'Find your group'

With support from fellow students, faculty and campus community members - new and transfer students of Heidelberg University's Class of 2026 were welcomed Thursday morning during the Opening Convocation ceremony in Seiberling Gym. The university welcomed 1,086 students back to campus this week, with 255 new and transfer students. Of the Class of 2026, 14 states are represented. Eleven percent of students are coming from Tiffin and Seneca County with 38% of them coming from out of state. In addition, 35% are first generation college students. During the ceremony, Tiffin Columbian High School biology teacher Chris Monsour, a 1999 graduate of Heidelberg, served as the keynote speaker. Monsour is an award-winning educator and world traveler who has adapted his passion for conservation into his classroom. After earning his degree in environmental biology, he received his master's degree in science education from Montana State University. During his 23 years as a biology teacher at Columbian, he has taught AP biology, anatomy and physiology, environmental science and oceanography, as well as classes in biology and environmental science at Heidelberg. But before all that, Monsour said it was his time and experiences at Heidelberg that got him where he is today. Monsour grew up in a single-parent home. While his father worked, he became good at being alone and resourceful. When coming to Heidelberg, he knew he wanted to save the world so he studied environmental science. Throughout this time he found the importance of belonging. "You have to find your group, the people who will have your back," he said. Monsour said he had a strong independent streak that resulted in him not wanting to ask for help. It was when a professor expressed that he needed to lose his loner mentality. With financial and academic struggles, Monsour graduated with his degree from Heidelberg, but did not have any plans after. Moving back home for a short time, he decided to come back to Tiffin where he relied on his Heidelberg contacts and friends. When one day the superintendent of Tiffin City Schools at the time offered him a job as a substitute teacher and from there, the rest is history. "I fell in love with teaching and I knew what I was doing was something important," he said. What he also teaches in his classes is failure. With his many accomplishments, there are failures right along with them. Monsour provided new and current students with six pieces of advice - To be gentle with yourself; Look for lessons because they are always there; Choose to stand for the truth; Be stubborn and fearless in the pursuit of your dreams; Talk to yourself like a best friend; and Take care of yourself. Throughout his teaching career, Chris has modeled how science is practiced, bringing some exceptional travel experiences back to his classroom. He spent a month on a research vessel in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument with NOAA as the Teacher at Sea and has traveled the world with Earth Expeditions, an organization that engages people with grassroots conservation and sustainability projects. In 2015, Chris was awarded the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. In 2020, he received the Kim Foglia AP Biology Service Award from The National Association of Biology Teachers which recognizes an AP Biology teacher who displays a willingness to share materials, serves as a mentor to both students and professional colleagues and creates an innovative and student-centered classroom environment.