Saint Benedict's Magazine Spring 2019

SPRING 2019 MAGAZINE

Chasing

adventure A true liberal arts education demands curious exploration of the unknown.

INSIDE This is the moment Share your story through Bennie Conversations. Then join our efforts as the campaign reaches nearly $80 million.

10 A Sacred, Snowy Place 14 What’s the Opposite of a Fish Out of Water?

20 Tales of Great Adventure 26 Illuminating Lives Campaign Update

IN THIS ISSUE

10

14 FEATURES

10 A Sacred, Snowy Place 14 What’s the Opposite of a Fish Out of Water?

20 Tales of Great Adventure 26 Illuminating Lives Campaign Update

PHOTO BY AUBRIE LEGAULT

DEPARTMENTS

1 Message From the President 2 Worth 1,000 Words 4 News 30 I’m a Bennie 31 Class Notes 38 Bennie Connection 41 Generosity

20 The College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the office of Institutional Advancement.

EDITOR Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) ASSISTANT EDITOR Courtney Sullivan CONTRIBUTORS Sara Mohs Tommy O’Laughlin (SJU ’13) Leah Rado COVER PHOTO Michelle Macy ’99 explores a watery world.

Photo by Aubrie LeGault.

CONTACT College of Saint Benedict Magazine Institutional Advancement 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374-2099 For address changes, please call 1-800-648-3468, ext. 1 or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer The mission of the College of Saint Benedict is to provide for women the very best residential liberal arts education in the Catholic and Benedictine traditions. The college fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Running Headlong

Into Adventure When a young woman leaves home to begin college, it is one of the great adventures of her life.

For students from Minnesota, CSB represents the adventure of attending one of the top schools in their home state. For out-of-state and international students, the adventure may begin in traveling far from home. For first-generation students, the adventure might come just in navigating the path to and through college. For some students it might be studying abroad (which 72 percent of Saint Ben’s students will do), joining new groups, engaging in challenging subjects or stepping boldly into leadership roles.

Making sure that women find these opportunities at the College of Saint Benedict is critical to developing Bennies who not only think critically, but also lead courageously and advocate passionately. Saint Ben’s is an incubator where students hone the tenacity, perseverance and self-reliance required to handle life’s adventures with great confidence.

And, we are uniquely positioned to do just that. Our location blends access to the outdoors with proximity to industry and activity. Our culture blends academic rigor with the support of Benedictine community living. Our global nature provides students access to adventure at home and abroad. Our singlesex environment ensures ready pathways designed expressly to support women’s leadership.

Saint Ben’s is an incubator where students hone the tenacity, perseverance and self-reliance required to handle life’s adventures with great confidence.”

But the biggest adventure is an intellectual one, nourished by the liberal arts. You see, a true liberal arts education demands curious exploration of the unknown. The fully engaged student will discover truths about herself in the process of searching for the truths in the many subjects and disciplines she will study. Often that discovery comes in taking on challenging and unexpected learning experiences – with a true spirit of adventure.

The result is students and graduates with resilience and confidence. Bennies dare to do the unexpected. Bennies try and Bennies triumph.

Valerie Jones ’94, our executive director of alumnae relations, puts it beautifully when she says, “The ability to have a sense of adventure and see how all things are connected is a gift of a liberal arts education. The ability to have a sense of adventure and see how all things are connected and run headlong into it all as a woman is a gift of a Saint Ben’s education!”

On the pages of this issue we’ll celebrate the adventurous spirits of Bennie students and alumnae. We’ll also update you on the Illuminating Lives campaign and its goals of providing access to that education to adventurous young women everywhere. Come join us!

Mary Dana Hinton College of Saint Benedict President

Spring 2019 | 1

WORTH 1,000 WORDS

TAKING THE LEAP Studying abroad is a life-changing adventure for many students. And CSB/SJU continue to be among the leaders in students traveling for a semester. Hannah Baumgardt ’20 got this shot of her cottage-mate Molly Kluever ’20 when they “went exploring our first day in Ireland and found the tidepools at the shore a short walk from our cottage.”

NEWS

CSB is a Top Producing School for Fulbright Awards The College of Saint Benedict has been named one of the top producers of 2018-19 Fulbright U.S. students for the fourth time in five years by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

CSB is tied for 33rd among bachelor’s institutions with five women who won Fulbright student awards for 2018-19. They are: • A llison Cwikla ’18 received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) award to Indonesia; • Morgan Durbin ’18 received a Fulbright ETA award to Sri Lanka (see more from Morgan on page 23); • Olayemi Fadahunsi ’18 received a Fulbright ETA award to Taiwan; • Maya Hermerding ’18 received a Fulbright ETA award to Colombia; • Kelsey Tatarek ’18 received a Fulbright ETA award to Spain.

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, led the list, with 22 awardees. CSB was one of four Minnesota schools listed among the top 46 bachelor’s institutions.

