Concordia hosting university students
Published 10:33 pm Thursday, March 5, 2015
The Rev. Dion Culliver, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, speaks Thursday at his church during a ceremony that honored civil rights martyrs. (Times-Journal | Alaina Denean)
Concordia College Alabama welcomed other colleges from across the United States to Selma this week to show them what life is all about 50 years after the Voting Rights Movement.
Valparaiso University, Dominican University, Concordia College New York and Concordia University Irvine made up the schools staying on the Selma campus.
Concordia College New York arrived Wednesday.
“It is refreshing to see people from other states, from other Concordia Colleges, how they see the whole environment here,” said Max Schellmann, a freshman at Concordia College Alabama.
The students have had the opportunity to take park in lectures, tour the city and visit with local residents to learn their stories.
“My favorite [experience in Selma] is touring downtown Selma and listening to people who experienced Selma in the 60s talk about their experience,” said Rashida Abrahams, a senior at Concordia College New York.
“It’s a culture change. It’s very different from the north, from New York City where I’m originally from, but it’s nice to come to a different area and just see the people, the community [and] how they work well together.”
Abrahams said she learned a lot during her time in Selma, and she is looking forward to going back home and sharing her experience with friends. But she doesn’t want to stop there.
Her time in Selma has inspired her to step up and do more in her own community.
“I’ve learned that education is really important and that I really need to be a part of propelling people to participate in their government and in particular in voting because what people did for us back in the 60s was really important, and I feel like I should do more to spread the word about it and do my part,” Abrahams said.
Schellmann said having the students, has been exciting and he has enjoyed being able to share a little of Selma’s history with them.
“I hope that they see what’s going on here,” Schellmann said. “There there’s a big process going on here in Selma, Alabama. I really hope they enjoy it here, and they take something back with them to their colleges.”
