getter and a motivated, hardworking person. My career goals are to eventually work for myself and run my own businesses. Some business ideas include an activewear clothing line, a variety of recipe books, owning a gym franchise, offering a personal training program, writing a book, owning and investing in the housing market, and a curly hair-care line. I know that opening and owning a business is not something that is easy to do, but I do not want easy. I like the high-risk, high-reward lifestyle!

How did you hear about Concordia and why did you choose to attend college here?

I heard about Concordia through some friends in high school. I was committed to a school in South Carolina but, late in the summer, a family member experienced a health scare, and it made me realize that I could not go that far away. I reached out to a friend attending Concordia, and she got me in touch with an admission representative who was amazing! She got everything taken care of within about two weeks, and I was set to attend Concordia. I also knew Concordia had a good reputation, and a degree from Concordia looked very good and carried a lot of weight so that really sold me.

What do you enjoy about the Fargo-Moorhead area?

Being from a small town of about 900 people, Fargo-Moorhead feels huge! I really like what Fargo-Moorhead has to offer. Even though it feels big, I still get a sense of community within the area. There are always community events happening, and the community is very warm and welcoming.

Can you tell us about the Women in Business club’s events and how a student can get involved?

To get involved in Women in Business, or any club on campus, I recommend going to the Cobber Expo at the beginning of each semester. This is where all the clubs on campus have a booth set up, and you can walk around and explore what they have to offer. If you are not able to attend the Cobber Expo, getting on Cobber Connect and reaching out to clubs that way is also a good way to get involved. Women in Business holds a lot of social events, where we make arts and crafts, play games, and get to know each other. They also bring in guest speakers frequently about how to brand yourself and sound professional in interviews and resumes.

What else are you involved in?

I am also a student ambassador, serving as a tour guide for prospective students and a panelist (when panels are held at visit events) for students to ask questions. Along with that, I am involved in Orientation, serving as a First-Year Transfer mentor.

How did you decide on your area of study?

Deciding on an area of study was always something that I thought was going to be easy for me. Since I was a junior in high school, I knew that I wanted to study business and create my own businesses. I knew the business world was going to fulfill my interests, so when I came to college, I was a business management major. Then I decided that I wanted to do something with more math, so I chose finance and added an entrepreneurship minor because I thought it would be beneficial to know how to handle the financial side of a business. After a finance internship during Summer 2023, I decided that I never wanted to look at another spreadsheet again! At the beginning of this year, I briefly switched to marketing because I love branding, creating social media posts, ads, and things like that, but I sat down and thought critically about the short term rather than the long term.

I was so used to thinking 10 years in advance that I forgot how to just think about college and focus on my degree and not life afterward. I have always loved exercising and working out. I was an athlete in high school and still like to move my body and improve myself physically, so I thought about how my goals would still be achievable with or without a business degree. I sat down with my advisor, and we talked about how the long-term goal is still achievable and how I can change the path to getting there. After long consideration, I have switched my major to exercise science with a focus on strength training and athletics. I have an interest in designing workouts, understanding what is happening to your muscles when you are working out, and differentiating between what is going to be most beneficial for your goals.

Do you have a favorite course? Why is it your favorite?

In my freshman year, I had a class with my advisor called Actions and Attitudes for College Success. It was so cool because we got to dive into the StrengthsFinder and get in touch with who we are as individuals and what approach to college is going to work best for us.

What do you value most about being a Cobber?

I value the reputation of being a Cobber the most. Having a degree from Concordia degree means something and looks better than some other schools in the state. I like the respect that comes with being a Cobber. Concordia has a reputation for being a hard school, and it feels good to know that I am capable of success here.

Having a degree from Concordia means something ... and it feels good to know that I am capable of success here.

What advice would you give to a high school student who is considering Concordia?

If I could give any student considering coming to Concordia advice, it would be to get yourself on campus. Come take a tour, tour more than once, meet the people who are already here, ask them questions, and connect with them. I would also say to get to know the community. Even if you love the school, you might hate the area, and that will make school much harder for you so my advice would be to come get the best feel for campus that you absolutely can. Concordia may be a small institution, but there are so many different people here and you will fit in! There are many people here who want to help you and get to know you, so take advantage of the smaller campus. It allows you to feel a sense of belonging because you get to know more people on a detailed level.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your Cobber experience?

College can be overwhelming when you first arrive on campus, but Concordia puts so much effort into making sure that every single student feels like they belong. I truly feel like Concordia cares about every student, and it’s a really refreshing feeling.

^{Published April 2024}