By combining the seven Fulbright winners produced between CSB and SJU, that total would have tied for 19th among bachelor’s institutions. Daniel Yang (SJU ’18) received a Fulbright ETA award to Thailand, and John Beckius (SJU ’18) received a Fulbright ETA award to South Korea.

CSB and SJU 2018-19 Fulbrights, back row L to R: Morgan Durbin, Maya Hermerding, Kelsey Tatarek. Front row L to R: Daniel Yang, Olayemi Fadahunsi, Allison Cwikla. Not pictured, John Beckius.

CSB was also ranked in 2014-15 (No. 29), 2015-16 (No. 34) and 2016-17 (No. 25) among bachelor’s institutions.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study or research programs or English teaching assistant programs in many foreign countries for one academic year.

Global Education Receives High Marks for CSB/SJU For the 14th consecutive year, CSB and SJU are ranked among the top baccalaureate schools nationally for the total number of students who studied abroad.

The 2018 report, which was released Nov. 13, found: • CSB and SJU are ranked No. 2 among baccalaureate schools with 365 students who studied abroad in mid-length study abroad programs during 2016-17, the most recent data measured by the IIE. The IIE defines mid-length study abroad programs as lasting one semester or one or two quarters. (CSB and SJU operate under the semester system.)

• CSB and SJU are ranked No. 3 among baccalaureate schools with 555 students who studied abroad during the 2016-17 school year. CSB and SJU have been ranked among the top six schools nationally in this category for the past 14 years.

That was one of the findings of Open Doors 2018, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Before graduating, it is estimated that 65.5 percent of all CSB and SJU students will participate in a study abroad program, according to the IIE. CSB and SJU annually offer students 18 semester-long programs, 14 of which are faculty-led. CSB and SJU also conduct 14 short-term study abroad programs.

NEWS

College Scorecard 2018 Ranks CSB No. 4 in Minnesota Earnings Category The 2018 College Scorecard ranks both CSB and SJU among the top nonprofit private and public schools in Minnesota in two important categories – salary after attending college and graduation rate.

CSB ranks fourth on the salary list, with an average salary of $52,600 after attending. That’s a hefty increase of $2,600 over the 2017 finding and ahead of such institutions as the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Scholastica and St. Olaf. SJU is ranked first, with an average salary of $60,600 after attending.

Both CSB and SJU are also ranked highly among single-sex colleges. CSB ranks eighth among 39 women’s colleges. (It is also the highest ranked women’s college in the Midwest.)

College Scoreboard defines salary after attending as “the median earnings of former students who received federal aid, at 10 years after entering school.”

In the graduation rate category among nonprofit private and public schools in the state, CSB ranked fourth with an 85 percent graduation rate.

College Scorecard defines this category as “the graduation rate within 150 percent of the expected time to completion (typically six years for predominantly four-year degrees …). These rates are only for full-time students enrolled for the first time.”

AVERAGE ANNUAL COST

$24,143

GRADUATION RATE SALARY AFTER ATTENDING

85% $52,600

Author Joyce Carol Oates at CSB

PHOTO BY DUSTIN COHEN

Joyce Carol Oates – perhaps the most honored and prolific writer in American literature history – spent three days in residency at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University this February, highlighted by a public reading on Feb. 19, in the Escher Auditorium in CSB’s Benedicta Arts Center. The event was sponsored by the Literary Arts Institute at CSB.

Oates, who has over 50 books, a number of plays and many volumes of short stories, poetry and nonfiction to her credit, is a “name synonymous with productivity,” the New York Times newspaper reported in 1989.

Her latest work is 2018’s “Hazards of Time Travel: A Novel.” Oates has two works scheduled for release in 2019 – a novel, “My Life as a Rat,” and a children’s book, “The New Kitten.”

Oates has earned a National Book Award for her novel “them” (1969); two O. Henry Awards (for 1967’s “In the Region of Ice” and for 1973’s “The Dead”) and the National Humanities Medal in 2010 from President Barack Obama. Five of her works – “Black Water” (1992), “What I Lived For” (1994), “Blonde” (2000), “The Wheel of Love” (1970) and “Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories” (2014) – were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1998, Oates received the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature.

Beginning in 1978, Oates began teaching at Princeton University after a 10-year run at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She taught at Princeton until 2014, when she retired as the Roger S. Berlind ’52 Professor in the Humanities, Emeritus, and Professor of Creative Writing, Emeritus. Oates has also taught creative writing at the University of California-Berkeley the last few years.

Spring 2019 | 5

NEWS

Two Students From CSB/SJU Attend Conference at West Point When undergraduate students attend the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs at the U.S. Military Academy, you almost become a cadet.

You stay in the barracks with other cadets.

You get up when the cadets get up, and turn out the lights when they have to.

the forefront of national issues and exposed them to complex problems facing leaders today.

“I was kind of scared they were going to have us do calisthenics,” College of Saint Benedict senior Anahi Ortiz joked. Ortiz attended the 70th annual conference in October at West Point, New York, with Saint John’s University senior Dan Eggert.

