For everyone, the college experience is unique and different; for Seth Leitner, it was a learning experience. “You learn about yourself opposed to just learning about what you are studying,” said the senior.

During his time at Monmouth College, Leitner has gained a new family, one made up of students and faculty. Leitner refers to his distance teammates as his brothers and a select group of faculty as his parents.

“On one level, I have the guys on the distance team – we are like brothers. We fight, we yell, but we are have a good time. When you spend time running 10 miles a day, you grow close,” Leitner confessed.

The senior trackster sites Simon and Stacy Cordery, Nick Gressens, and Tom Sienkewicz as forming much of his college experience.

“Simon has hit me on a personal level because he is easy to talk to. He inspires me to go deeper into what I am really interested in. Professor Gressens and Seinkewicz have done the same thing.”

Leitner went on to say, “The professors are very personable; they know how to push your buttons and make you work harder.”

While reflecting on his college career, Leitner stated, “It has been the most trying time in my life. I have had some of the best times and some of the worst times. But I think that is normal, what you get out of that is how to deal with those things. Going through all those things has made me stronger.”

Leitner cited professor of history Bill Urban’s Western Civilization I course as one that shaped his college experience. “At that time, in my sophomore year, I was still trying to figure my focus in history. We were talking about the Greeks and Romans and their impact on the world. It just clicked – before that I did not appreciate their impact some how until Dr. Urban busted out a slide show.”

Now that Leinter has paid his four years through MC, he has his sights set on the next step. The senior distance runner plans to attend graduate school after graduation. So far, Leitner has applied to programs at Missouri, Tufts, Arizona, Iowa and Colorado.

Overall, Leitner has relished his experiences at Monmouth. Looking back at why he chose Monmouth College, Leitner reflects, “One thing that made me come here was the cross country and track teams. It gave me something to do. Once I got here, I loved the look and feel of the campus. Meeting the history department clinched it. Simon and Stacy Cordery are fun and entertaining and made me want to learn. They made learning fun because they are so entertaining and engaging.”

Though his experiences at Monmouth were widely positive, Leitner did comment there were a few things he would have changed. “Make Monmouth an actual city; you know with actual things to do. But we are getting a Taco Bell, so that is one step closer.”

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