At Valpo, Emily Robinson \u201917 has blossomed in countless ways \u2014 as a leader, collaborator, scholar, educator, musician, and motivator. Even though Emily may not know exactly where she\u2019ll be after graduation, she is confident Valpo has prepared her for whatever career path she may choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From St. Louis, Emily toured more than 20 schools before eventually selecting Valpo. After visiting and being accepted into the Lutheran Leaders Intern and Scholarship program as well as\u00a0Christ College \u2014 The Honors College<\/a>, she knew Valpo would be her perfect home for the next four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cValpo has definitely become my home,\u201d Emily says. \u201cIt has become a home because I have created my own family here. Everything that is encompassed by a home is here, and you discover it along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily is a\u00a0music<\/a>\u00a0major with a minor in\u00a0business administration<\/a>. With a concentration in music industry, she has taken courses in music careers and entrepreneurship, which will allow her to pursue a career in many areas, including recording, retailing, or arts management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been impressed by Emily since I first encountered her as a high school student attending Lutheran Summer Music,\u201d says Jeffrey Doebler, professor of music and director of music education and bands. \u201cI was elated when she chose to attend Valparaiso University to pursue a major in our music industry program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since arriving at Valpo, Emily has actively engaged in campus life. She cites Christ College, Lutheran Leaders, and Chamber Concert Band as being the cornerstones of her Valpo experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The transition into college life is often full of challenges. \u201cI grappled with finding balance,\u201d Emily says. \u201cValpo has taught me the importance of balancing schoolwork, extracurriculars, and friends as well as taking care of my physical and spiritual self.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily has successfully balanced the challenges of being a Christ College honors student as well as a band member with the rigorous duties required of a Lutheran Leader. Emily\u2019s engagement on campus doesn\u2019t end there, as she is also head usher in the Center for the Arts and a member of Sigma Alpha Iota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of an exclusive group of nine students, Emily meets weekly with Lutheran Leaders to discuss leadership and plan a leadership retreat. Gaining work experience through internship is an essential aspect of Lutheran Leaders. Emily has secured an internship every semester and summer, the most recent being with the St. Louis Symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the symphony, Emily has gained valuable experience in everything from auditioning to programming. Currently, her work with the symphony focuses on the creation of a family and education concert, which is slated to be sent to the publisher shortly and eventually captured on stage. Her role at the symphony has enabled her to explore her passion for music, develop creatively, and connect with people through music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love symphonic music, and through this internship, I have uncovered an additional passion for education,\u201d Emily says. \u201cI seek to create performances that speak to each audience member, teaching them something new about themselves and leaving them individually fulfilled. If I can do that, I consider it my personal success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a Christ College student, Emily finds herself constantly challenged and motivated to meet the high expectations permeating the honors environment. She is more aware of the world around her, continually explores her life\u2019s purpose, and has developed extensive critical thinking and writing skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI discovered I possess a need to be in a constant state of learning and developing,\u201d says Emily. \u201cI may not know where my career will take me, but Valpo has helped me question my passions and strengthened my commitment to the intersection of faith and scholarly work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily was selected as a member of Chamber Concert Band, Valpo\u2019s most advanced band, her freshman year, where she is afforded the opportunity to play the music she loves within a unique community. She has made a significant contribution to the University in notable performances throughout the year, including Easter worship, Christmas Concerts, and Commencement ceremonies. Further, she has been part of living music in playing new works of visiting composers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exhibiting a strong commitment to music education, the Chamber Concert Band collaborates with Valpo High School musicians in an annual winter concert. This initiative has highlighted Emily\u2019s strength as a mentor and educator of young musicians. Her impact extends across the University, serving as the stage manager for the majority of campus performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEmily is a wonderful person and musician. She is an ideal fit for Valparaiso University, and it is an honor to work with her,\u201d Professor Doebler says. \u201cShe has been an important contributor through her three years of college, and I look forward to what\u2019s to come in her senior year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zachary Bruick \u201917 chose Valpo because of the meteorology program\u2019s reputation, but it\u2019s the department\u2019s atmosphere that makes him very satisfied with his choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9,21,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-spotlight","category-music","category-music-student-spotlight"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"nicholaswhipple","author_link":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/author\/nicholaswhipple\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/ValpoCampus4-Resized-300x192.webp","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Student Spotlight<\/a>","Music<\/a>","Music Student Spotlight<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Student Spotlight<\/span>","Music<\/span>","Music Student Spotlight<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 9 months ago","modified":"Updated 9 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on July 23, 2025","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on July 23, 2025 5:37 pm","modified":"Updated on July 24, 2025 7:49 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2320"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2322,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320\/revisions\/2322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.valpo.edu\/college-of-arts-and-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}