As a 2020 WCC alumna who now teaches at Our Lady of Lourdes Classical School in Denver, Roberts is a Florida native who had never seen mountains before arriving in Wyoming. She said her first mountain hike made her “depend on God to be successful in anything.”
Sophomore Aeja DeKuiper was accustomed to working outdoors on her family’s Michigan farm, but learning to cooperate with other young women of varying temperaments was a challenge. “Even in our group of nine, we had a range of personalities and everyone was able to get through it and become stronger.”
Discovering God’s creation as described by the Psalms
For those who may be considering WCC, DeKuiper had some advice.
“If you are looking for something easy, it’s probably not for you,” she said. “But if you are willing to put in the time and effort and come with an open mind, it’ll be one of the best experiences you’ve ever had.”
Senior Margaret Serchen will lead freshmen this August on a three-week hike. The Wisconsin native had never backpacked before starting at WCC but has since camped even in the winter.
“I hadn’t expected how challenging it was. It was very raw and physically demanding,” she recalled. Serchen remarked on the unexpected “simplicity” of the hiking as well as making new friends.
“You’re carrying everything you need on your back; it’s very pilgrim-like because you’re moving every day, coming to a beautiful place — a lake, a waterfall — set up a camp, and then the next morning get up early and keep moving,” she said.
When asked how this contributed to faith, Serchen remarked: “One is by being immersed in the actual beauty God created. Man-made beauty is also beautiful, and cities offer fine art, architecture, and gardens. However, there is something so raw when you’re in a canyon God directly carved with wind and water, and there are no comforts you are used to.”
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“So much of the Psalms are steeped in words about the natural world and experiencing what the Psalmist is talking about: the quiet beauty, the terrifying winds and waters … that power that is dangerous and beautiful helps you to understand the Psalms,” she said. “Another thing is learning silence. There’s a lot of noise that we live in all the time. Going into the wilderness showed me the noise floating around in my mind all the time. It helped me to quiet that and to pray.”
Serchen said that being comfortable with mountain hiking and classical education led her and fellow students last summer to climb a mountain and bring along dress clothes to enjoy a picnic on its summit. While there, she even played a tune by Johann Sebastian Bach on her violin.
In addition to its wilderness experiences, WCC has an unusual technology policy. Students’ cellphones are locked up during the academic year and internet access is limited and monitored. But Serchen said applicants should not be put off by this.
“I really found it freeing, and [it] allows us to put technology in its proper place. It’s not that it’s bad, but we don’t know how to use it because it developed so quickly. People my age communicate on our phones, so to not have them for months at a time allows us to form deep friendships and ask good questions,” she said.
