Ryan Wohlers

Dr. Bir

Engineering Capstone

October 1, 2021

Loras Dispositions

Loras, as a liberal arts college, provides a well-rounded education that is hard to find at a bigger

university. The four main dispositions are: Active Learners, Reflective Thinkers, Ethical Decision Makers,

and Responsible Contributors. The two that have impacted me the most are to be a responsible

contributor and an active learner. These are important to me because these are two things that I will

take into the real world and apply to future endeavors. To be a responsible contributor is to be an active

member of the community I am apart of and to share new ideas and talents with the community. I have

learned this through being a part of the baseball team.

Being a part of an extracurricular team during college is a great way to be a responsible

contributor to a whole community besides the normal college community. Being a part of the baseball

team is about more than just playing for the love of the game. I have built friendships with teammates

that will last a lifetime. Many of the past baseball players still talk to many of their teammates and

coaches. They all look forward to coming back to campus for homecoming or games and catching up

with all their old friends. Many of them donate to the program that they built up to make sure that the

players after them have it better than they did. Another important aspect of being on the baseball team

is that it holds you accountable. If I am unable to keep my grades at an acceptable GPA, I don’t let down

just myself, but you let down the 60 players and coaches that are apart of the team as well. This really

motivates me to keep myself focused to make sure I do not let those who are counting on me down.
 Baseball has also provided me the chance to do community service work. There is an

organization in called the Dubuque Packers which is affiliated with the Special Olympics. We, as a team,

would host a night every other week to play numerous different sports with them. We were there to

teach but to also create a bond with them and enjoy the thing we both love which is sports. Working

with the packers gave me a new perspective on life and contributing to my community. I have always

enjoyed community service work but working with the Packers, I realized this was something I would

enjoy to do again after college.

The next disposition that has impacted me the most is being an active learner. The way I became

an active learner the best at Loras was through the engineering labs and engineering prototyping. These

labs taught me to be an active learner through trial and error. The whole point of science and

engineering is to find the “truth” by testing theories and equations and seeing what I can learn and find.

Most of the time, I do not find the right answers the first time or even the second time, so I must keep

testing and finding ways to reach the answer you need. This pushes me to be an active learner by

engaging in hands on activities where I have to investigate and explore in order to find the desired

answers.

My time at Loras has taught me more than just the engineering requirements I need to

graduate. Thanks to the liberal arts program that Loras offered me, I have earned a well-rounded

education. Along with the liberal arts education, Loras’ dispositions have played a large part in my

education journey as well. Becoming a responsible contributor and active learner will help shape me as a

person outside of college and for future endeavors.