Verdier 2012

A Celebration of the Covenant Awards

Verdier 2012

Message from the Dean of Students

A

t Augustana, we often say that our students enter to learn and leave to serve. Here, they come to understand that in order to create an even better tomorrow, they must do all they can to support, nurture and help develop ideas and communities today. From serving at the local food pantry to forging new pathways in science, our students are the ones who illustrate this idea and push the words far beyond just a great talking point. Our students live out the core values of this institution each and every day.

As faculty and administrators, we often talk about how lucky we are, indeed, to be surrounded by these curious, energetic and innovative young people who remind us, always, that the future will be written by what we do today.

The Augustana College Covenant was created during the 2000-2001 academic year by students to more clearly define the shared values and to provide an understanding of the rights and responsibilities that accompany membership in the Augustana College community – specifically, the responsibility to exemplify the College’s five core values: Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service.

The following year, the first Covenant Awards were presented.

Verdier (Norwegian for values or moral principals) is designed to be an annual event that celebrates the morals and ethics that have guided Augustana since 1860. This year, in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Covenant Awards, Verdier has featured a series of events including panel discussions, a quiz bowl, all-campus photo and outreach initiatives for active and veteran members of the armed forces.

Since 2002, hundreds of Augustana students have been recognized as Covenant Award nominees and recipients. As we caught up with past Covenant Award recipients, we learned they have continued to rely on the moral compass their Augustana experience helped shape to chart their life’s course. They continue to support their communities, reach out to those in need, provide ministry, pursue excellence and celebrate the liberal arts.

This week, and tonight, we honor our students – current and former – who are doing all they can to eliminate borders, promote inclusion, drive change and live as servants of Christ.

Thank you for joining us for this very special evening! And thank you for all you do to support our students as they navigate the journey we call life.

Yours, for Augustana, Dr. Jim Bies Dean of Students

Verdier 2012 Music: Music provided for your entertainment by Chris Borchardt, saxophone; Corey Meyer, drums; Andrew Paulson, piano; and Matt Garred, bass.

Welcome: Dr. Jim Bies, Dean of Students Presentation of the 2012 Covenant Awards The Covenant Award for Christian Faith: Christian faith is not static, but seeks to grow.

The individuals we recognize tonight have grown and have sought to grow in their faith while at Augustana.

St. Anselm wrote of “Faith seeking understanding.”

Augustana is a community that values conversations about Christian faith that are serious and respectful, and seek understanding. The individuals we recognize tonight have fostered dialogue at Augustana and around the globe and have helped others grow in their faith or understanding of their faith. These individuals have integrated life and faith and their Christian faith has shaped their plans for the future.

The Covenant Award for Liberal Arts: The individuals we recognize tonight have demonstrated a love of learning for its own sake. They have acknowledged or forged connections between academic disciplines, connected their curricular interests with their co-curricular interests and have successfully related their studies to important issues of human existence.

Their commitment to the liberal arts has shaped their plans for the future.

Music: Faculty Bluegrass Band, featuring Dr. Craig Spencer (Biology), Dr. Jeffrey Miller (English), Dr. Joel Johnson (Government and International Affairs), Dr. Matt Johnson (Education) and Dr. Scott Johnson (Music).

The Covenant Award for Excellence: The individuals we recognize tonight have illustrated their responsibility to commit themselves to high standards. Time and time again, they have demonstrated personal integrity, self-discipline and selfimprovement and, at the same time, have inspired excellence in others. Their commitment to excellence has shaped their plans for the future.

The Covenant Award for Community: Respect for others is a pillar of communities. The individuals we recognize tonight have demonstrated and fostered respect for others. They are characterized as leaders who have made a mark on the community and through their work on campus, they will leave a legacy at Augustana. Their commitment to community has shaped their plans for the future.

Music: Callie Berg, Harp.

The Covenant Award for Service: The individuals we recognize tonight have demonstrated a consistent commitment to service on campus and in the broader community.“Let us spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” These individuals have“spurred others on” in service, most often quietly and without fanfare. Their commitment to service has shaped their plans for the future.

Reception We invite you to join us in the Gathering Area for dessert and fellowship following the program.

Nominees for the 2012 Covenant Award for Christian Faith

Daniel Bock ‘12 Arvada, Colo.

Religion Parents: Nancy & Ronald Bock

Chelsie Gransee ‘12 Sanborn, Minn.

English & Psychology Parents: Gloria & Dennis Gransee

Melissa Nelson ‘13 Bismarck, N.D. Nursing Parents: Nancy & Rev. Keith Nelson

Jared Soundy ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. Computer Science Parents: Elizabeth & Timothy Soundy

Nominees for the 2012 Covenant Award for Liberal Arts

Jacob Bury ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D., History & Secondary Education Parents: Sonia Gaarder Bury & Randy Bury

Cody Lensing ‘12 Mounds View, Minn.

Biochemistry & Philosophy Parents: Rosemary & Merl Lensing

Rebekah Walker ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. English & History Parents: Karen & Jonathan Walker

Erika Zetterlund ‘13 St. Cloud, Minn.

Physics & Religion Parents: Judy & Allen Zetterlund

Hannah Miller ‘12 Mankato, Minn.

Elementary Education Parents: Jodie & Tim Miller

Casey Ortbahn ‘12 Pierre, S.D. Biology Parents: Rena & David Ortbahn

LeAnn Severson ‘12 Brandon, S.D. Mathematics, Spanish, & Education (K-12) Parent: Doug Severson

Nominees for the 2012 Covenant Award for Excellence

Tyler Coverdale ‘12 Pierre, S.D. Government/ International Affairs & Philosophy Parents: Dee Mommenga & Rob Coverdale

Jared Drenkow ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. Chemistry Parents: Lisa & Dan Drenkow

Margaret Koenig ‘12 Fairfax, S.D. Philosophy Parents: Mary & Anthony Koenig

Brigett Lathrop ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. History & Secondary Education Parent: Colleen Lathrop

Meredith Reynolds ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. French & Biology Parents: Peggy & William Reynolds

Hannah Rogers ‘12 Plymouth, Minn.

Physics, Mathematics & Chemistry Parents: Ann & Stephen Rogers

Kristina Roth ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. Biology, Accounting & Business Administration Parent: Sherry Roth

Katelyn Timmons ‘12 Overland Park, Kan. Chemistry & Spanish, Parents: Ann & Robert Timmons

Derek True ‘12 Fairmont, Minn.

Government/ International Affairs, Economics & Psychology Parents: Ruth & Rob True

Ashley Weber ‘12 Cold Spring, Minn.

Biology & Spanish Parents: Barbara & Alan Weber

Nominees for the 2012 Covenant Award for Community

Jacob Bury ‘12 Sioux Falls, S.D. History & Secondary Education Parents: Sonia Gaarder Bury & Randy Bury

Jackie Miles ‘12 Tea, S.D. Biology Parents: Cynthia & Arthur Miles

Heidi Nelson ‘12 Custer, S.D. Biology Parents: Jennifer & Thomas Nelson

Thad Titze ‘13 Watertown, S.D. Government/ International Affairs Parents: Nancy & Blair Titze

Sawyer Vanden Heuvel ‘12 Rock Rapids, Iowa Business Administration Parents: Shari & Greg Vanden Heuvel

David Stadem ‘12 Blomkest, Minn.

Chemistry Parents: Kari & Peter Stadem

Nominees for the 2012 Covenant Award for Service

Matthew Cook ‘12 Adrian, Minn.

Theatre Parents: Karen & Ben Cook

Laura Goemann ‘12 Wells, Minn.

Biology Parents: Julie & Rick Goemann

Kimberly Homan ‘13 Marshall, Minn.

Communication Disorders Parents: Catherine & Richard Homan

Hannah Miller ‘12 Mankato, Minn.

Elementary Education, Parents: Jodie & Tim Miller

Where Are They

NOW? Catching up with past Covenant Award Recipients

Geoff Wetrosky ‘02, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2002 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. When I graduated from Augustana in May of 2002, I took what I thought was a temporary, six-month detour into politics working on Senator Tim Johnson’s re-election campaign before I was to attend graduate school. As a native South Dakotan who has always been interested in politics, I initially sought a position on the Johnson campaign so I could do my part to help re-elect someone who has done a lot of good for my state. When we won by the slimmest of margins (524 votes out of 334,430 total votes cast), I was bitten by the political bug, so to speak. Ten years later, I serve as senior political analyst for the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., after working on presidential, gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, legislative, and municipal campaigns in a variety of states, including Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. It’s hard to pinpoint one professional accomplishment that rises above all others.

Sometimes I think simply staying involved in spite of the gridlock and partisan bickering that unfortunately define our current political environment is an accomplishment. I wasn’t raised in a political family and I wasn’t told

when I turned 18 that I had to register in one party or the other. But I knew then and I know now that we should all do something to make opportunity available to all and give everyone a fair shot at making a better life.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. My work has required me to travel a great deal and live in a variety of places, which appeals to the explorer within me. When I was a few years out of college, I realized I was well on my way to seeing every corner of the country because of my work. So I set a goal to visit all 50 states before I turned 30. I achieved that goal with a trip to Alaska and then Hawaii just a few weeks before my 30th birthday.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I knew Augustana was a special place during my four years as a student, but my appreciation for the place, the institution, and most importantly, the community has only grown since I graduated. Most people I have encountered in my professional life went to larger or better known colleges and universities. More often than not, I’m the first South Dakotan they’ve ever met and they’ve rarely heard of Augustana. When asked, I often describe it as a small, close-knit Lutheran liberal arts college,

well-regarded for its academic program and its commitment to service. In other words, I use the college’s five core values to describe it to others. Augustana knows what it stands for and through education and practical application, it ensures members of its community learn and live those values even after they’ve left campus. Not every institution of higher education can say this and that, I believe, is a big part of what makes Augustana so special.

Kristin (Barnett) Lewis ‘03, Covenant Award for Community, 2002 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduating from Augie I worked in Minnesota as a community organizer with the Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota.

possible by staying up throughout the night, making food, doing laundry, and even putting a shower into the church so the women have a place to shower during the week.

