I could write about all the ways that this college made me a better thinker, problem solver, and communicator. And how those skills have served me greatly in the work-a-day world and how this great liberal arts education has positioned me well to “maximize shareholder value.” I should not underestimate the gift of being able to earn a living and provide for a family. I credit WCC immensely by putting me through a 4-year crucible of intellectual and moral conditioning, out of which came a sharper and more competent person. There is no doubt about that. But to say, “because of WCC, I have a great job and am making a difference in the word” however true, almost cheapens what actually happened there.

What really went on here was a type of soul-craft, a re-tuning of the heart to love what is true, good and beautiful. As we all remember, Plato taught that the mind rules the stomach through the chest. Our intellect alone does not have the power to control our emotions and appetites, but it needs an ally in the heart. C.S. Lewis in his Abolition of Man laments the lack of heart in our society saying, “We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”

Wyoming Catholic College rebuilds the chests of its students. Our imaginations are formed by the breathtaking landscapes of Wyoming. Our consciences are shaped by studying the moral lessons of history. We don’t just learn to recognize what is true, good, and beautiful—we fall in love with them. And then for a rare moment you catch a glimpse of what Solzhenitsyn calls, “that which passeth all understanding, a realm to which no man can ride or fly. And for which the soul begins to ache.”

In that moment, you know you have everything you need: to sustain yourself, to make a difference, to pursue virtue, and to live fully.