Allyn Lueders, an associate professor of the Communication Arts Department at Wayne State College, always dreamed of teaching since she was a kid. Now, she aims to help leave lasting impressions on her students. She accomplishes this by relating her lessons to the students’ daily lives and showing how the students could use what they learn in their future careers.

“I was born in Tree Port, Louisiana and lived there till I was six,” Lueders said. “I then moved to Dallas, Texas with my family until I was 10. Next we moved to Papillion, Nebraska.”

She has moved about six times in her life so far, and each move has brought new opportunities and challenges.

“I have enjoyed all the moves,” Lueders said. “The move from Dallas, Texas to Papillion, Nebraska was the hardest because I was in fifth grade and had a major southern accent, and thought I would never make any friends ever again. I wanted to get rid of it [the accent] as fast as I could. It got better the next year in sixth grade because I started making friends and I had lost most of my southern accent. Now I kind of miss my southern accent.”

After graduating from PapillionLaVista High School in 2003, Lueders went on to college and earned her Bachelor of Arts in 2007 at Wesleyan. She got her Master of Arts in 2009 at Saint Louis University, before finally earning her Doctorate of Philosophy in 2013 at the University of Kansas.

“I took the first job I could get which was in Marshall, Texas,” Lueders said.

The drive from Marshall, Texas to Papillion, Nebraska would take about 11 hours and 10 minutes. Lueders understood this, and felt accepting a job in Wayne was the best solution.

“It was a long drive to get back home to Papillion for the holidays, so my mother-in-law found the job here at Wayne for me so that my husband and I would be closer to family,” Lueders said.

The ratio at Wayne State College was 15:1. This made classes smaller and more personal, which suited Lueders’ focus on the students.

“I really like living in Wayne, Nebraska and I enjoy teaching at Wayne State College,” Lueders said. “My favorite part is being able to connect with students and getting to know them, and also with other professors.”

Paige Schlachter, a student in Lueders’ class, felt like she learned something new with every class.

“I like Lueders as a professor because she has a fun personality and a great teaching style,” Schlachter said.

Lueders’ efforts show that she strives to leave lasting impressions on her students.