I loved this work but soon discerned that I was truly passionate about connecting the church to the community it is called to serve. I went on to receive a Masters of Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and was consecrated as a Deaconess through the Lutheran Deaconess Association.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. The greatest joy in my life is my family.

I married Jeff Lewis on Oct. 21, 2006, and moved to Valparaiso, Ind., where he is from and works as an architect.

I now serve as the Deaconess at Trinity Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, Ind. Through my work I get to walk alongside children, youth, and adults on their faith journeys; lead youth ministry mission trips and retreats; and help the congregation serve the community we are a part of. One of the areas that I am most passionate about has been helping to open our doors to the women’s homeless shelter that takes place in area churches and we host on Saturday nights. It is powerful to see churches coming together and to see so many people from our congregation willing to help make it

On June 14, 2010, we welcomed our son, Parker William Lewis, into the world. The joy of watching this human life grow, develop a personality, and explore the world has been incredible.

I hope that as he grows and hopefully becomes an Augie Viking, he will live a life that exemplifies the values of Christianity, Community, Service, Liberal Arts, and Excellence. I also hope that as these values have shaped my life, I can be a parent that models such values for Parker.

Through my daily life I see moments where these values come crashing together and I am thankful for the education and shaping I received at Augie.

Rev. Jen Rude ‘02, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2002 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I was ordained in November of 2007 and currently serve as Youth Outreach Coordinator at The Night Ministry, an interfaith nonprofit in Chicago. At The Night Ministry, I work with youth and young adults (ages 13-25) who are experiencing homelessness and/or are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, through outreach, providing access to basic needs, adventure therapy, spiritual care, and leadership development. I also train and supervise individual and group volunteers in our programs, as well as a variety of graduate level interns.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My partner Deb Derylak and I live in Chicago, in the Edgewater neighborhood, a few blocks from Lake Michigan.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. The program I am most excited about in my work at The Night Ministry is our Youth Leadership Group (named “Youth Parliament” by the young people). I co-created and support this team of young adults that meets weekly for leadership development and team building and also serves as young adult support for our various outreach programs. Most of the young people who are part of this team are experiencing homelessness or struggling with housing instability. Despite many challenges, they also bring to this group a wealth of creativity, resilience, resourcefulness, passion, and compassion. Young adults who have been a part of this program have benefitted from op-

portunities in workshop development, public speaking, working with volunteers, program development, spiritual exploration, and peer mentoring. We’ve seen confidence build and these young adults are constantly stepping up to creatively meet new challenges and positively engage in their community. Several youth who have been members of this group are currently in community college; others are employed part time, full time or engaged in internships; and many have been supported in finding stable housing. These young adult leaders have also helped expand and deepen programming at The Night Ministry and in the community.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. A whole mixture of people and things gives me satisfaction. My friends and family keep me rooted and growing. I enjoy trying new things (like taking a painting class or learning the trapeze and silks) to keep me exploring – it’s good to always be a “beginner” in at least a few things. My partner Deb and I love to cook and have people over for dinner parties.

I enjoy sewing and other crafts. Mostly, I feel gratitude for the opportunity to be and enjoy doing my best to honor that gift.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. One of the greatest things I learned at Augustana, through the core values and through my experiences in the Augie community, is balance. The core values of Christian, excel-

lence, service, community and liberal arts serve as a balancing act of priorities; woven together they create and support something beautiful. But when they are out of balance, one or the other can easily become too big or too small. I learned about balance at Augie because there I was encouraged to be my whole self, not just parts of it. The core values exemplify this wholeness for me – we all are many things and our values work together for strength. The core values also help me to look outside myself. They necessarily are part of something larger and in my life that belonging to something larger than myself serves to orient me, deepen my faith, and keep perspective.

Janet (Eisfeld) Caven ‘03, Covenant Award for Service, 2003 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Currently I am working part-time at both Metro Deaf School as Parent Education Coordinator and at the University of Minnesota teaching American Sign Language. (The rest of my time is spent being a mom.)

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My husband John and I have one son, Luke Jeremiah. He was born April 19, 2011. Luke is a blessing and adds a whole new dimension to our family.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. It would have to be earning my Master’s degree in ASL/English Bilingual Education from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Living in Washington, D.C., was an amazing experience: being in the midst of our nation’s capital as well as immersed in the Deaf community at Gallaudet. Not only did I experience the academics, but I was also influenced by the ongoing movement of Deaf culture and challenged by powerful leaders in the field of Deaf education.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. God has blessed me with such a joy-filled life amidst all the challenges, so the greatest personal satisfaction is seeking His will for my life and my family’s lives. God continues to teach me that life is most satisfying when my eyes are focused on Him, my efforts are invested in serving others and to find joy even in “everyday” happenings.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. When I first set foot on Augustana’s campus at 18 years old, my mind, heart and body were ready to be challenged and molded. God brought me there to invest my time and talent; Augustana provided the opportunities for growth and development. Augustana’s core values are centered on Christ and encourage a person to be well-rounded. Those values continue to be my focus today as my family grows and career advances. When a person works hard, gets involved in areas she or he is passionate about and serves others with

respect, truth and grace, life has a depth that is built on the strong foundation Augustana’s core values provide.

Kylene Guse ‘03, Covenant Award for Community, 2003 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I work as a program development specialist, designing program health interventions mainly in the area of sexual and reproductive health. I have done consulting work for organizations such as Instituto Promundo, CARE International, at the University of Chicago’s Section of Family Planning. Currently, I am working on a project with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) to adapt a curriculum and design workshops using a gender transformative approach for both adults and youth.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I am a proud dog mom of a maltese mix named Mr. Petey.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Upon graduating with an M.A. degree in Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, I received a Fulbright Scholarship to study gender and sexuality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This scholarship allowed me to design my own photo-voice project with youth living in Maré, one of the toughest favelas run by drug traffickers in the Rio de Janeiro metro-

politan area. With support from Promundo, an international NGO working to promote gender equality, I worked with eight youths from Maré to explore issues of gender, sexuality and human rights expressing these issues mainly through photography.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. The thought of positively affecting and brightening at least one person’s life in some way gives me the utmost personal satisfaction. Last year, I designed a digital storytelling workshop to assess what youth living on Chicago’s South Side want and need in a technology-based sexuality education program for the Section of Family Planning at the University of Chicago. I got to work with amazing youth by teaching a health class at the University of Chicago Woodlawn charter school. A couple of days ago, I received an email from one of the students that was in both my class and the digital storytelling workshop. It simply read, “Hey Ms. Kylene, I wanted to check up on you and see how you are doing ... I miss you sooooooo much.” I was incredibly touched.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values have taught me to always follow my heart – and follow it with the utmost respect and integrity. When life seems incredibly challenging or unjust, I always remember that I have been blessed with the tools I need to meet these challenges and injustices head-on, contributing to a more peaceful world.

Jackie Pogue ‘03, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2003 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After Augustana, I received a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. I was intending on becoming a religion professor, and decided to work for a while before pursuing doctoral work. I worked for one year in Chicago doing direct care in a residential treatment center for adolescent girls who were wards of the state. After that I worked for four years as an employment specialist at Thresholds, a psychiatric rehabilitation agency in Chicago, where I helped adults with serious mental illnesses find and keep jobs in the community using an evidence-based model of supported employment. During that time I became less interested in becoming a professor and more focused on living out my values through this social justice-oriented, gratifying, and challenging work. Almost a year and a half ago, my partner, Marguerite, and I moved to Berkeley, Calif., and now I am working for Alameda County (the Eastern part of the Bay Area). I work as a Supported Employment Trainer and I help programs and agencies implement employment services into their mental health programs. I love it! Ironically, I was planning on being a social work major when I started college, but changed my mind. Circuitously, here I am working in social services 13 years later.

and criminal records find and keep jobs in the Chicago area. It was right in the midst of the recession and jobs for anyone were hard to come by. I was able to help a lot of folks with their employment goals, and I’m happy that I was able to successfully help them get a leg back up in society through working. It was really hard work for me and it deepened my passion for working with people who are marginalized for various reasons, particularly because of mental illness and criminal justice involvement.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I worked on a research project through Dartmouth College for two years where I helped adults with serious mental illnesses

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I honestly feel like Augie’s core values are woven into the fabric of my life. While I was not that cognizant about this while in college,

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My partner, Marguerite McDermott, and I have been together for almost five years.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. I derive my greatest personal satisfaction through connectedness to other people, particularly my partner Marguerite, my family, and friends near and far-flung. This is a testament to extroversion but also to a strong desire to create and sustain community. I met an old friend from Augustana last night in San Francisco who now lives in London, and recently hosted a Paint-by-Number craft party for new friends in California.

I see more and more how these values play out in my life now and how I hold them more dearly. I’ve changed quite a bit in my selfunderstanding since college, but I hold fast to creating and supporting community in my life, living out my faith, serving my loved ones and people who are marginalized, and holding myself to high standards of excellence in my work and life. I cultivate a wide variety of interests – politics, flea markets, religion, travel, human service, tiki bars, nature, embroidery, criminal justice reform – that were encouraged in a liberal arts curriculum and have continued into adulthood.

