What have you been up to since you graduated from Denver Lutheran High in 2007?
After Lutheran, I attended Colorado School of Mines and graduated in 2012 after studying electrical engineering and power systems. I worked in Denver for Stanley Consultants for almost 5 years designing power transmission lines and recently moved down to Austin to work with our clients on power lines and projects in Texas. I am recently engaged to an amazing woman and will be married this upcoming May. We are both excited to be starting a new chapter down in Austin!
What did you value most about your time as a student at Lutheran High?
I would say that what I most value are the friendships and relationships made at school that still carry on to this day. Many of my best friends today go all the way back to Lutheran High and some of my best memories are playing football and basketball with all those guys. If there is one thing that I could go back and do again from high school it would be the athletics for sure.
How did Lutheran High prepare you for college and your future career?
Lutheran definitely prepared me for college and my career. I endured a very tough engineering program at Colorado School of Mines and Lutheran gave me a strong foundation to build on. My AP calculus course and science courses gave me a good background for the technical courses there, but most of all I think Lutheran helped to instill a strong work ethic and attitude that helped me get through everything.
I still remember a quote that was up on the wall in Mr. Brandhorst’s room - “Every man must educate himself. Books and teachers are but aides, the work is his alone.”
With the gift of hindsight, how has your faith guided you through life?
I would say that my faith has been a rock for me that I have fallen back on time and time again. Looking back through my life I know there are many times that God was there with me, working towards his purposes, and strengthening and refining me even though I was unaware at the time. My faith has given me confidence and perspective as I continue the path the Lord has laid out for me.
What is the most important lesson you learned at Lutheran High?
Life is full of opportunities. Be grateful for even the smallest of them, and take advantage of those that are put in front of you.
Is there a particular Lutheran High teacher, coach or staff member that has significantly impacted or influenced your life?
I would say there are a few. The teachers that doubled as coaches definitely had a big impact on who I am today. Coach Gehrke, Coach Bredow, Coach Larrabee and Coach Stelling to name a few. Also Mr. Brandhorst for sure. I even went back and got some extra physics help from him in some of my classes at Mines.
Is there any advice you would like to offer to the current and future students of Lutheran High?
Pursue God and pursue your dreams.
Do you have any favorite memories or stories from your time at Lutheran High?
I remember one JV basketball game where Coach Gehrke gave the pregame speech. Instead of going over strategy or getting us fired up, he only told us a quality joke. We went out and dominated.
