Make it happen for you 2020 by Augustana College

MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR

YOU

In these pages you’ll see Augustana graduates from the last couple of years. Not long ago, they were right where you are now. Some came because they’d heard about the quality of the major they wanted. Some had no idea what to major in, but just had a feeling about the place. What do they all have in common? They have become so much more than they had imagined five years earlier. Augustana made it happen for them, and will make it happen for you, too.

President Steve Bahls

After interning for CBS national news and working for WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities as a student, Ryan now reports for NBC affiliate TMJ4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

r y a n j e n k i n s ’1 8

connections “ When you’re working with a faculty member who cares about you, who listens to you, who you feel really understands what you want to become…. That’s a unique experience I wouldn’t trade anything for.”

career Ryan used his Augie Choice $2,000 for an internship with CBS News in New York City. He began his job with ABC affiliate WQAD-TV while finishing his degree. Those opportunities and the one-on-one focus of faculty made a difference.

success “ I wanted to be great and succeed at many things…. I also knew I learned best in a small classroom environment with one-on-one faculty interaction. Augustana is the perfect place to find both of those qualities.”

c l a i r e h e r d e g e n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;1 8 Claire had four internships, studied in Spain and Norway, toured Europe with the Augustana Choir and performed in China with the Chamber Singers. She learned Spanish, drove dogsleds and saw the northern lights. Today she is a senior accountant with Aon Service Corporation in Chicago.

a l l a n d a l y ’1 8 Allan’s combination of majors in Classics and mathematics earned him a prized internship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, which led him to decide to pursue health care research. He completed a master’s at The Dartmouth Institute at Dartmouth College, and today he is a

Photographer: Anett Elek

biostatistician at Tufts Medical Center.

cool “ I do not know if my Classics major made me stick out when I applied at Dartmouth. I’m sure it caught some people’s attention. But it did make me stick out when I applied for the Texas Medical Summer Research Internship Program at Augustana, which was a major selling point when I applied to grad school.”

classic “ I used my Augie Choice on a study-away trip where I got to travel around Greece for three weeks. The beauty of antiquity is breathless.”

Rob Strong Photography

j e s s i c a l e c h t e n b e r g ’1 9 “ In fall of my senior year, I connected with an Augustana grad and asked her to be my mentor. She pushed me to develop as a professional and motivated me to apply for jobs I would never have looked at, otherwise.”

achievement

Photographer: Anastasia Bihdan

Now she is a qualitative researcher at PSB, a social science research company in Seattle.

advantage Augustana advisors include a faculty mentor for for each studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major and minor, career coaches in CORE, mentors for student-athletes, and so many more. Jessica, too, was a peer mentor in the Reading/Writing Center.

j o e f l y n n ’1 9

professional

Today Joe is a production assistant for NBC Universal’s “Chicago Fire.”

Joe broke into the film industry with experience and confidence after working with Fresh Films, a film studio based at Augustana. He had both the technical and the “soft” skills—communication, networking and knowledge of the industry. Adding a Photographer: Chris Vukasin

minor in entertainment & media to his

personal

“ Studying abroad was the most meaningful, challenging, influential and rewarding period of my life. I had the opportunity to teach 4th grade in Ghana, and continued to study art and design as we traveled from Ghana to Morocco and Senegal.”

business major, he learned about music video production, screenwriting, lighting and sound design, and more about that all-important networking.

“ Slough Fest is one of the most anticipated events of the year for Augustana students. Having the opportunity to play up on that stage made it a night I will never forget.”

z h i q i n g ( j a n i c e ) w u ’1 8 How did Janice land a job at Microsoft? Skills, experience, confidence and an amazing portfolio—including her prize-winning plan for the Rogers Business Plan Competition, and marketing plans she created in the Advertising Developers club in Augustana’s CORE.

above

Janice and her team’s winning idea, which started as “scribbles” on paper, turned into a comprehensive 35-page business plan.

beyond “ There are many things that make Augustana memorable, ranging from the beautiful campus to its diverse students. But what sticks out the most are my relationships with professors. They were, and still are, so willing to go above

Photographer: Eddy Atinda

and beyond….”

life Twice in four years, Dylan helped lead the Vikings to the Division III Men’s Basketball National Championships.

lessons

“ This whole four years has been an incredible learning experience. I obviously learned a lot in school, but the lessons about life that basketball taught me will ultimately determine how the rest of my life plays out.”

d y l a n s o r t i l l o ’1 8 Dylan learned what it’s like behind the scenes with a sports organization during his internship with Quad Cities River Bandits minor league baseball. Today he works in marketing and sales for the Arizona Diamondbacks—according to Forbes magazine, the best professional sports organization to work for in America.

