Derek M.

Venteicher

Dr. Devayan Bir

EGR490: Engineering Capstone

7 November 2021

Loras Dispositions

Active Learning

Before arriving on campus my freshman year, I had believed I was only to learn the

important knowledge I needed to know from my elders’ experiences or my time in school. It was

at Loras where I learned what active learning was and how I could learn from places never

expected. In particular, through wrestling team experiences and engineering labs, I have grown

stronger as an active learner through learning in diverse experiences by valuing the opportunities

presented, continually testing and sculpting my consciousness by retaining new information from

different viewpoints, and taking joy in the search for truth by committing to the intellectual rigor

necessary to learn. Active learning to me is the desire to pursue a continuous understanding of

how the world works through examining the small happening as well as the big picture.

Going beyond the traditional classroom, being a part of the Loras College Wrestling

Team gave me a chance to meet new wrestlers from different parts of the United States. This

gave me an opportunity to obtain an understanding of how others grew up or grew into wrestling,

and how everyone is different in their own way, which is a special gift. With these different

viewpoints of how others grew up gave me a new understanding to being thankful of where you

come from and to embrace your own knowledge too. Specifically, being from a small rural town
in southwest Iowa, I was able to connect with one teammate from a city in Louisiana. I learned

our wrestling styles differed as well as our likings for food. I was able to add to my arsenal of

attacks in wrestling by watching him attack an opponent with a swiftly, sneaky set up. He

showed me how to move in that direction and practiced the set ups with me individually which

helped my completed takedowns. Using this new way of set up attacks, and realizing how

beneficial they were to my wrestling, I was quickly seeking others for their standpoints because

there was a chance to learn something new. From this experience, in the future I will always give

someone a chance, for I understand there are things everyone can learn from anyone. Not only

did he help in wrestling but introduced me to new foods. Now I have him to thank for my spicy

food enjoyment as well as an open mind to trying unfamiliar culture foods. Furthermore, the one

mental challenge I faced in college wrestling I will always remember is the day that I thought I

couldn’t finish the team conditioning work out. Despite the hot summer day and coming off a

long day of work I had to preserve to get through the work out. I was able to push through the

conditioning because I remembered what I learned during the school year when the going gets

tough. When the load is feeling heavy, you have to push through no matter the weight to finish

the assignment so that the load will be lighter. So, that is what I did, I pushed through and

finished the workout.

Additionally, it was through engineering labs that I was able to make intuitive sense of

engineering material through active learning. I was able to persistently communicate with

randomized lab partners every week for lab, and it helped me to straighten up things I was leery

on or perhaps help a friend out too. For example, in one lab I wasn’t quite grasping a concept,

and one of my lab partners helped clear things up about the concept of rigid body motion. In

result, I gained confidence in solving a problem on that concept on the next exam knowing what
I had learned that day in lab. This provoked me to not only gain knowledge in the classroom, but

can be found in labs, which are their purpose. Next driven by curiosity, I ask this lab partner on

how he might grasp concepts in lab and class. His outside opinion and eyes helped me look at

what was in front of me in more than one way. This would eventually lead me to understanding

almost anything can be looked at in more than one way. On another hand, active learning to me

are active learners pursing a consistent yearn or desire to understand how things, beings, and

events or experiences impact and intertwined in the world, all while continuing to wonder what

still lays ahead. Engineering labs and wrestling experiences molded my active learning in the

fact that by being an active learner I want to learn and strive to make sense of my life’s journey.

Responsible Contributing

Defined by the Loras Dispositions, a responsible contributor is someone who develops

their talents and shares them with others in ways that respect a global environment and are

sensitive to cultural differences while demonstrating in responsible ways. Up until coming to

Loras, I would’ve said responsible contributing was someone who just puts in their fair share and

goes about its duties in a respective manner, but I have learned differently. To me, Loras has

showed me the world needs more responsible contributors, they are people who care a lot and

will give more than they are able. I arrived to becoming a dependable responsible contributor

through summer internships and Wednesday night mass’ on campus by collaborating to solve

problems and serving communities inside and outside of the College.

Loras College as a liberal arts college prepared me for the real world at an early stage in

my engineering education. Boldly after my first year as an engineering student I took an

internship opportunity at NSK Coorporation close to home. I was one of four engineering

interns, the only one from a private college. Through developing my engineering talents in just
my first year at college I was able to make an instant impact to the team. Each morning during

the week, our team of engineers would talk about what happened the day before and the goals for

the day ahead. I was able to address my problems I was having, and I was able to openly talk

about solutions I found to projects on the manufacturing floor. For example, the company was

having trouble keeping the floors cleaned from the oils and excess material, so I introduced drip

pans and vent pipe reducers to help limit waste. After installing, it made sections easier to

maneuver in safely manner. Moreover, I had the opportunity to work with another intern to

reduce change over time by 11 minutes from designing a ball cart with wheels. I was able to

contribute my knowledge of solid works to design a model on solid works while the other intern

contributed by material analysis and costs. Learning how to become a responsible contributor

benefited my experience to the level that I was offered a future position after college.

Loras College is a Catholic college, and I am proud to have learned how to be a

responsible contributor through Wednesday night masses during the school week. It was through

these Church masses at 9pm where I was able to contribute to the on campus spiritual life. Being

a Eucharistic minister I am able to serve the body of Christ to others with in the community of

the church. Also, I am able to bring my knowledge of my faith and connect with others by

comparing and contrasting ideas and opinions. By doing so it allows me to grow deeper in faith

and to give others an opportunity to make an impact on my life. Being open about these ideas

taught me how to present my contributions no matter the situation with honesty and integrity.

Wednesday night masses lead me to contributing to weekly bible studies too. The advantages of

this was a more personal experience, which would help me get through the week learning about

other individuals struggles and wins. I would bring my thoughts on the bible verses and previous

concepts so that it would help our bible study group tackle key concepts and understandings.