Keith Hartman ‘03, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2003 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I’m currently a Project Leader at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). I reside in the Washington, D.C., area with my wife, Cristina, and our 8-month-old daughter, Victoria. Prior to joining BCG, I was a Molecular Imaging Fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine designing new tools for early cancer detection through targeted medical imaging approaches. Upon graduating from Augustana, I earned my Ph.D. in chemistry from Rice University with a thesis entitled “Ultra-short Carbon Nanotubes as Nanocapsules for Medical Imaging and Therapy.”

the greatest challenges in the health care and federal government sectors. One of my favorite professional accomplishments is being a part of a team that fundamentally re-organized one of the oldest and largest federal government agencies, resulting in better service and performance for every American.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. I’m most proud of being a loving husband and father and I look forward to teaching my daughter the core values that were honed in me while at Augustana.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. As a strategy consultant, I focus on solving

Matthew Grandbois ‘04, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2003 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduating from Augustana, I attended the University of Minnesota and, under the advising of Prof. Kris McNeill, obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2009. My Ph.D. thesis detailed several environmentally relevant degradation processes, the effect of microheterogeneous nanodomains present throughout aqueous ecosystems, and their role in producing transient, photochemically-produced intermediates. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, I immediately began working for the Dow Chemical Company within their Core R&D organization as a senior chemist. In that role, I am part of their Engineering & Process Science team that focuses on the difficulties associated with technology scale-up and the transition from discovery to production.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. To date, my greatest professional accomplishment was my selection as a Fulbright Scholar to Norway in 2008. Kathryn and I traveled to Trondheim, where we lived for nine months as I attended the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (NTNU) as a member of their International Master’s Program in Globalization. This experience allowed me to interact with other young adults from across the globe as we studied modern economic history, international political economy, socioeconomic development, innovation generation, and the overall philosophy of globalization. I also conducted independent research aimed at understanding the symbiotic relationship between technology and cultures. This has been greatest accomplish-

ment to date due to my identification and motivated acquisition of an experience that is critical to my ongoing development as a societally conscious scientist. As the only “scientist” within that program, I communicated and gained the respect of my international peers as we discussed persistent issues that humanity will continue to experience as we grow and develop as a global society.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I am married to Kathryn (Waltner) Grandbois ’06, and we live in Midland, Mich., with our boxer puppy, Duke. We are expecting our first child in May 2012.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. My greatest personal satisfaction comes from identifying challenges and overcoming them through passionate determination and skill. This is one of the reasons why I chose to obtain my advanced degree in chemistry and to begin my career within Core R&D with one of the largest chemical companies in the world. Knowledge of the physical world is a great way to utilize creativity on a molecular level, but adapting and utilizing effective technologies is the only way to provide sustainable solutions to many of the world’s most challenging problems. I am challenged with technical hurdles on a daily basis and the delivery of successful strategies and innovations that are based on sound scientific principles to address those challenges is an exhilarating feeling.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values highlight the standard to which every individual should hold themselves accountable: maturation and tolerance of faith, embrace of lifelong education, care and respect for your neighbor, dedication of time and thought for society, and the integrity to commit the highest level of effort you are personally able to achieve in order to stay true to these values. It is difficult, and I have failed numerous times, but I continually pick myself up and learn from my failures as a way to better myself and help others. I will never stop trying, and that is how I use Augustana’s core values as my own.

Daniel Breuer ‘04, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2004 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Since graduating from Augustana I have been employed by the Netherlands Reformed Christian School in Rock Valley, Iowa. I began teaching along with working with the principal and transitioned to being the principal of the school of just under 400 students beginning in the 2011-2012 school year.

being a new teacher and assistant principal is my greatest professional accomplishment.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My wife, Ali, is an Augustana graduate and we have two girls, Jenaya (3) and Brynna (3 mos.).

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I was blessed to transition from Augustana to a K-12 school setting that holds to many of the same core values as Augustana. I do often think of Augustana as setting a high standard for the values of service and community.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Being able to move on past my first year of

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. My marriage and the birth of my two daughters.

Lindsey Hibma ‘04, Covenant Award for Service, 2004 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After teaching for four years in Sioux Falls at Children’s Home Society and Roosevelt High School, I moved to Wasilla, Alaska, where I am in my fourth year as a special education teacher at Wasilla High School. I teach students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities. I also serve as the worship leader at my church.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. In my eight years of teaching, I’ve been asked to mentor a new teacher three of those years. In each situation, I was chosen over other veteran teachers, with much more experience than I. I attribute this to the quality Education Department at Augustana College and the countless hours we spend in various Sioux Falls classrooms before we even get our student teaching assignments. We are ready for the changing world and empowered by the tremendous professors and faculty the moment we walk out the door.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I am engaged to marry Reuben Wyatt on June 1, 2012, in Palmer, Alaska.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. I consider the fact that I packed up my things and moved to Alaska on my own a pretty big deal! I’ve managed to become a well-known and respected teacher in the special education department of the Mat-Su Borough School District.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augie’s core values were a part of my life, long before I desired to be a Viking, and I pray those values are evident in my everyday life. I seek to shine Christ’s light as I serve the students at Wasilla High and the congregation at Valley Harvest Church. I am an active member of the Wasilla/Palmer community as a volunteer and participant in events such as

triathlons and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Each day I seek to become a better teacher, worship leader, and family member as I strive for excellence in my jobs/ roles. I am forever grateful for my liberal arts education, as I feel I am more compassionate and well-rounded after spending four years, plus a semester abroad, at Augustana.

Ryan Ovenden ‘04, Covenant Award for Community, 2004 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I run my own financial planning firm in Sioux Falls. As a former Exercise Science and Fitness Management major at Augie, I’ve seen the benefits of our Liberal Arts model of educating students. While at Augustana, I learned to take concepts and ideas from areas that didn’t interest me in the least and apply them to my chosen career field. When I made the move from the fitness industry to the financial industry, this skill proved to be essential as I’ve applied many of the concepts I learned from Sherry Barkley into my financial planning practice. Thanks to Matt Jensen for pointing this out to me a few years ago!

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. Danae and I celebrated our seventh anniversary last November and have been blessed with three wonderful little boys (Cooper, 4; Callum, 3; and Simeon, almost 2).

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. My family, especially watching our boys grow and develop.

Rhea Staniszewski ‘04, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2004 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am a forensic interviewer/therapist. My job is to provide neutral, fact-finding, forensically sound and developmentally appropriate interviews to children who have been allegedly physically or sexually abused and/ or a witness to a crime. I work closely with law enforcement and human services on a daily basis. I became a forensic interviewer in the beginning of 2011 after many weeks of training and ongoing training. This has been my greatest professional accomplishment. I am also able to provide interviews in Spanish, which is a great resource for monolingual or bilingual Spanish-speaking children, as research indicates children are able to give better information in their native language, without an interpreter. Additionally, I am the Volunteer Coordinator at my agency, and also present on sexual abuse prevention and abuse recognition in the community. I love my job and am so grateful to have found something that I love doing!

After completing my education at Augustana, I obtained a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in August of 2005, with a certificate in working with Latino/a families. I am a licensed clinical social worker in the State of Colorado.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I live in metro Denver with my husband, Brent, and my six-month-old son, Kai. Kai is the absolute joy of my life and raising him is my best accomplishment so far!

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. My greatest personal satisfaction has definitely been becoming a mother to my son.

He is amazing and I love being able to provide him with the love and nurturing he needs (no doubt a lot of my knowledge came from all of those psychology classes!). Outside of my family, I have loved being able to continue volunteering in the Denver community. I have been able to volunteer at a crisis center for families with emergency food and clothing needs; as a home visitor to give educational tools for families of young children; cooking meals for kids with cancer and their families; doing data entry for a small non-profit; and within my city – cleaning our local street, removing snow for elderly citizens and sitting on the Environmental Advisory Board.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana taught me to think about the world outside of myself. My liberal arts education and activities were invaluable. At all of my positions, I have been required to perform many duties outside of my job description. In fact, I think that has made me more marketable. At my current and former positions, I do a lot of the work that requires utilizing computer software and databases (often not something other staff are able or comfortable doing) and having the ability to speak another language has been very important.

I believe that I am a well-rounded employee and a lot of that comes from Augustana. But, what I take most from Augustana is a sense of responsibility to my family, my profession, my community and my world. I had so many wonderful role models who taught me the value of service and of community. I thank the likes of Dr. Reynold Nesiba, Dr. Harriet Scott, Dr. Murray Haar, Mary Toso and many others who taught me that the choices I make on a daily basis and the way I choose to participate or not participate in the world around me really does make a difference.

Rev. Ann Rosendale ‘04, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2004 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduating from Augustana, I attended Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained a pastor of the ELCA in 2009. I have served St. Paul Lutheran Church (Davenport, Iowa) as a participant in their pastoral residency program, funded by the Lilly Endowment. I returned to Sioux Falls in 2010 to serve as Associate Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church.

Most recently, I accepted the call to serve the Augustana College community as its second Campus Pastor.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. One of my greatest professional accomplishments has been my graduation from seminary. Seminary work was not easy, and to make it through with my faith and sanity still intact is something I feel good about. Having this latest opportunity to serve my alma mater also feels like a tremendous accomplishment.

I am thrilled to be a part of day-in, day-out campus life at Augustana once again, accompanying students on their faith journey as they navigate college life, just as so many sojourned faithfully with me during my young adult years.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I enjoy relationships with a host of dear friends that constitute my family. Recently, I added a new canine companion to my home, a one-year-old Cocker Spaniel name “Easter Lilly Rosendale.”

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Meaningful relationships with friends and family give me great personal satisfaction. I’m grateful for the many relationships that were formed during my time at Augustana and feel blessed that these precious people have remained a tried-and-true part of my life. I would not be who I am without these friends and mentors. They make faith, and life, and career all worth it!

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. After I graduated from Augustana, I found the college’s core values taking even deeper root in my life. My Christian faith has been something that I’ve come to rely on more and more through many transitions. As I’ve continued to learn about things other than theology, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for my Liberal Arts education. Excellence has quickly

become a mantra for me in ministry; I seek to grow Christ’s church in a way that is helpful and relevant to all people. While my sense of community has changed over the years, I have also learned to appreciate friends and family that are there through thick-and-thin, they teach me what true community is all about.

Leaving college has afforded me many opportunities to serve in the world. As I see need and help to meet need in God’s good creation, I work to make generosity and selflessness my automatic response.

Lacey (Horkey) Dixon ‘06, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2005 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. My work as the Director of Member and Industry Relations for the American Coalition for Ethanol provides an incredible opportunity to work with renewable fuels advocates at every membership level. I develop and execute membership campaigns, contribute to advocacy and market development strategies, and serve as a team member of a non-profit organization committed to renewable fuels, rural economies, and a cleaner environment.

I apply my degree in English and journalism when writing letters, developing presentations, communicating with industry leaders and ethanol supporters, applying print and online media communications approaches, and brainstorming ideas with my teammates.