Dana Gibbons Photography

intelligence Today Megan is a software engineer at ESPN Technology in Bristol, Conn. Receiving the phone call with that offer was one peak of her Augustana career—and the other was her AI class, which “reminded me why I love my major so much.”

m e g a n j a n s s e n ’1 8 When Megan told her Augustana mentor she was interested in knowing more about cyber security, he volunteered his time to lead a small independent study group with her and a few other computer science students.

Lindsay Vigue Photography

He also recommended that she apply for a scholarship to go to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, where she made the contacts that led to a job offer from ESPN.

emotion

“ It is such a rewarding feeling to know that all of your hard work has paid off.”

e r i c h u i z i n g a ’1 9 Eric’s internship with History Colorado in Denver was a “tremendous professional experience in a beautiful city,” and showed him a future path. After graduating in French and history, he moved to France to teach English for a year. Next he’ll pursue a master’s in French and business.

“ The people I met at Augustana helped me find my interests and shaped who I have become. I did not know what to expect when I first arrived on campus, but I can now confidently say I am in a great position for the future that I am working toward.”

future

Eric loves the “problem-solving and critical thinking aspects” of entrepreneurship, especially related to environmental sustainability. He plans to create and run his own business one day.

Photographer: Haley Ruch

history

a n n a d i s p e n s a ’1 8 Anna knew Augustana’s teacher education program was the one for her. But she never imagined she could study abroad and still graduate in four years— “an opportunity that many other schools did not offer education majors.”

global “ I used my Augie Choice to intern at the Alpha Primary School in Kingston, Jamaica, with Dr. Egan and about 20 of my peers. I also worked with the students! This opportunity allowed me to challenge my ideas about the traditional American schooling system and embrace new ideas….”

Along with her internship in Jamaica, Anna also interned at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital School in London, and the Starlight Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation in Sydney, Australia. Today she teaches first-graders at DuJardin Elementary School in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

Photographer: Paul Collectti

l e o n g u y e n ’1 8 Leo came to Augustana from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Today he is in Washington, D.C., working as a digital communications associate at the Coalition on Human Needs.

local

“ I used my Augie Choice to intern at the Congressional Campaign for Representative Cheri Bustos in Rock Island. This served as a stepping stone for me to gain professional political experience that helped distinguish my résumé from others.”

e m i l y g r a z i a n o ’1 9

In high school, Emily wondered about the “warm and fuzzy” feeling people were supposed to get when they stepped on THE campus for them. Not until she visited Augustana did she know exactly what that was. Simply being here made her happy.

team “ In high school, I would work independently if I had the opportunity... Now I fully understand the value of a team. I am always looking to learn from others, and I revel in opportunities to make mistakes and become that much stronger. It is never easy to do this, but with amazing people by my side, I have learned a lot.”

leader

Photographer: Steve Woltmann

Emily’s internship in human resources at Flexera led to a full-time job offer as the company’s employee engagement specialist.

m i k e p o w e r s ’1 9 Mike is one of 176 student-athletes, so far, who have made Augustana #1 in our conference and #10 in the nation for number of Academic All-Americans. After completing a master’s in accounting at The Ohio State University and the CPA, he’ll move on to a prosperous career at

Photographer: Jodi Miller

PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago.

power

potential

“ I chose Augustana because of its reputation as having an impressive baseball program and its prestigious academic standing.”

“ I still remember standing in front of the poster on the fourth-floor hallway of the Center for Student Life in amazement at how many Academic All-Americans Augustana had produced— but never thought I had the potential to be one of them.”

n i n n a m e n d o z a ’1 8

good in the world Ninna’s belief and ability in doing good for others has taken her from co-founding a Campus Kitchen at Augustana, to research at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, to her current fellowship with Project Horseshoe Farm, a community health non-profit in Alabama.

Photographer: Paul Collectti

â&#x20AC;&#x153; I actually first visited on my birthday and let me say, it was a wonderful way to spend the day. I was amazed at how warm and welcoming everyone was.... and of course, the gorgeous campus was an added bonus.â&#x20AC;?

639 38TH STREET

ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS

AUGUSTANA.EDU