Ortiz’s round table on Europe, which included three European students who are attending college in the U.S., covered immigration issues facing the continent’s countries.

The purpose of the conference is to facilitate interaction and constructive discussion between student delegates and West Point cadets in an effort to better understand the challenges the U.S. faces today.

Round tables, on 15 issues relating to democratization, put delegates on

“We got to see how they saw Europe relative to how we saw Europe as American students,” said Ortiz, a senior global business leadership major from Houston. “I thought that was really valuable because when we were talking about the European Union and we were talking about the U.S. influence and

involvement in NATO, it was really cool to hear what they thought about the U.S. in comparison to what we thought.

Each round table then had to prepare a position paper on their topic before leaving West Point.

“It’s a very, very unique experience that you don’t have a chance to do every day,” said Ortiz, who is interested in public policy as a career. “It was inspirational to be surrounded by such great student leaders who will someday be the people I hope to work alongside when creating public policies.”

Global Business Leadership Professor Takes Part in Faculty Enhancement Program temples, religious centers and even Mother Teresa’s house.

The faculty participants have revised their syllabi, created new courses, published articles, established connections in Asia and undertaken new professional development activities.

For nearly a month last summer, Deborah Pembleton (pictured second from left), CSB/SJU associate professor of global business leadership, took part in the ASIANetwork Faculty Enhancement Program (ANFEP): Deepening Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, devoted to the topic of “Religion in National and International Affairs in China and India.” The seminar was funded by the Mellon Foundation.

The primary goal of ANFEP was to facilitate the study of religion and public life in China and India by American scholar-teachers. Pembleton was one of 10 professors who came from a variety of academic disciplines.

6 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

They visited a number of cities in both countries, including Hong Kong and Shenzhen in China and Kolkata, Darjeeling and Sikkim in India. They heard numerous presentations on religion and visited churches, mosques,

The plan is that these resources will be incorporated into a new major online teaching resource database that is already under development by ASIANetwork through a grant from the Luce Foundation.

“I learned how much I didn’t know about the world, about China and India and about religion in those places,” Pembleton said. “My initial reaction was to come back and try to teach a joint course, perhaps with someone from the Theology Department, on world religion.

NEWS

Three CSB/SJU Faculty Members Part of LibreTexts Project Three chemistry professors from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University are helping decrease the cost of college textbooks while increasing the availability, usage and educational value of open textbooks.

Henry Jakubowski, Chris Schaller and Kate Graham are three of 62 faculty members nationwide who will contribute content to the LibreTexts Project, a non-commercial open textbook organization initiated at the University of California, Davis.

The project received a $5 million Open Textbooks Pilot Program award from the U.S. Department of Education. With LibreTexts, students, faculty and outside experts work together to build freely available open education resources that supplant conventional paper-backed books.

The broad national coalition includes faculty members from large research institutions (the University of Michigan and University of Kansas); liberal arts colleges like CSB/SJU and DePauw University of Indiana; and community colleges (Monroe Community College in New York and South Tahoe Community College in California), among others.

Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published and licensed to be freely used, adapted and distributed.

These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality, and they can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost.

“We were included because we have demonstrated productivity in the areas in which LibreTexts is interested, and they wanted to have dependable collaborators so that they could go back to the Department of Education in a couple of years and show them that the grant had been successful,” said Schaller, acting as a spokesperson for the group.

“In addition, they have also been interested in the past because of our innovative approaches to teaching chemistry,” Schaller said. “They wanted the collaborators

to represent a broad range of research institutions, liberal arts colleges and community colleges. That aim was driven by the goal of making new online materials that appeal to students across a very broad range of institutions.”

All three CSB/SJU professors will develop content in areas LibreTexts would like to see expanded, Schaller said.

“My contribution is intended to be mostly in the area of inorganic chemistry,” Schaller said. “Henry will be making more contributions in biochemistry, and Kate will be making contributions in general and organic chemistry, with emphasis on worksheets for classroom use.”

Delmar Larsen, LibreTexts Project director and an associate professor of chemistry at UC Davis, began the project 10 years ago when he created ChemWiki, an online chemistry book. ChemWiki grew into one of the most visited educational sites on the internet, and is now known as Chemistry LibreTexts.

It has been conservatively estimated that LibreText has already saved students $30 million while “providing a high-quality, modern learning experience,” Larsen said in a release from UC Davis. “Our goal, with the support of the award, is to help students save at least $50 million in textbook costs over the next three years in a thousand classrooms.”

Spring 2019 | 7

NEWS

Building Success All Across Campus

The CSB campus has seen some significant additions in the last year. Last month, the Minnesota Construction Association saluted the style and substance of those projects.

On March 6, the Minnesota Construction Association recognized two of their members at the 24th annual Awards of Excellence celebration for work done at Saint Ben’s. CSB was the only institution with more than one award-winning site.