Both the core courses and the many Liberal Arts courses I took come together to provide a great foundation for testing new strategies, growing support networks, and amplifying the impact of our organization’s work.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. I went to Augustana to grow as a writer and a thinker, and I left Augustana with a great deal more. I became a traveler, a listener, a leader, a community member, and an adventurer. My grasp of the world grew in breadth and depth, and I enjoy taking new chances and meeting new people with a ferocity that was nurtured among friends and educators

at Augustana. My time at Augustana taught me to “see” and “do” and “learn” at all times and that curious hunger when I work and travel brings great satisfaction.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I’d say shaping my role within an organization whose work I passionately support. My English and journalism degree paired with the skills I learned in courses across departments encourages creativity and a proactive attitude. I’ve had the opportunity to create a personalized approach to my work: I can design and implement strategies and see to it that they are successful. By doing so, I connect with people from every walk of life based on their shared commitment to a common cause.

From farmers and students to scientists on the cutting edge of technology developments to leaders on Capitol Hill, I’ve been able to discover what others find valuable and hone in on how we can work together to achieve goals.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. How then shall we live?, the drumbeat of Augustana, serves as the compass needle that provides a direction and purpose for graduates. With not only a search for purpose, but also the intent to apply that purpose in a way that betters the world around me, I am urged to challenge myself to do more. Augustana

teaches students to consider excellence, Liberal Arts, community, service, and Christian values as elements of a rich, multi-faceted life so that we become citizens of a global community that do the same.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. Brian and I were married in 2007 and live in Hudsonville, Mich. We have a mini schnauzer named Colbie and enjoy traveling, DIY home improvement projects, and scuba diving.

Andrea Halverson ‘06, Covenant Award for Community, 2005 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduating from Augustana, I interned for a human rights advocacy organization and pursued graduate studies in international relations and human rights at the University of Chicago. I currently work for the United States Agency for International Development in the Office of HIV/AIDS. My work involves managing international contracts and grants designed to combat the HIV/AIDS virus all over the world. I love my work and my colleagues. I feel very fortunate to have traveled to many different countries, representing the U.S. Government, to further our international commitments against HIV/AIDS. Working towards equal rights for women and girls has been a special passion of mine since my days as a student at Augustana, and I have continued this work at USAID as a member of our gender team and a manager for projects related to ending gender-based violence internationally.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I started at USAID through the Presidential Management Fellowship, a program designed to select the nation’s top graduate students and connect them to a career in public service.

My successful completion of this program was

the starting point for all that has followed in my career, and I have experienced a multitude of gratifying professional experiences through my work and travel in this position. However, I think my greatest professional accomplishments are yet to come, and I look forward to continuing to focus on learning and doing my job better each year.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. As a Regents Scholar at Augustana College, I traveled to Ireland with my classmates in one of my first international experiences. Since then, I have visited more than 40 countries for both work and pleasure. The opportunity to experience and learn from a multitude of cultures and perspectives and to navigate systems and processes very different from our own has been both personally satisfying and humbling. From the awe-inspiring (paragliding in Eastern Ghana) to the exhilarating (overnight bus trips on mountainous Colombian roads) to the simply beautiful (Bali’s sunset), I am grateful for this cultural exploration and I look forward to more adventures in the future!

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values informed my

course of study as a student, and helped to direct me towards a career in public service and human rights. In a “big-picture” way, these values still serve as my compass, helping to ground my decisions and actions towards a life directed at serving a larger purpose. At the same time, I have grown in my definition and understanding of these values; my value for Community, for example, has diversified, as I have experienced more of life. My core values have been both challenged and expanded in deep ways through the process of experience and global learning, but I find that the backbone of Augustana’s moral culture has remained with me – informing, uplifting, and helping to guide me.

Aaron Graumann ‘06, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2005 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am in the middle of my Medicine-Pediatrics combined residency at the University of Minnesota. I will finish my training in 2014 and hope to care for adults and children in both the clinic and hospital setting. I would enjoy having some role in teaching medical students and residents as well.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. So far, my nomination to Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a medical honor society recognizing those who show a dedication to leadership, professionalism and providing compassionate care.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Two things that have given me great personal satisfaction were starting our family with the birth of our beautiful and sweet daughter, Rylee. Secondly, I started a program at my clinic that hands out free books to children at well visits and it has been very satisfying to see the

joy that those simple gifts bring to my younger patients and it also is rewarding to think of the good those books will do in advancing their learning and bonding with their parents.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My wife, Jess (Cooper) Graumann and I just celebrated the birth of our first child, a girl named Rylee Jo Graumann. She was born Dec. 19, 2011.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I have always had an appreciation and curiosity for knowledge, and this continues in my medical career and makes each day enjoyable. My appreciation for the Liberal Arts was certainly nurtured and expanded at Augustana. My Christian values keep me centered and help me maintain balance in my life, and I hope to be able to spread my faith through my works and words. Excellence is something I strive for every day to provide the best possible care to my patients. My focus on excellence started on the wrestling mat and in the chemistry lab at Augie and was fostered by great mentors as well as the encourage-

ment and competition from teammates and classmates. One of the greatest facets of my Augustana experience was the strong feeling of community among the faculty and students and I continue to engage myself in the community where I now reside. Service was a value that led me to my current vocation and I remind myself daily that my first priority is to care and serve. I feel blessed to be able to serve my patients and the community in the hopes of improving health and wellness.

Ingrid (Arneson) Rasmussen ‘05, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2005 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduation, I found meaningful work with the Stepping Into Good Health program at Sanford Health, which provided free health care to vulnerable populations. This work led me to apply for theology programs around the country, and I was glad to find a home at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. I completed a Master of Divinity degree at Candler in 2010 and soon thereafter returned to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., to pursue a Master of Theology degree while simultaneously fulfilling ELCA ordination requirements. Today I serve as Intern Pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church in West St. Paul, Minn. This is a culminating internship, which means that I will be available for call in a Lutheran congregation in a few short months.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Augustana cultivated in me a deep love for

travel. I traveled to Ireland with the Augustana Choir. Additionally, two Bush Foundation Fellowships allowed me to spend time in Geneva, Switzerland, working for the Lutheran World Federation, and to explore India with Professors Looney and Haar. Because of these experiences, I was ready to seize travel opportunities as they presented themselves in subsequent years. Learning along the U.S.Mexico border, camping through Europe with Paul, and living in Israel and the West Bank have brought me both deep satisfaction and a restless spirit eager to keep moving.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. While Paul and I were in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to work at a maximum-security women’s penitentiary as a prison chaplain and taught creative writing and practical theology courses for women who were incarcerated. I

consider this to be my most memorable and rewarding professional accomplishment to date.

Jon Larson ‘06, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2006 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Following graduation I entered into seminary at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Wartburg served as another great institution of learning and personal growth for me, and a place to continue to discover who God is in this world. I made lifelong friendships at Wartburg, which I know will continue to shape who I am becoming.

God worked through the many wonderful people of the Augie community, and God has continued to work through the community of Wartburg Seminary, my family and friends, and the beautiful people of Faith Lutheran Church in Bismarck, N.D., where I currently serve as Associate Pastor. Being a pastor is an amazing calling filled with joys and challenges, and I am humbled to do what I do. I get to laugh with people, eat with people, cry with people, and ponder about the wonders of God with people. As a pastor, there are moments of celebration such as when a couple is married or when a person is baptized; there are also moments of deep grief as a person struggles with grief or when a person’s life ends. I feel truly privileged to be present in moments such as these, catching a glimpse of God’s presence.

I’ve also been given the opportunity to meet and befriend people in other parts of the world while participating in two January term study abroad courses through seminary: Guyana and Haiti. Places both far and near and the people in each opportunity have

better opened my eyes and heart to a world filled with gifted, faithful communities and individuals.

While teaching and learning in Haiti with my cousin, Ben, his wife, Renee, (both seminarians with me at Wartburg Seminary) and the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti, the country was devastated by a massive earthquake. Ben was killed, buried in the rubble, while Renee and I survived, digging ourselves out from the broken building. In Ben’s last moments he sang a “Lamb of God”, a prayer for God’s peace. Me, my family, and the Haitian people have continued to discover the mercy of God of which Ben sang in his final breaths. Grief is a long, hard road and Haiti’s recovery will be a long endeavor, but I am grateful for how God has brought new life through the love of our Haitian brothers and sisters, and in the gift of the larger church. Our walking together makes it easier to believe in the resurrection.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. The core values of Augustana College emphasize the same life lesson: we need each other to walk through the joys and challenges of life; we do not live to ourselves, we live to each other. Through the love we share, God is made known in this life. This is true in North Dakota, Guyana, and Haiti, and this is true in Sioux Falls, S.D., at Augustana College.

We all pray for peace in the world, we are

grateful for the communities and persons that have shaped us, and we look to the future for what God has in store. I’m so fortunate to continue to be connected to and loved by the Augustana community. God’s peace to you all.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I’m getting married in April to an amazing, gifted woman who inspires many, and loves me. She is a wonderful partner, and I am blessed to call her my closest friend.

Sarah (Ochsner) Gusowski ‘06, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2006 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. From organic farming, to teaching in Germany and Norway, to a residential treatment center for deaf juvenile delinquents in Wyoming, to a grocery store, to an ASL tour guide in Berlin, to a language school teaching business English, to working in Lassen Volcanic National Park, to a piano-building apprenticeship ... it’s been an adventure!

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I married Markus Gusowski in 2008; we live in Dresden, Germany.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Living in another country and culture not as

a visitor, but as one invested, is a paradoxical process of being a perpetual stranger while being home. It’s a deeply challenging kind of satisfaction.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. While perhaps not classically considered the highest form of modern professional achievement, getting punched in the face by an escalated teenager has definitely been a highlight for me.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. If my life were the Unicorn Tapestries, Augie’s core values would be the woad-dyed blue.

