Not long ago, these recent Augustana graduates were in the same place you are in now. Some chose Augie because they heard about the excellence of their major. Some had no idea what to major in, but heard the college was great. Maybe they weren’t thinking of the fact that 98% of Augie graduates report being employed full-time or in grad school within a year of graduation—but they just had a good feeling about the place. There is one thing they have in common: They have become so much more than they imagined. This will happen to you, too, when you choose Augustana. So choose boldly, and you’ll be on your brightest path.
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 ’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 senior qualitative associate at PSB, a research company in Seattle.
advantage Augustana advisors include a faculty mentor for for each student’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….”
natalie hardy ’20 Natalie uses what she learned at Augustana—even beyond her majors in philosophy and neuroscience—in the health care ethics Ph.D. program at Saint Louis University. She’s especially grateful for her ability to communicate well in writing and grad-level discussions, and in learning from people of diverse backgrounds.
health
Natalie used her Augie Choice $2,000 for a life-changing summer internship in medical ethics, taking advantage of Augustana’s connection with the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. “ Not only did it confirm my passion for ethics, but it really shaped the person I am today.”
happiness
“ I am excited to become a clinical ethicist or professor, working with patients, and doing everything I can to make the world a better place.”
intelligence Receiving the phone call for a job offer with ESPN was a peak of Megan’s senior year at Augustana— and another peak was her AI class, which she said “reminded me why I love my major so much.” Today she is in the same role as a software engineer in Bristol, Conn., but “technically” working on the games and social team for Disney (DMED).
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.”
k u m a i l h u s s a i n ’1 8 Kumail is a medical student at The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. He plans to become a medical doctor in orthopedic surgery.
good goals Kumail’s interests in health and fitness and his time as a track athlete at Augie fueled a desire to pursue a career in orthopedic medicine. He wants to help people, and he takes this further. “Not many people in the field look like me, have the same last name... and I want to change that.”
greater good Kumail found his voice for public speaking as a leader with the Student Government Association, Rho Nu Delta fraternity and Office of Student Life and Leadership. As a first-generation college graduate with a “passion for advocacy in the medical field,� he plans to use that voice. He is doing just that right now, using social media to help aspiring medical students overcome obstacles and get into med school.
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 Children’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.
resource
“ Through CORE I found so many professional development opportunities, including two summer internships and multiple occasions to network with Augie alumni. I learned how to leverage communication, professionalism and know-how to advocate for myself in a competitive job market— including during a pandemic.”
humans
Photographer: Steve Woltmann
Emily’s internship in human resources at Flexera led to a full-time job offer after graduation. Today she is a human resources coordinator at Mediafly, empowering the Chicago-based software company through its most valued resource: people.
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 From co-founding a Campus Kitchen at Augustana, to research at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, to a fellowship with a community-based nonprofit in Alabama, to her current job as a dermatological medical assistant—Ninna shines in her ability to do good for others.
We can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
good for you
“ 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.”
Photographer: Paul Collectti
How about you? For you, it begins with choosing Augustana. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do next.
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