The Saint Benedict Athletics Complex was honored with a 2019 Award of Excellence in the “New Project Total Value Under $15,000,000” category. Terra Construction, who submitted the award entry, accepted the award on behalf of Saint Ben’s and its other partners on the project, including CREO Design Collaborative, Anderson-Johnson Associates and HW2 Design. “[The athletics complex] has and will continue to positively impact our program at all levels,” said CSB softball coach Rachael Click. “I enjoy seeing the impressed faces and hearing positive comments from visitors. The new facility also makes a powerful statement that the College of Saint Benedict values athletics and women are indeed a priority.”

The new Schoenecker Commons was given a 2019 Award of Excellence in the “Renovation, Expansion or Tenant Improvement Project” category. Donlar Construction submitted the entry for their work in helping the college renovate and combine three buildings purchased from Saint Benedict’s Monastery (Caedmon, Wendelin and the Artisan Studio) into administrative office space and the Malone Admission Welcome Center.

8 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

“We are proud of the way our investment in our physical plant was not only fiscally responsible, but has helped us achieve key elements of our mission,” said CSB President Mary Hinton.

According to its website, “The Minnesota Construction Association is a non-profit organization that provides networking, business recognition and education opportunities for construction managers, project managers, general contractors, subcontractors, owners, engineers, architects, attorneys, suppliers, developers, educators and students involved in the construction industry.”

For entries submitted in the Award of Excellence competition, “In each category, judges rate the entry based on general project information, description of the project, project schedule, safety, cost and overall project management.”

CC Duo Races to Nationals BY | LEAH RADO

Morgan Pierce ’19

Abby Goff ’22

From the inception of the College of Saint Benedict cross country program in 1983 through 2017, only three different individuals had ever qualified for the NCAA Championships. In 2018, that number nearly doubled.

Senior Morgan Pierce and first-year Abby Goff both ended their seasons at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

They are the first CSB runners to qualify for nationals since 2005, and this marked the first time in program history that the team has had two individuals qualify in the same season.

The duo joins Katy Diegnan ’93, Missy Petersen ’98 and Leah Wurm ’06 as the school’s only five cross country runners to qualify as individuals for the national meet. Diegnan qualified in 1991 and 1992, Petersen each year from 1994-96 and Wurm in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

The national meet capped off a stellar season for both Pierce – who finished 99th at the national meet, held at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin – and Goff, who took 134th. Both runners finished in the top 10 at the NCAA

Central Region Meet in Waverly, Iowa, to qualify for nationals, and also at the MIAC Championships. Both Pierce and Goff earned All-MIAC First Team honors, as well as All-Central Region accolades.

Pierce won the MIAC Championship race in mid-October, joining Wurm as the school’s only two cross country conference champions and MIAC Cross Country Athletes of the Year. Pierce finished in the top 20 in all seven meets she competed in prior to nationals, and in the top 10 in six of the seven. She ran the second-best 6K time in school history at the Eau Claire Invite, and also graduates with the 12thbest 5K time in CSB cross country history.

Pierce earned MIAC Athlete of the Week honors three times as a senior. She is the first CSB cross country runner to earn three weekly MIAC honors in a season and four in a career.

Goff finished 10th at the MIAC Championships and took seventh at regions – one spot ahead of Pierce, who finished in eighth. She finished in the top-25 six times as a first-year, including a fourth-place finish at the Twin Cities Twilight in the first race of her collegiate career. At the region meet, Goff ran the fourth-best 6K time in program history.

“Abby came into the season incredibly driven. When we got to the point in the season when I told her that the NCAA Championships were an option, she was excited for the challenge,” CSB cross country and track and field head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue ’91 said. “She was fearless, and that’s how she raced all season.

“It is amazing to me the journey Morgan has taken as she was sick or injured her first few years. Her patience, persistence and drive to be the best she can be helped her to have an amazing senior season.”

LOOK AT HER GO • #BENNIENATION and gobennies.com.

Spring Spring 2019 2019 || 99

Sacred A

y w o n S

BY | SARA MOHS

The tradition is as sacred as the experience itself. Every other year, when winter blankets the north , a group of Saint Ben's alumnae and friends travel to Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge for the Eco-Spirituality Dogsledding Retreat. For four days, the women commune , reflect and experience the art and science of dogsledding, hands on .

When Paul Schurke (SJU ’77) was eight years old, he went on a camping trip to northern Minnesota that would inspire a lifelong vocation.

Fast forward 55 years to a lodge in Ely, Minnesota, owned by Paul and his wife, Susan. An arctic mystique wraps the quiet terrain as this year’s group of Saint Ben’s alumnae set out to uncover their own sacred moments destined to be frozen in time.

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I

t may seem like an unusual way to seek spiritual enlightenment, but Paul says the north woods is the ideal place to find contemplation, especially in the winter. And dogsledding allows the participants to immerse themselves more fully into the experience.