Angie Hummel ‘05, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2006 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I’m not really a “career” person. My indecisive nature caused anxiety when forced to choose a major. So I indirectly ended up with three but could have easily stuck around to garner a few more. The idea, then, of choosing a career – whoa! My professional life has included multi-directional paths: teaching assistant in Germany, full-time volunteer in Washington, D.C., serving families transitioning out of homelessness, assistant volleyball coach, admission counselor. I enjoy working with people, mostly, and in educational settings where energy, big ideas, and creativity provide inspiration and stimulation. What the future holds, I take seriously Jesus’ directive to not worry about tomorrow. He’s right, today’s troubles are enough.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. I’m a hedonist and traveling has provided me ample opportunity to engage my pleasureseeking senses. Gelato, Bavarian beer, Spanish olives, castles, cathedrals, the taj, fjords, Alpen villages, Saharan sand dunes, Croatian beaches, rickshaw rides, Renaissance art, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, long train rides, etc.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Oh boy. What to say as someone working at her alma mater? Awards, ladder-climbing, goal-making: it makes me cringe a little. Remember, I’m focused on today...well, and my trip to Greece in May. If I must answer, though, I would say the following have provided more smiles than frowns as a professional: hearing from Ellie Erickson (future Viking Days queen) that she would be attending Augustana; colleagues who are the best at making me laugh; long chats with student ambassadors, topics range from latest Gap sales to what creates a

meaningful life; introducing the Augustana community to the fabulous world of Zumba; giving back to a sport (volleyball) that provided so many enriching opportunities; actually immersing myself in a language I spent way too many years studying; surviving a gang fight; proving that a white girl from the Midwest can hack life in the district; being a role model for 30 or so African American youth who constantly craved attention, demanded attention and discipline, and taught me more about “progress,” than any textbook could.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Sort of the like cotton, ya’ know, “The touch, the feel of cotton...the fabric of your life.” Ha! More seriously, I recently wrote about how my world view is a multi-faceted expression of the life-long impact a Liberal Arts education can create. Augie offered the optimal learning environment to free my inner dork; my curious mind was encouraged and challenged to probe deeper, only to discover there are no easy answers. I want to write a book someday entitled “Embracing the Gray” and dedicate it to Augustana. (Bummer somebody already beat me to it! The title, at least.)

Instrumental student-professor relationships, service opportunities, exposure to diverse viewpoints and populations were key aspects to my Augustana experience. Such meaningful relationships and experiences sparked exciting post-college adventures that allowed me to continue exploring worthwhile questions related to my identity as a Christian, my understanding of servant-leadership, and discovering excellence is never without integrity. I loved being an Augustana student; a few years later, I can attest my “college days” aren’t so far gone and am ever-grateful for the profound ways this caring and supportive community has shaped me. From the way I

understand how to motivate today’s youth, to cultivate relationships, to create realistic paths to peace, to getting my travel fix once-in-awhile, I bleed blue and gold and will forever be influenced by the education of priceless value Augustana gifted me.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. My eternal flame, also an Augie alum, and I have endured a seven-year relationship, dodging questions that include matrimony, nuptials, “real” commitment, and the like. Unfortunately, my family experienced deep loss when my mom died three years ago. Such an event has poignantly offered keen insight and perspective about life. Yet even amidst sorrow comes joy; my niece, Nevaeh, is a clever, adorable, stubborn, and expressive two-yearold who has quite the independent streak.

Being an aunt is so fun! Our family has greatly benefitted from having a little one around, especially one with a silly-sassy personality.

Kyle Mickalowski ‘07, Covenant Award for Service, 2006 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I currently work for Avera Health as a quality analyst with their eCARE program. eCARE works to overcome challenges to rural health care by providing telemedicine services for critically ill patients, access to specialists in a clinical setting, first dose review of medication for hospital patients, and urgent care for long term care residents. I am developing methods to measure eCARE’s impact on rural communities and quality of care.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue graduate work in public health.

I studied epidemiology at George Washington University graduating in 2010 with a Master’s of Public Health. While living in The District, I frequented the Smithsonian museums along

the National Mall and was fortunate to attend the inauguration of President Obama. The additional training I received in graduate school provided me with the necessary tools to return to South Dakota and use my education to give back to the state.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. No matter where life takes me, I am always happy to read about what is happening on campus and be able to return and visit friends. I am happy to support the College with the hope future students will have opportunities like I had as a student.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. The core values of Augustana are not confined to the campus. They permeate the greater

Sioux Falls community and anywhere Augie students are present. For me, I weave the values into my life by continuing to volunteer and build community where I live and strive to learn with an unending passion and curiosity.

Matt McDougall ‘06, Covenant Award for Community, 2006 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I’m currently a fourth-year medical student at the University of South Dakota and I plan on entering a residency this summer. In between college and medical school, I worked for the National Center for Drug Free Sport, a company out of Kansas City that coordinated and administered drug tests for NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB, LPGA, PGA and other sporting organizations. It was an exciting time to be involved with Drug Free Sport, the doping era was at its height, and our company was responsible for cleaning up the mess epitomized by Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why?

A. My professional career is just about to begin, but I guess I would say that graduating from medical school (I will graduate in May) will be my greatest professional accomplishment.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. My greatest personal satisfaction has come from engaging with patients, listening to their stories, and helping them to solve their problems.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana taught me the value of community and service. This is why I choose a career in medicine, I felt as if this field would provide me with a great way to serve society.

Rev. Kara Wiechmann ‘07, Covenant Award for Service, 2007 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am currently serving as the Associate Pastor for Tri-County Ministry in North Dakota (a rural parish composed of seven congregations – six ELCA, one PCUSA). I was ordained in June 2011 in my hometown of Parkston, S.D., after graduating from Luther Seminary in St Paul, Minn., in May 2011.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. My greatest achievement thus far was reaching my goal of becoming a pastor in the ELCA. I have enjoyed being able to be part of people’s lives, especially through baptisms, confirmation, weddings and funerals.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Since graduation from Augustana, I think my greatest source of personal satisfaction comes when I am able to truly be part of new communities. I love when I am able to recognize people in my new community and they are comfortable sharing their stories with me.

This also means that I am able to enter their lives in new ways, which excites me.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. The core values that Augustana upholds have always been part of my life, even before I stepped on the campus for the first time.

I was fortunate to have been raised in a Christian household, and I have always been fortunate to find new Christian communities.

I think that this value is one that remains core to my life as a public Christian leader (aka pastor). Excellence is another way to talk about doing your best in every situation, whether in a classroom or out in the “real world.” I may not always excel, but when I put my best effort into whatever task lays before me, I do not fail. Liberal Arts was a new value for me at Augie, but I have come to truly appreciate the value of being able to have knowledge in a variety of academic fields. This has come in handy with my new career so that I can better converse with people from all walks of life and with a variety of interests or talents. Community is essential because I firmly believe that we cannot nor should not live alone. We are intentionally created to be in community with others. Service is integral to my life because I believe that this is how we show love

for God and for neighbors. I discover great joy when I am in the midst of serving others, and yet I am always served in unexpected ways. I am always amazed at how much we grow and learn about ourselves when we interact with other people.

Naomi Gades ‘07, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2007 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. My career path, starting as a student teacher of Spanish (a language I didn’t and still don’t know) in Sioux Falls to my current position as “Senior Library Technician” has been one discovery and learning. After serving as a teaching assistant in Wiesentheid, Germany, I knew I wanted to continue my education. I took a long-term sub position at an inner-city high school in Minneapolis, and take pride in having stayed there for the entire second semester, unlike my five predecessors, who all came into and left that classroom in the previous semester. While studying for my Master’s in Liberal Arts in Santa Fe, I worked as a substitute teacher, basketball coach, and high school library assistant. My husband and I moved to Oxford, Ohio, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Philosophy, and I am working in Miami University’s Wertz Art & Architecture Library as a Senior Library Technician, or, for the uninitiated in library-ese, student manager, software guru, technology geek, and general problem solver (as well as other things, like book-check-out-date stamper). I am preparing applications for Ph.D. programs in German language and literature programs to investigate how W.G. Sebald would have us remember the unknowable.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Most satisfying was the life of the mind St. John’s College provided. Yes, my intellect was fully engaged there, but so was my faith and heart in understanding not only the texts, but also the people gathered in the seminar room with me to discuss them. My classmates also allowed me to serve as their tutor (qua helper, not qua leader of Johnnies) for Euclid,

Lobachevski, and Einstein. These conversations with texts and classmates, combined with Santa Fe’s beauty and, of course, discovering and falling in love with my husband, made those two years in Santa Fe not just satisfying, but magical.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. My greatest professional success has not been teaching German youngsters how to ski, or helping eighth grade girls win the basketball championship, or even mastering photorealistic 3-D computer rendering to make accurate digital models of the library building, but something far more difficult: earning the trust and respect of adolescents. It takes exceptional integrity and caring to earn middle-schoolers’ respect, and I cherished that whenever I entered the halls of Capshaw Middle School in Santa Fe to sub or coach, the students would wave and shout, “Hey Miss Gades!” or “Please, please, Miss Gades, come to our class today!”

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. As part of our education major at Augustana, we learned about lesson objectives – both what you tell the students you want them to learn (how to order food in German, for example) and what you’re teaching them on the sly (how to work in groups, perhaps).

At Augustana, the core values are both, and in the scholarly work assigned, yes, but also in examples of the professors who teach there, in whom students can find a pattern for their own adult lives. While I was there, Dr. Janet Blank-Libra once gave a speech, at commencement, maybe, about living the poetic

experience. With God and my faith, I can live poetically and find joy in every day and the everyday, but it takes dedication and a servant’s heart to do so. As I learned at Augustana, so now wherever I work and live, I strive always to see, to know, and to serve, which is Augustana’s “hidden curriculum.” Faith, compassion, and service make every day a wonder.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. At St. John’s College in Santa Fe, I met a kind man, David. He also enjoys debating great ideas, and incidentally also speaks German, plays musical instruments, likes sports, ran a unix box, and also happens to have a twin brother. We were married at Salem Lutheran Church, Greenfield, Minn., in June 2012.

Christina Hausman ‘07, Covenant Award for Community, 2007 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Since graduating from Augustana in 2007 I have worked at three amazing non-profit organizations: The Nature Conservancy, Hennepin Health Foundation and Voyageurs National Park Association. My career thus far has been focused in nonprofit marketing and philanthropy; I specialize in campaign fundraising, events, community outreach, grant writing and social media. I am currently the Director of Communications and Development at Voyageurs National Park Association located in Minnesota. I hope to eventually be the executive director of an environmental nonprofit or work in community relations for a corporate foundation.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I’ve been proud to work at some of the leading nonprofit organizations in Minnesota.

