A Journey
of Self-Discovery After a three month trip abroad, counselor Erika Ellwanger learns to accept the differences of others and seeks to foster this acceptance within the Sion community. BY NATALIE SOPYLA REPORTER
T
he click of her brown riding boots echoes on the floor as she walks down the hall. A chorus of “hellos” follow as she greets students at their lockers, smiling at each one of them in turn, making sure no one is left out. Arriving at her office, she is greeted by another group of girls waiting outside, pink schedule sheets in hand. For the past week, this has been her routine, and yet guidance counselor Erika Ellwanger still faces each day with that same cheerful disposition. Her office seems to reflect her personality; brightly colored chairs stationed across from her desk, a bulletin board on the wall filled with photos of friends and family. All of these things create an atmosphere of comfort, acceptance and happiness, qualities that she tries to instill in the students she counsels. When Ellwanger arrived at Sion six years ago, she felt it was where she was meant to be. Having grown up in the small town of Atlantic, Iowa, she had no problem adjusting to the tight knit community of Sion. Her experiences growing up, she said, helped her to learn how to empathize with and relate to the struggles of others. Ellwanger doesn’t want anyone to feel as though she’s judging them. She is constantly gravitating towards the people who are unique or different and who don’t always fit in. “I really like the idiosyncrasies of people,” Ellwanger said. “I think somebody who dances to the beat of their own drum, or the people who get looked at funny, those are the kind of people I’ll be drawn to.” For Ellwanger, it was through her experience traveling abroad where she encountered many types
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of people and learned to accept these people and their differences. After graduating from Iowa State University, Ellwanger embarked on a three-month journey through Europe, traveling to Spain, Italy, France and Switzerland with her husband, who was her boyfriend at the time. Initially, Ellwanger had difficulty adjusting to life in another country. “It took me a little while to get over the culture shock,” Ellwanger said. “At first you’re like ‘Wow, I’m just not in America.’ Then once you get your roots in, you’re okay.” Ellwanger says that the length of time she spent abroad helped her to get over her initial difficulties. Immersing herself in the culture and lifestyle of the vibrant locations she visited helped open her eyes to the ways of the world. She was able to meet people not only from the countries she visited, but from other countries as well. She is quick to assert that the feeling of adventure, mystery and romance that is stereotypical of many European destinations is legitimate. “[Paris] is like the city of romance. You get there and you feel it,” Ellwanger said. “It’s true what they say.” While Ellwanger enjoyed experiencing the excitement of these new destinations, there were times when getting lost in the process of exploration proved to be a bit too risky of an experience. Laughing, Ellwanger recalls an incident in which she and her friends were yelled at by locals while walking along a dark side street in Paris. Yet through both the good and bad aspects of her experience, Ellwanger came home with a new perception of herself and others. “I learned that I’m stronger than I thought, and that I can problem-solve and figure out things better than I thought. It takes a little bit of independence,” Ellwanger said. Fifteen years later, Ellwanger is continually finding ways to project the strength and confidence she found in herself overseas into the minds of her students back home. Sophomore Emma Warren says that what she likes about Ellwanger the most is that she is able to easily tune into what her students are feeling and knows exactly what to say to make
someone feel better. “She knows when something’s wrong; she can see it on your face,” Warren said. “She gives really good advice.” Ellwanger works tirelessly to advise the whole Sion community by spreading the message of positive self-image. Through her involvement in REbeL, she seeks to foster in girls the idea that the differences between their bodies and those of models should be accepted, loved and celebrated. Ellwanger can relate to what girls today are feeling, having shared some of the same experiences herself. “I’ve learned things from REbeL. I’ve probably spent most of my adolescence and adulthood hating my body too, not realizing that it’s okay to be who you are,” Ellwanger said. “We’re all women, we see all these images. I think I have gotten as much out of it as anybody else.” As a member of REbeL, junior Anna Lillis has seen firsthand how much passion Ellwanger brings into the organization. Lillis says that Ellwanger completely embodies the core values of REbeL, and always encourages others to do the same. “REbeL is all about loving your body, feeling good about yourself and having a lot of self confidence, and [Ellwanger] just throws out confidence,” Lillis said. “She’s so empowering, and she compliments everyone and makes them feel good about themselves.” Ellwanger enjoys seeing the messages of REbeL circulating among students because she says even the little changes are important. Her experiences of learning to celebrate the differences and similarities among other cultures have inspired her to help girls embrace the differences and similarities among themselves. “People have lots of threads of sameness, and lots of interesting threads of color and differences,” Ellwanger said. In many ways, it is Ellwanger herself who projects this color and happiness, and as she flashes a smile at the students she passes in the halls, she shines a little bit of her own light into the lives of those who may need it the most.