“The Boundary Waters host a quarter million people in the summer. But, in the winter, it’s a very quiet place,” says Paul.

“There’s only a handful of us that inhabit it. We have three million acres and 2,000 lakes all to ourselves. With the foliage down, the wildlife is much more conspicuous. You’ll see signs of wolves, moose, mountain lions, lynx and otters.”

But, even more conspicuous than the wildlife are the prevailing silence and the beauty of the snow scape.

Justine Martin ’99 attended the retreat in 2016 and remembers the silence that permeated the north woods as the most striking aspect of the experience.

“Dogsledding is a very quiet activity. I’m used to experiencing nature in a more motorized way by snowmobiling or four wheeling. When you’re dogsledding, all you hear are the sleighs and sounds of the dogs running. It’s lovely to be in a place without any noise where you can really think about your life and soak in your surroundings,” Justine recalls.

" It's lovely to be in a place without any noise, where you can really think about your life and soak in your surroundings."

- Justine Martin ’99 It’s this unique combination of silence, snow, sleds and wildlife that creates an opening to sacred and peak experiences.

Jennifer (Holton) Tacheny ’95 was the spiritual guide on this year’s trip. She’s the co-director of young adult spirituality for Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet & Consociates (CSJ). As spiritual guide, she helped the group create space each day for setting intentions and then reflecting on the experiences that arose from those intentions.

“People participated for different reasons. Some wanted the physical challenge. Others wanted more of a psychological challenge by trying something new. And others came for a spiritual deep dive into what eco-spirituality means in their lives,” says Jennifer.

Spring 2019 | 11

To help initiate discussion and discovery, Jennifer read works from Irish philosopher and priest John O’Donohue, poet Mary Oliver and Benedictine Saint Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote about God’s brilliance in all living creatures. Jennifer also called to mind the prologue of Saint Benedict’s Rule, which asks us to listen carefully with the ear of our heart.

“That meant listening both to the stories of the group and being observant to what we were seeing, hearing and feeling. The trip provided the perfect setting because we had the enchantment of the wildness, the inspiration that comes from rigorous activity and the richness that comes from great group cohesion,” she says.

Though the attendees were an intergenerational group of women who were strangers aside from the common touchpoint of being Bennies, Jennifer says the women quickly formed a connection that became one of the richest aspects of the experience.

Beyond the sacred moments created out on the trails and during group reflections, Jennifer believes the dogsledding experience allows participants to express

their faith in a more subtle way, simply by honoring their natural surroundings.

“How we live on the planet can be an important expression of our faith. The Benedictines refer to it as stability, which is how we’re committed to this land and how we care for it,” says Jennifer. “Pope Francis talks about this in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which is essentially how our faith compels us to care for creation.”

Make no mistake though, this retreat is more than an exercise in relaxation and quiet contemplation. “Dog sledding is definitely not for the faint of heart,” laughs Amy Anderson, CSB assistant director of alumnae relations, who attended the trip for the first time this year.

“While the dogs are running at what seems like a jogging pace, I found that to be plenty fast when we entered the narrow

pathways in the woods, as well as when we were taking sharp corners and avoiding trees and rocks,” Amy says. “There were several moments where I just hung on around a sharp corner, hoping we would make it unscathed.”

Heart-pumping turns are one way to keep warm on the winter trail. Multiple layers of quality cold-weather gear are another. And a third is to keep moving yourself. “We were encouraged to jump off and run next to the sled to reduce some of the weight and help our team run faster,” recalls Amy. “I jumped off often and found out it was not just a pretty great workout – it also helped a lot with the cold. I never got cold and I really felt energized being able to run alongside the sled for a bit.”

And, then, there are the dogs.

“ Being with the dogs allowed us to tap into a long history of people’s relationship with animals. That alone is such a great entry point into thinking about eco -spirituality."

- Jennifer (Holton) Tacheny ’95

This year’s Eco-Spirituality retreat participants Back row L to R: Ann Maresh ’81, Jennifer Benner Darling ’92, Julie Hoss ’92, Jennifer Holton Tacheny ’95. Second row L to R: Roseanne Uschold ’81, Gretchen Sitzer ’14, Colleen Cashen (non alum). Front row L to R: Jennifer Nord Mallard ’94, Amy Anderson (Assistant Director of Alumnae Relations), Margi Welle Sitzer ’76.

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A typical day of the retreat 7:30 AM Daybreak begins with kennel care for the dogs.

Participants work hands-on with the dogs throughout the retreat by feeding, watering and assembling their teams before each trip.

7:45 AM Everyone comes together in prayer.

9 AM The group layers in winter gear and heads down to the kennels to harness the teams.

8 AM A hearty breakfast in the dining room, where the guides go over the plans for the day, including the routes and itinerary.

“The dogs all have their own personalities. In fact, the guides talk about them like they’re people,” says Amy. “On the trail, the guides encouraged us to use the dogs’ names and yell out instructions and encouragement – ‘Good job Millie, keep going!’ – to build trust and familiarity with our team. By the end of a two-hour run with them, I honestly felt like they were my dogs.”