I’ve created and managed several events that not only connected people to the outdoors and the importance of protecting our lands

and waters, but also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy projects. I’m currently working on building youth programs with Voyageurs National Park to give innercity kids opportunities to paddle, camp, plant and learn in the park.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. I always said I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew I felt a strong connection to nature and protecting it. Every day I go home knowing I’m connecting people to beautiful places and helping preserve them.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I received the Covenant Award for Community. I strive to make community building a part of my everyday life, whether it’s through a Facebook page, a fundraising gala or a volunteer work day. My job is to build communities around important causes. I love connect-

ing people to others with a passion for the environment, and then connecting them to projects that can make a difference.

Michael Amolins ‘07, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2007 Personal Statement for the 10th Anniversary of the Augustana Covenant Award How fast the years go by, and what a rush the last five years have been! To say that my life has been anything but an adventure since leaving Augustana in the Spring of 2007 would be an understatement. There have been endless twists and turns, leading me in directions that I never, even in my wildest dreams, could have imagined. Through it all, however, I have found that one characteristic has connected each of these experiences.

That, of course, has been the exact characteristic that Augustana saw in me five years ago – the prospect of Liberal Arts.

Upon graduating from Augustana with a B.A. in ACS Chemistry, along with minors in math and music, I entered the graduate program in Medicinal Chemistry at The University of Kansas. For two years, I worked towards a Master’s Degree while simultaneously working in a cancer research lab at the university where I was responsible for developing, synthesizing, and biologically evaluating chemotherapy drugs that targeted an enzyme in cancer cells known as Hsp90. During that time, I successfully wrote and defended a master’s thesis, gave presentations at a number of chemistry conferences around the US, and published a couple of research papers in peer-reviewed journals. I also found time to keep playing sax as part of a wind ensemble out of Kansas City.

It was an amazing experience, and during that time I learned a lot about who I was spiritually, professionally, and personally. One specific instance that stands out to me was the opportunity I had to serve as a graduate assistant for an undergraduate biochemistry course. While at Augustana, I had acted as a chemistry tutor for three years, but this was my first “official” teaching position…and I absolutely fell in love with it! While my passion for cancer research and finding a cure was (and still is) very strong, I realized that it’s not enough to put your knowledge to work in progressing your field.

One of the most important responsibilities we have as a society is to pass that knowledge on to the next generation, and that task was something I welcomed with great enthusiasm.

I had found my calling: science education!

Upon successfully completing and defending my master’s thesis, which I consider my greatest professional accomplishment thus far (simply because of the depth of knowledge and understanding I had to gain, and the fact that KU has a reputation of being one of the most difficult Medicinal Chemistry programs in the nation), I returned to Harrisburg, S.D., where I completed an education certification program and took a position as a high school chemistry and physics teacher in the Fall of 2009. Since that time, I have taught in Harrisburg, where in addition to teaching I serve as a Student Council Advisor. I have also been working alongside Dr. Jared Mays in the chemistry department at Augustana as a research associate and research instructor, developing cancer treatments based on a class of isothiocyanate compounds found in broccoli. I also work as a chemistry tutor for local high school and college students. Recently, I was nominated for the Midwest Regional American Chemical Society High School Teacher of the Year, which was a very humbling experience for me. Although I did not receive the award, I was very honored to receive the nomination.

During the past year, I decided that I wanted to further my education yet again. This January, I entered the Curriculum & Instruction doctoral program at The University of South Dakota. While I am happy with my professional development thus far, I feel as teachers we should always strive to further our own knowledge of the field, and constantly refine our methods of curricular instruction. Our students deserve our best, and as such we can never be satisfied -- I felt that my background in science research, and now in education, would serve as a nice foundation in helping to develop that curriculum not only in my classroom, but in a much broader setting as well. My goal at the outset of this program is to learn as much as possible about curriculum development in hopes that I might have an impact in the field of science education.

Ultimately, I would like to play an active role in that development for my school district, the field of education-based research, and perhaps someday be a part of a college faculty.

I’m very excited about the possibilities!

As far as my personal life, I constantly try to reinvent myself by participating in new activities and try to serve as a follower of Christ to the best of my abilities. I am actively involved in my church, as well as family life, and I continue to play saxophone with the Dakota Wind Ensemble, the South Dakota Jazz Orchestra, and various small ensembles in the area. I have also dabbled in theatre, and have taken a liking to playing in pit orchestras for regional musicals (Schmeckfest! in Freeman, S.D.). While participating in Schmeckfest, I had the great fortune of meeting my fiancé, Miriah, whom I will be marrying this June.

Getting to know Miriah has truly been the greatest personal experience of my life. She is a very strong, kind, and caring person, and I feel very fortunate to get to spend the rest of my life with her. Life is all about diving into the unknown. This can be scary at times, but I’m happy we will be doing it side by side.

Throughout the course of the last five years, the core values I learned during my time at Augustana have served as a driving force in every aspect of my life. They have helped me make educated decisions as I move forward in life, and have played a pivotal role in making major decisions.

Rachel Wiener ‘07, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2007 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am a nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, P.A., in the neonatal intensive care unit. I’ve been there for more than four years, and love every minute of my job. I work with an amazing staff, and I have the honor of caring for some of the world’s sickest babies and their families. While at CHOP, I’ve been active in many committees and projects, and am currently serving as chair of our unit research committee. I’ve had the opportunity to present CHOP nursing research at the local and national level. In the fall of 2011, I began a graduate program at Creighton University in the MSN program/neonatal nurse practitioner track.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. I find a lot of satisfaction in my job, because I have the honor each and every day of accompanying families on a journey as I care for their sick infants in the NICU. I truly love what I do. However, in January 2011, I was given the opportunity to open my world view beyond my own self and career when I accompanied Augie nursing students and a former professor on a trip to Ecuador. We served in hospitals in Quito as well as in several jungle communities, providing medications, vitamins, and basic health care. It was an experience that changed

my life and opened my eyes to a culture different from my own. I grew personally and professionally during that experience, and it definitely sparked in me a desire to do more medical missions in the future. I realized that everything I could give during that experience I gained back exponentially from the people I met, served, and worked alongside.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. My greatest professional accomplishment is related to the research I’ve been involved in at CHOP. I am part of a unit committee that is looking at ways to reduce unplanned extubations in our unit. Part of our work involved a research study to determine the best method for securing endotracheal tubes. I was selected to present the work from that committee at the National Association of Neonatal Nurses conference in Las Vegas, Nev., as well as the NANN research summit in Scottsdale, Ariz.

It was an amazing opportunity to be able to present the work our committee has done, as well as to see the work being done in nursing research around the country.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values are woven into my life every day. I feel so blessed to be a part of

the Augustana family, and am constantly reminded of the things I gained during my four years at Augie.The core values remain an integral part of my life in my faith, relationships, and work. My hope and prayer is to continue to put Christ at the center of my life, to love and serve both the individuals and communities in my life, and to uphold the Liberal Arts education and values I learned at Augustana.

Nora Olson ‘08, Covenant Award for Service, 2008 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Since graduation I have had many interesting jobs (wrangling teenage boys in the wilds of North Carolina, entertaining throngs of children in the forests along the Big Sioux, substitute teaching in the depths of Sioux Falls public schools) and I am currently working at Whittier Middle School teaching study skills and Humanities to viciously hormonal teenagers. I am also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Sioux Falls (gasp!) with an eventual goal of turning 12-to 14-year-olds into literary geniuses.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I feel my greatest professional accomplishment is quickly adapting to challenging situa-

tions, be they helping coordinate emergency weather evacuations or preventing fist fights.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Personally and professionally I have gained the greatest personal satisfaction from learning new skills such as driving a bus, becoming a lifeguard, or learning to rock climb and ski.

Every skill and piece of knowledge I pick up gives me greater perspective and reminds me to never become complacent in my life or my views.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values are still important to me for the spirit of love, curiosity, and generosity that they represent.

Daniel Day ‘09, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2008 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am still a Ph.D. Candidate at the HarvardMIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Although the exact relationship is complex, I am technically a student at MIT while my lab and work is based at Harvard Medical School. In a sense, I am technically a student at both institutions (and have the IDs to prove it!). However, I probably feel a bit more of a MIT student since many of my extracurricular activities are there. I am still finding my thesis topic, but I have continued working in the field of epigenetics. As also a computational biologist, I work on many different projects.

Over my time here, I have worked with repetitive elements in the genome, neuroscience, transcriptional regulation, and cardiology (to name a few things). For example, one project that I am working on presently is studying what cellular pathways are activated and what transcription factors/regulatory elements are used in endothelial cells during angiogenesis.

I have not published extensively yet (you can see my three at http://scholar.google.com/cita tions?user=vtCXqq4AAAAJ&hl=en). I feel that the Peter Park lab, which I am in (compbio. med.harvard.edu), is the right fit for me. He’s a great mentor.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I finished my first paper on which I was first author within my first year. This took almost two years to finish (I actually started this paper while at Augustana), and perseverance in graduate school is a necessary and great trait to have. Since, then I feel my commitment to research is probably my greatest accomplish-

ment. It is not a singular event, but a continual striving for excellence. Before I came, I earned a NSF graduate fellowship (a competitive national fellowship). Since then, I won another competitive department fellowship, IDEA^2.

I have participated in several important committees in HST and MIT, including the department oversight committee and the general MIT-wide graduate programs committee. I actively strive to better the scientific community among graduate students by organizing seminar series and starting journal clubs. I constantly try to better myself as well as to help those around me grow as well.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Like my greatest professional accomplishment so far, I can’t really pinpoint one thing that has given me great satisfaction. I don’t believe that excellence is a one moment type of thing. My satisfaction comes from pursuing my dreams, which is exactly why I came out here in the first place. Between the town, the school, the research, and my friends, there is nothing in this world that makes me feel better. I believe my life is going (despite the twists and turns) exactly how I want it to. I feel that I am in a rare position among people: that I am exactly where I feel whole. Even on the bad days, I feel so satisfied just to wake up and live my life to the fullest.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Overall, excellence is what I need every day. The world out here is rough. Some days you just want to give up. Some days you just

want to go home. But life is full of risks and trials. And without any risk, there is no reward.

