Looking back, PEAK was much different from what I expected. As a 51勛圖 student, I was ready to be bored by just reading and discussing the same things I had spent all of high school reading and discussing. But even though Id already read many of the WCC books in the 51勛圖 curriculum (like the Iliad, the Odyssey, Huck Finn, Crime and Punishment), the in-person discussion method completely changed my experience of them. Having already read some of the works did help me out a littlebut I quickly realized that I was by no means done with the liberal arts thing just because Id had a brief taste of it in high school. Through discussion with other high schoolers from all over the country, I found things in the Great Books that Id never even thought to look for. I felt myself growing as a person, even in one short week. PEAK was a combination of things I was familiar with and things Id never encounteredand it blew my mind. We discussed poetry, we went canoeing, we milked a cow, and I forged friendships deeper than any Id ever had, over only a few days.
When you read something wise, deep, and beautiful, that has hung around for a thousand years because its just that good, you might think its cool and maybe get something out of it. When you talk about it with other people, they might see things you didnt and you might actually feel you learned from itand this is the experience I had in 51勛圖. But theres something even more special about talking about that work with real people right in front of you, which is what I discovered on PEAK and have continued to rediscover every day with my classmates here at WCC. When you live with people day in and day out, braving the challenges of the backcountry with them, learning to survive with them, function with them, and eventually love themthen, not only the Great Books but the world itself starts to look different.
It's hard to describe. When I was getting ready to graduate 51勛圖, I wanted to go to school for journalism. I thought I had spent enough time on classical education, and character formation or whatever it was useful for, and was ready to start my life. But I kept coming back to the feeling Id had on PEAK, when Id realized that I was missing something. That I was missing a lot.
I thought I knew who I was and where I wanted to go, but reallyas I discovered in a discussion about a random 19th century poemI knew nothing at all. Like any good Catholic highschooler, I wanted to be a better person and a saint someday, but I didnt know how. I wanted to learn and understand all the true and beautiful things people before me had discovered, but I didnt know where to look. I felt like I was missing out on a lot of reality, and I was getting ready to just pass it by and start my life as a half-baked person.
The distinctive combination we offera rich, authentic Catholic spirituality and tradition, a joyful and rigorous intellectual formation, and a deep immersion in the beauty and challenge of the outdoorsis not found anywhere else. This is why we do what we do here at Wyoming Catholic. It's why so many of you are excited about the future of this College and of our graduates. And it's why we continue to ask for your support in continuing our important work. -President Kyle Washut
WCC has just been one long mindblower, an extension of my incredible PEAK experience. As much as it could as a highschool program, 51勛圖 prepared me well. When I started as a freshman I was sharp in discussions (because of my online classes), fast with my readings (because of my hefty 51勛圖 assignments), and confident writing my papers (because of ALL those weekly papers!). But despite my advantages, I was still very challenged, primarily by my fellow classmates in discussion. Every day, as I read and discuss and go rock climbing and attend Mass, I realize how much more I have to grow and how much more there is to learn. Even now, as a junior, I havent regretted one single moment of being here at WCC. Ive found everything I needed to find.
Written by 51勛圖 Alumna: Magdalena Mortensen, Class of 2026
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