There’s an undeniable connection that comes with becoming part of a team. “It was wonderful spending so much time with them and being involved in the feeding and care,” says Amy. “When you see how much effort goes into the process, it makes the entire experience richer because you’re more invested.”

9:30 AM The teams hit the trails for a full morning of dogsledding. The guides travel among the teams on skis to point out scenic interests and to help them fine tune their mushing skills. The guides adapt the route based on people’s energy and interest, stopping along the way for photo opportunities, hot beverages and to share teachable moments regarding the land and its wildlife.

Noon The group takes an extended break to enjoy a trailside campfire picnic lunch.

1 PM The teams make their way back to the lodge with a full afternoon of sledding.

4 PM Late afternoon brings personal time for reflection or relaxing in the woodfired sauna. If the participants are feeling especially adventurous, they can complete the retreat tradition by taking a polar plunge in the lake where the guides have cut a hole in the ice with a chainsaw.

Jennifer echoes those sentiments.

“I’m not a dog person, so I was surprised by the connection we all shared with them. Being with the dogs allowed us to tap into a long history of people’s relationship with animals. That alone is such a great entry point into thinking about eco-spirituality, which was the theme of the trip – the interconnections between all living creatures and how our faith compels us to care about that and act out of that reality,” she adds.

7:30 PM

The final night includes a celebration dinner and “Musher’s Graduation.”

6:30 PM

After dinner, some participants leave for the International Wolf Center interpretive program while others take advantage of some quiet personal time.

9 PM The day winds down with group prayer and reflection.

Spring 2019 | 13

WHAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF A

FISH OUT WATER? of

BY | LEAH RADO

14 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

“I feel most at home when I’m attempting these marathon swims,” says Michelle, who was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in Australia in March. “They test my mental and physical fortitude, and at the same time fuel my spirit. It’s a chance for me to be literally part of something bigger and feel the power of the world.”

Slicing her way persistently across the surface of places where she should seem out of place, Michelle is somehow the opposite of a fish out of water. “The ocean is not a normal medium for humans, and to spend even a few hours in it and realize that the world is so much bigger than you is just incredible.”

PHOTO BY AUBRIE LEGAULT

Michelle Macy ’99 knows that her sport of choice isn’t for everyone. And she acknowledges that large bodies of water – where she spends a good amount of her time – can be scary places full of unknown creatures, dangers and weather patterns.

Growing A passion

From the pool to the ocean

Michelle, a two-time Honorable Mention All-American swimmer while at CSB, has been in the pool since before she could walk.

Weekends and summers were spent at the pool or the lake, and her competitive swimming career grew from there.

After eight years away from competitive swimming, Michelle decided to return. Only this time, she wasn’t swimming a half-mile or mile in the pool – she started swimming miles upon miles in lakes, seas and oceans. In 2006, she competed in two ‘smaller’ swims (five and 8.2 miles), and in 2007 she swam the 21-mile English Channel for the first time, recording the fastest American time of the year for the Channel Swimming Association in the process.

“I’m so grateful for that program as I learned so much about myself, my values and just that the world is so much bigger and there is so much to learn.”

She also credits her parents for her love of travel. When she was young, her parents gave Michelle, her sister, Katie Macy Schwarz ’97, and her brother, Patrick Macy (SJU ’94), a choice: get presents for Christmas or use that money to travel. The siblings chose travel, so the family went on trips to Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and other tropical locations.

When she got to CSB, Michelle competed with the swim team for three seasons before stepping away due to burnout. Stepping away from swimming, however, gave her the opportunity to go on the Greco-Roman study abroad program.

The English Channel was her first marathon swim, but her family was not surprised by her decision.

“Michelle is a thinker; very determined and persistent,” says Katie, a two-time All-American diver at CSB. “When she told the family she was planning on swimming the English Channel, she had already thought long and hard about what the challenge would entail and had done her research. Michelle is a very determined person, and when she sets her mind to something, she doesn’t give it up easily.”

Michelle admits that her training heading into her first English Channel swim (she has since completed it twice more, in 2009 and 2012) may not have been ideal, but she completed it, and has since settled into a training routine, a routine with her crew and a routine in the water.

“I’m so grateful for that program as I learned so much about myself, my values and just that the world is so much bigger and there is so much to learn,” says Michelle, a biology and Spanish double major at Saint Ben’s.

66 lengths of the Saint Ben’s pool in a mile

Pool lengths in the english channel

2007 | Michelle Macy 10 hours, 2 minutes 2012 | Michelle Macy 10 hours, 35 minutes

English Channel

1,386

fastest American time

= ONE SAINT BEN’S POOL LENGTH

Spring 2019 | 15

fish out of water?

the swimming When running a marathon, athletes can look around as they run the 26.2 miles, watching the scenery pass, listening to the fans cheer and even chatting with other runners in the pack with them.