Excellence is not a state that you find yourself at or an end. Excellence is a frame of mind, a pathway, a method. Those who succeed and do great work are willing to never give up simply because a task is hard or that there are problems on the horizon. Excellence is about knowing that you are capable of sitting down, analyzing the situation, and trying to work through the mess. It is not a way to guarantee the end that you want, since it could end all in failure. But you know that if you don’t try then you will never succeed and that even if you fail you will have grown from the struggle. Excellence is not an end, excellence is the way.

Andrew Kightlinger ‘08, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2008 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am currently a moderately successful filmmaker, still working outside the Hollywood system, but fully intent on selling my soul and working in ‘the biz’. I’ve had the privilege of directing my first feature film, “Dust of War”, starring genre favorites Tony Todd (Candyman) and Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy).

After sending “Dust of War” on the festival circuit, I hope to segue into developing another feature film that deals with a dark social justice issue. In addition to directing films, I’m also a screenwriter, drawn to characters in intense moral struggles and who don’t always make the right decision.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Directing a throwback to the Saturday Morning Serial genre à la Star Wars and Flash Gordon, and doing so entirely in the prairies of South Dakota. For 26 days, I was the General Patton of a crew of nearly 40 people and save for weather, injury, and finance, I felt like I was in complete control…the operative word being “felt.”

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. The greatest satisfaction was seeing a dream mold into an attainable goal. And if I stick with my unabashed optimism, perhaps it will turn into a full-bodied career with legs.

Being able to support a family and pay health insurance would be swell, too.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. My life fabric is like corduroy. Augie’s core values twist together to become a way to live on a daily basis. I don’t expect that to make sense, but it does to me. And I suppose that’s where ‘Liberal Arts’ comes into play. Push yourself and think freely, as long as it has a positive effect on the world at large. Meanwhile, ‘Excellence’ is a must. Anything less is very antiAugie. ‘Community’ and ‘Service’ go hand-inhand. After working in film, the importance of community is paramount. And ‘Service’ should be like breathing air. To serve humanity is to be human. And lastly, I left Augie as a more ecumenical thinker and I remain that way. But

the one thing I’ve taken from Christianity that I have never forgotten to use in my life: Love one another.

Kari Lenander ‘08, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2008 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. After graduating with a major in Business/ Communications in May 2008, I joined Border Servant Corps on the U.S./México border. I currently serve as the program coordinator for Border Servant Corps, an organization that works to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God on the U.S./México border.

Border Servant Corps hosts full-time volunteers that live and work on the border and commit themselves to four tenets: Community, Simplicity, Social Justice, and Spirituality.

Inspired by the fresh faces of our volunteers each year, I am provided with a renewed sense of awareness in a region where hearts and homes span earthly borders. My work allows me to provide support for volunteers in their community and work sites, as well as work with others who wish to learn about the U.S./ México border in a variety of capacities.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Serving as a volunteer with Border Servant Corps, I had the privilege to work for Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, a first-generation immigrant Lutheran church in downtown El Paso, Texas.

My position allowed me to facilitate educational experiences for religious and educational institutions across the United States. During my time at Cristo Rey, the Rocky Mountain Synod held an assembly in El Paso for the first time. The question was posed: How can you come to the border and not experience the border (only the airport and the inside of hotels and conference rooms)?

The synod decided to offer an opportunity for participants to truly experience the border.

As a result, we designed and executed an

educational event for participants from five states to explore and further their understanding of the U.S. / México border in one afternoon. This event included coordinating 22 groups, 16 sites, and 350 participants; as well as training over 50 group facilitators, site guides, and presenters. This time was truly a blessing, as people from Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas were able to step outside of their comfort zones to truly see and meet their neighbor.

On the U.S./México border we speak of the struggle, the hardship, and the heart-wrenching pain that is almost synonymous with life on the border. In times such as these, we begin to understand a heaven that knows no bounds, no divisions, no fences; we start to speak of standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in a manner demonstrated by Christ. One afternoon is but a moment in a lifetime, but to dedicate even a moment is a step.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Since graduating from Augustana, I have had the opportunity to connect with people from all parts of the world. I have been most struck by the volume of social justice work performed by dedicated persons and organizations in this region and beyond. I am humbled by the small part I have played and find encouragement in recognizing the vast, and yet close-knit, community committed to working for change.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. The knowledge I gained from Augustana

greatly surpasses classroom academics; service to the community within the context of Christian values became increasingly important. As a result of my time at Augustana, I have been inspired to take with me a passion for social justice that permeates all parts of life, an appreciation for community that deepens through dialogue, a calling to simplicity of time and resources, and a spiritual understanding of a love that breaks through the darkness and sends rainbows, even in the midst of storms. I will forever be indebted to Augustana College; the faculty, staff, and students that helped shape me during my time at the institution and who continue to be a wonderful support beyond. Demos gracias a Dios!

Bailey Morris ‘09, Covenant Award for Service, 2009 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. My career path is neither straight nor narrow. My college years were spent fully engaged in the field of disability issues. Some time beyond graduation, I decided to take a break from it all with an Americorps stint and spent a year engulfed in all things poverty-related. During that time I volunteered full-time at a rural homeless shelter and emergency food bank through La Puente, a non-profit that stretches to fulfill the needs in Colorado’s impoverished San Luis Valley. Now I head down a new path, moved by other’s poverty and my roots. I will spend this season as an apprentice on a small organic family farm outside St. Louis. I set out on this adventure intent to combine all my past lives with this one, as I reinvigorate a personal connection to the dirt, unearth a keen ability to feed a hungry neighbor, and play around with the notion that there are an abundance of therapeutic possibilities that exist between disability and farming.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why?

A. My work at the shelter was the most challenging, demanding, and true time of my life.

Surprising myself with my capability to not only survive but cherish its harsh lessons on life, love, and loss has without a doubt been my most profound accomplishment.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Being a fresh-out-of-college 20-something can carry with it expectations and pressures: finding a mate, committing to a career, settling down, making babies, making rent, making payments on those student loans! While being the definition of absolute perfection for many, such a path offers the rest of us a jaunt in the completely wrong direction. I’m happy to have the support of those who are unafraid to wander and wonder, especially as I make my way against the tide from time to time.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. My Liberal Arts education is the force behind my continual seeking. Community is my

everything. Service remains my necessity. Any hint of excellence is simply a reflection of the brilliance of those with whom I’ve shared this path over the years.

Joseph Coppock ‘09, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2009 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Having completed the first two years of medical school, I am currently enrolled in the three year thesis research period as part of the seven year M.D./Ph.D. program at the USD Sanford School of Medicine. My thesis work is being conducted at Sanford Research here in Sioux Falls, focusing on eliciting the changes in cellular metabolism induced by human papillomavirus (HPV) and understanding the role of these metabolic changes in HPV related cancers. Upon defense of my thesis, I will continue on with the final two clinical years of medical school before moving on to residency.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. So far, simply having been accepted into an M.D./Ph.D. program, having been given the opportunity to succeed as a future physicianscientist. I believe this because everything I did to develop professionally prior to entering my current program of study was for just that, to get in, to earn that opportunity. Now, the

promise of a life-long career of great responsibility but also with so much potential for reward and satisfaction makes that simple acceptance feel like a great accomplishment.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Taking on the challenge of being a cancer researcher. This was an extra three-year commitment for me over the traditional medical school curriculum, and biomedical research is a discipline in itself more distant to medical practice than many might realize. However, there is great satisfaction in progressing through the process of learning the necessary information and techniques to conduct successful research, obtaining meaningful data, and knowing that my work has the potential to greatly impact the lives of many people for the better.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values provide the framework for the same thing that the college’s liberal arts curriculum does – well-roundedness,

balance. It’s maintaining balance in life that I have found necessary for continued success, that keeps me always learning, and keeps life interesting.

Kelli Meier ‘09, Covenant Award for Community, 2009 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I live in Huntsville, Texas, working at Sam Houston State University as a Residence Hall Director. I oversee six Residence Halls that occupy around 600 residents. I get the opportunity to work with a student staff team of 16.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. My greatest professional accomplishment so far is being able to work with students who are struggling academically or behaviorally and helping them find the right resources to be successful in college.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Graduating with my Masters of Education has given me the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana. Being able to further my education in a field I am passionate about has been rewarding!

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values continue to serve as an integral part of my life every day. Working with college students and creating a team within my student staff striving for excellence and building a community.

Johanna Gronewold ‘09, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2009 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am a nurse in the Sanford ICU. I feel nursing is much more than just my job, it is my passion in life. I love the days I spend caring for people and getting to know their families.

I feel it is a privilege to be a part of people’s lives when they are at their most vulnerable. I have enjoyed working for Sanford Health and watching the organization expand.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. So far, it has been becoming a charge nurse on the unit and studying to take the Critical Care Registered Nurse Exam. I have also spent many hours mentoring and training new nurses on the unit.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since graduating from Augustana and why?

A. The things in life that have given me the greatest personal satisfaction have been advancing my skills in my job. As I mentioned before, being a nurse is not just a job but my passion in life. I have also run a marathon which is something I never thought I could accomplish. My personal satisfaction also includes continuing to travel abroad even after college, and volunteering in the Sioux Falls community. I volunteer with Lutheran Social Services welcoming refugees into South Dakota and as a volunteer at a horse ranch helping children and adults with disabilities learn to ride horses.

Brady Holm ‘11, Covenant Award for Service, 2010 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I work as a graphic designer for Matt Jensen Marketing here in Sioux Falls. MJM works primarily in the elective health care industry, specifically in eye care, helping practices optimize their patients’ experiences. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects: logo and branding, brochure and other print materials, and web design. It’s a fun group to work with, and I’m learning a lot from everyone on the team.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I had the opportunity to design an edition of stainless steel medallions that were presented to the staff at Vance Thompson Vision.

The medallions were called a “Gift of Vision.”