This is not the case with marathon swimming.

Marathon swimmers compete with their heads down, looking into dark, deep water, for miles at a time. They look up briefly for a breath every few strokes, and get to interact with their crew during feeding times every half hour or 45 minutes.

“It’s complete sensory deprivation,” Michelle observes. “You can’t hear, you can barely see anything and it isn’t like you can talk to someone or stop to take a break. You have to be very comfortable with being in yourself.”

Michelle admits she probably ‘isn’t the most fun’ in the days and weeks leading up to a swim as she and her crew watch the swim dates and the tides. She also says that for the first hour or so of each swim, she wonders to herself what she’s doing – and why she signed up for another long swim – as she puts one arm in front of the other, stroke after stroke, and pulls herself through the (often cold) water.

She says the third and fourth hours are also tough.

“This is the time I really think ‘Well, this was a good workout. You saw a beautiful sunrise. If you stop now, you can be home in time for lunch,’ ” Michelle laughs.

It’s during those times that her crew – which consists of family and friends – steps up the encouragement during feeding times, and also in the moments they know she can see them when she comes up for air. She says they bring funny hats to wear, do silly dances and put together short skits – all to keep her entertained and out of her own head.

Once she gets past the four-hour mark, Michelle says she generally realizes that she’s made it this far – so she may as well keep going and see how far she can go.

Like most endurance athletes, Michelle says that marathon swimming is 80 to 90 percent mental and 10 to 20 percent physical.

“If I’m really lucky, I don’t think about anything and just go into a meditation-like state,” she says. “When this happens, it feels as if my body is just doing what I believe it was made to do, and my head gets out of the way.”

16 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

When she struggles to quiet her active mind and get into that zone, Michelle says she thinks about everything from her next actual meal to work to various songs to the people in her life for whom she is grateful.

“I joke that I’m certain I’ve determined the cure for cancer while swimming – but I don’t remember it after the event,” she smiles.

Marisa Frieder met Michelle at the Tualatin Hills Barracudas masters program where the two trained. When Marisa heard locker room chatter about Michelle’s plan to swim the English Channel the first time in 2007, she approached Michelle – someone she was merely acquainted with at the time – and asked if she could be a part of her crew.

Marisa wasn’t a part of that first crew for Michelle, but she watched her progress via the tracker from afar, and the two became friends. Michelle helped Marisa – a sprinter and breaststroker – train for an 11-mile swim, and taught her about feeding intervals and how to work together with the kayaker that would make the swim with her.

In 2011, Marisa was finally able to be a part of Michelle’s crew for the Kaiwi Channel in Hawaii.

As part of the crew, Marisa helped with feedings and counting Michelle’s strokes to make sure she was strong.

“When we started, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute. Halfway across, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute. And 14 hours after we started, just before we sent her to the shore, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute,” Marisa recalls.

Marisa got seasick on the Kaiwi trip, and admitted that she slept through more of Michelle’s journey than she would have liked.

But at one point, she remembers waking up after hearing Michelle yelp – she had been stung by a Portuguese man-of-war.

“She’s got scars from them. And she keeps going,” Marisa says. “She always keeps going.

I think that’s what’s changed about her, as I’ve watched her on this journey. She started off just as unsure as everybody else as she approached that first English Channel swim. But she knows how to do this, and she’s really, really good at it. Now, as a seasoned marathon swimmer, when the time comes, she gets down to business. It’s an amazing thing to see – my friend transforms somehow.”

Mental toughness “It’s complete sensory deprivation. You can’t hear, you can barely see anything and it isn’t like you can talk to someone or stop to take a break. You have to be very comfortable with being in yourself... marathon swimming is 80 to 90 percent mental and 10 to 20 percent physical.”

PHOTO BY AUBRIE LEGAULT

Michelle Macy ’99

Consistency “When we started, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute.

Halfway across, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute.

And 14 hours after we started, just before we sent her to the shore, she was swimming 54 strokes per minute.”

Marisa Frieder

Spring 2019 | 17

fish out of water?

Part of a global community Michelle’s swims have taken her all over the world – from New Zealand to Japan to Ireland to Chile and everywhere in between.

She often brings one or two key people – usually family (Katie has been a part of her sister’s crew several times) or friends like Marisa – but she has met enough people on her swimming journey that she is able to fill in her remaining crew needs with swimming friends in the area. She says her Spanish major from Saint Ben’s has been helpful, especially when she completed the Strait of Gibraltar with a local boat pilot and organizer. The only real language barrier, she says, has been in Japan.

“People from all over and all cultures are more alike than different, and this is a joy that I’m reminded of every trip or new country,” she says. “I just wish at times we could all see this.”

Michelle says the marathon swimming community is a fairly small one worldwide, so she has met or at least knows of most of the swimmers, and everyone is willing to help out and lend a hand when they come to each other’s corners of the world to attempt a swim.