Each employee could gift their medallion to anyone - whomever received the medallion was gifted the vision correction procedure

they needed. Helping shape such a powerful patient experience was an honor.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. I’m happy that I’ve continued to dedicate time to working on personal artwork in my spare time. It’s good to know that even if I’m not in the studio at Augie I still have the creative drive and curiosity to make art.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. Augustana’s core values guide the interactions I have with colleagues and collaborators at work, and with family and friends. And in my personal life the spirit of the liberal arts is as strong as ever. I continue to pursue a variety of interests, and am always seeking excellence in those pursuits as well as ways those interests can help and inspire others.

Mari Stensgaard ‘11, Covenant Award for Community, 2010 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Some call me a big ideas person – and I love that. Coming up with big ideas is a huge part of what I do for a living, but most know me as a writer, an advertiser and a producer. After graduating in 2011, I interned at Lawrence & Schiller, a full-service advertising agency in Sioux Falls, in their public relations department. After the summer at L&S, I accepted a full-time position at Dakota Video & Post Productions, where I am now a writer and producer in Sioux Falls. My career is just beginning, but already I’ve learned so much. I can’t wait to see where I am in five, 10 and 20 years down the road.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Since graduating from Augustana, I’ve realized that there’s a beautiful element of surprise in the present – and the future. While I was in college, one of my greatest goals was to have a plan. I wanted to know and be comfortable

with what was next in life. I thought I knew what I would be, but really I didn’t. I’m learning more and more about my field every day, and what brings me so much satisfaction is now knowing that my degrees, my excitement about my career and my sense of adventure will get me far in life. Augustana sparked it, and now I know that there’s a place and a need for me in the working world.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. The core values have shown me how to live a balanced life. They call me to first look inwardly – to challenge myself to live in light of faith, to learn and to excel in all that I do. Then they ask me to turn outwards – to know and serve those around me. I’ve found that to love others, and God, more deeply, it’s important to strike the fine balance of living inwardly and outwardly at the same time. It’s a matter of making the five core values one, and integrating them into everyday conversations and actions.

Shannon (Cumiskey) Anderson ‘10, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2010 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. My career thus far has been as a graduate student pursuing a doctoral degree in chemistry at North Dakota State University.

My area of focus is organic chemistry and my research is examining how students learn organic chemistry. More specifically, my research focuses on how students reason with spectroscopy as they solve for the structures of organic compounds.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Surviving graduate school (so far) is always something to celebrate. While graduate school has been a challenge, my time at Augustana prepared me for graduate school in all endeavors: academic, research, and teaching.

My experiences at Augustana have influenced my research interests and have inspired my teaching style. Surviving graduate school may not be the grandest of accomplishments, but I actually enjoy what I do…something not many can boast.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. My greatest satisfaction comes from the opportunities I get to teach, a passion I found as a lab assistant at Augustana. Most students here do not spend time interacting with their professors, which is something I enjoyed so much at Augustana. My students know how much I care

and they fill my office hours asking for help not only on laboratory material, but also lecture material. I’ve even had many students that are not my own come to me for help because their classmates spoke highly of me. My greatest satisfaction from all this, however, is when I get to witness one of my students grasping a perplexing concept that they initially struggled with.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. I married Trent Anderson (‘11) last June, and he has joined me at NDSU to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry, focusing on physical chemistry.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I continue to embrace Augustana’s core values in all that I do and I try to instill those same values in my students here at NDSU. My Christian background keeps me grounded and helps me remember what’s most important.

God has provided and blessed me with such wonderful opportunities in my graduate studies, and has helped me overcome the challenges that graduate school and life can bring.

For a sense of community, I’ve immersed myself within the university as a leading member of our Chemistry Graduate Student Association, and for service I am the sole graduate student member of the search committee to hire a new dean of our college of math and science. My liberal arts background has not

only made my graduate advisor proud, but has also helped me in inspiring other students to love learning. Finally, I strive for excellence in all that I do, no matter where I am at. Surviving is not sufficient alone, but to perform my best in everything is most important to me.

I haven’t accomplished anything significant, being only a year and a half since I’ve graduated, but I enjoy what I do. I know that there are great things to come and I thank Augustana for inspiring my life in so many ways.

Elizabeth (Singleton) McDuffie ‘10, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2010 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am currently a student at Luther Seminary working on my Masters in Systematic Theology and will be graduating in May. Next year I hope to either be in a Ph.D. program or working for a non-profit organization.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I taught myself the basics of ecology in order to write my thesis, which is on ecology and theology. As a student of the humanities, I think that is quite an accomplishment!

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. The greatest personal satisfaction in my life comes from the unknown opportunities that await me in the near future, and knowing that I have the love and support of family and friends to accompany me as I find out what those opportunities hold. My experiences from Augustana and the last two years have equipped me for a variety of jobs and programs and I am so grateful for the variety of opportunities that lay before me as well as the community that will support me along the way.

Q. Any family updates to share?

A. Shortly after graduating from Augustana I married Joshua McDuffie, a graduate of the University of Minnesota. The following winter we adopted a boxer puppy and, even though I said I would never be one of “those people,” we treat her like an only child.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. While I do not often think about Augustana’s core values as being the fabric of my life, as I reflect on it I can see how they do in many ways serve as guiding virtues. As a seminary student I am continuously seeking the truth as it is expressed in the Christian narrative, and I always attempt to do so with integrity and excellence. As I continue to study theology I find myself needing to be grounded in the liberal arts because in order to express one’s interpretation of God one has to know about the world that God dwells within. What I have found through the Christian narrative to be, “the good life,” is a life full of love to one’s community, which is acted out through service to the neighbor.

Kayla Rockwell ‘11, Covenant Award for Service, 2011 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am currently a full-time volunteer in Denver, Colo., with an organization called the Urban Servant Corps. There are 18 of us, and we live in two houses, focusing together on service, social justice, intentional community, spirituality, and simplicity. Our housing and food is paid for by USC, and we each get a $75/month stipend.

My placement is with Urban Peak, a shelter for homeless and runaway youth ages 15-21, and I absolutely love it! So many of my current community’s tenets are the same or similar to Augie’s core values that I still think about them frequently.

Jenny Lockhart ‘11, Covenant Award for Community, 2011

Tom Alexander ‘11, Covenant Award for Liberal Arts, 2011 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am working at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill. I am continuing the research I began in my undergraduate under the direction of Dr. Drew Alton. My research has taken me across the United States and even to Italy, giving me a wide variety of experiences, inside and out of physics.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. Research offers me the chance to answer questions that have yet to be answered – by anyone – and in a small way, helping to further our understanding of the universe we occupy.

My research has focused on the detection of a previously unknown substance known as “dark matter.” It’s very important, as current calculations predict that nearly a quarter of the universe is dark matter. It is named as such because it does not interact with light, which is also the reason why it has taken so long for humanity discover its presence. To this point, the high point of my career has to be turning on the DarkSide-10 detector that was only a proposal when I began doing research under Dr. Alton. It was a great feeling to finally see all of the simulations and proposed hardware come to life and begin collecting data.

Q. Tell us about your career.

A. As Rocky Mountain College’s web journalist, I am the sole editor of our website. I work with departments across campus to continuously update content and generate new stories for campus publications.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I know that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the values instilled in me at Augustana. It was through Augie that I nurtured my desire to understand the world around me. Augustana has an incredible undergraduate research program that echoes the core values of Liberal Arts and Excellence.

Through it I was introduced to the topic of my current research.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. During my first two months at RMC, I was assigned to work on the college’s website rebuild. Because I majored in journalism and English, beginning my professional career with two solid months of HTML code and web design was unexpected. Building the site has been a great professional achievement because I learned a number of skills that are valuable to journalists working in a digital world.

Q. What’s given you the greatest personal satisfaction since Augustana and why?

A. Moving to Montana has been my biggest personal satisfaction since graduation. With my family and friends so far away, I realized how much I valued those relationships. Although the move has made me crazy at times, it has forced me to live outside of my comfort zone.

Kim Hibma ‘11, Covenant Award for Christian Faith, 2011 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. I am currently teaching in the Sioux Falls School District at Lincoln High School as a Special Educator for students in grades 9-12 with severe intellectual disabilities.

has been far more rewarding, enjoyable and fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.

There is nothing better than to work in a place where my deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger.

Q. What has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far? Why? A. I have found great satisfaction and joy in being able to work in a field where I feel truly called. I found my niche working with high schoolers and absolutely love my job.

My first year of teaching, though difficult,

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. I couldn’t be more thankful to have learned more about God who can help me and guides my decisions and life and to have gained a passion for people and helping others which keeps me going.

Rachel Hurley ‘11, Covenant Award for Excellence, 2011 Q. Tell us about your career.

A. Since graduating in May 2011, I started school at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I am in the Medical Science Training Program – this means that over the duration of approximately eight years, I will earn a dual M.D./Ph.D. degree. The first two years of school will be spent in the medical school curriculum, after which I will spend four years in research and working towards a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology. The final two years of the program will be the clinical component of the Ph.D. degree.

Q. What has been your greatest professional/personal accomplishment so far? Why? A. One week after graduating from Augustana, I moved to Rochester, Minn., to begin the M.D./Ph.D. program at Mayo Medical School.

My greatest accomplishment to date has been the successful transition into medical/ graduate school. The experience so far has been truly enjoyable and very rewarding. I have found my Augustana education to be an excellent framework for the demands of my medical school coursework, as well as the inte-

gration with other national and international classmates and teachers. As I have begun my transition away from Augustana and into the “real world,” the emphasis of Augustana’s core values has provided the fundamental framework for the experiences, opportunities, and mind-set in which I have approached this new journey.

Q. How do Augustana’s core values serve as the fabric for your life, even after college?

A. One of the most powerful pieces of advice I received at Augustana came from President Oliver: “Excellence does not equal perfection.”

This idea of excellence has been the framework for the first months of medical school. I am striving for balance and a sense of purpose above and beyond grades and exams. This approach has allowed me to explore the sense of Community, Christian, and Service beyond the classroom. I have had the privilege to serve as a mentor for middle school students through a local program called Bolder Options, travel to the Dominican Republic to provide medical care and education, schedule time to attend cardio-kickboxing classes with my classmates,

compete on intramural teams, and become an active member in Bible studies. Needless to say, while I miss the community and environment of Augustana, it has been an excellent year, and I am looking forward to the future.