She doesn’t get to sightsee much while she is abroad for a swim. She spends the days before the swim resting, getting acclimated and gauging the tides. And she often has to leave very shortly after the swim to get back to her job in Portland, Oregon. Still, her travels have reminded her that people around the world are more alike than they think.

“People from all over and all cultures are more alike than different, and this is a joy that I’m reminded of every trip or new country,” she says. “I just wish at times we could all see this.”

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Balance vs choices While Michelle is able to do what she loves – and is one of the best in the world at it – she says that she is where she is today because of choices throughout her life and, some would say, sacrifices.

She watches little TV, doesn’t get to see her friends as often as she would like because of travel and training – 6-10 hours a week is base training, and 15-20 hours per week at peak times – and she doesn’t even cook that much. She says she has several friends – including Marisa – who cook and freeze meals for her so she doesn’t have to think about what to eat or cook while she is busy balancing work, training and traveling.

“I’m not sure I believe in the ‘You can have it all if you just work hard enough and balance your life,’ ” Michelle says. “I know for me, there are choices about how I spend my time. I don’t really date. I’ve decided against children. I work to support a passion.

“I do think that by choosing marathon swimming, I took one path in my life. I had to make tough decisions, and – some may think – sacrifices.”

Katie says that it’s because of those decisions Michelle made 10 years ago when she decided to get back into swimming, and that she makes every day, that she has become so successful – not only at swimming, but in other aspects of her life.

“Not many people can work full time, swim full time (while training), have a social life (she would say she doesn’t have one) and manage a home,” Katie says. “Michelle is very thoughtful and cares deeply about the people in her life. She has had the opportunity to travel the world through swimming, meet some incredible people and learn about other cultures in a different way than just traveling does.

Because of her swimming, she has become a bigger risk taker than she already was – and not just in swimming.

“There are things she has done or tried that other people would only dream about.”

Michelle says the support she receives from her friends and family surrounding her swims and daily through training and balancing work with her swimming means the world to her.

“Friends cook single-serve meals to stock my freezer,” she says. “Then they sit in a kayak for hours at a time while I’m doing training swims. They help take care of my dogs. They stay my friends, even when I don’t have a lot of time to give back to them.

“I can’t state what it means to have friends that support me being me and honor this type of friendship.”

After completing the Oceans 7 – a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims – in 2013 and two long swims in 2014, Michelle took 2015 and 2016 mostly off to recover from injuries and take a mental break. She completed several ‘smaller’ swims in 2017, including the Beagle Channel from Glacier Italia on Tierra del Fuego to Gordon Island, Chile (first successful swim), and the Strait of Magellan, where she set the women’s record.

She attempted the San Juan de Fuca between Port Angeles, Washington, and Victoria, British Columbia – a ‘middistance’ marathon – in 2018, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Due to heavy fog, Michelle had to abandon the swim and get into the boat just over a mile away from the finish. She hopes to try again and complete the swim in 2019.

While she isn’t quite at a spot health-wise or training-wise to add to her growing list of marathon swims just yet, Michelle says it’s not-so gentle reminders like a failed swim that help keep swimming – and life – in perspective.

“It’s a huge reminder that I’m just a small organism in this world, and that I can’t control everything,” Michelle says. “It is very humbling and grounding to be reminded that I’m only one very, very tiny piece in this great big world. “(Swimming) has also helped me focus on what is really important in my life and provided some perspective. Especially as I get older, there are times when I think ‘You’ve swum the English Channel. You can get through X’ – whatever X may be at the time.”

Big Swims

Michelle Macy’s 16

8

25 7 6

27 13 17 20 24 11

14

26

5 23 9

21

22

12

10

2

18

1

19 15 3

4

1 2017 Lake Titicaca, Peru

4.6 miles, approx. 2:30 First woman finisher in age group (40-49) 2 2017 Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul, Turkey

3.7 miles, 1:01:00 Second woman finisher in age group (40-45) 3 2017 Strait of Magellan, Chile

2.9 miles, 0:58:13 Women’s record holder 4 2017 Beagle Channel, Chile

1.2 miles, 0:33:51 First successful swim 5 2016 Circle of Health International

Awareness Swim, Monterey Bay, Calif.

3.7 miles 6 2014 Jersey Island, U.K. to France

18 miles, 6:42:00 Women’s record holder 7 2014 Round Jersey, Jersey Island, U.K.

41 miles, 9:29:00 Women’s record holder 8 2013 North Channel, Bangor, Northern Ireland

21 miles, 9:34:00 Overall record holder 9 2013 Santa Barbara Channel, Ventura, Calif.

12.7 miles, 5:29:56 Women’s record holder until 2017 10 2012 Tsugaru Channel, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

12 miles, 8:55:00 Women’s record holder until 2018

11 2011 EPIC 5 Challenge

5 Ironmans, 5 Days, 5 Hawaiian Islands Team Nike Relay – Hawaii 12 2011 Strait of Gibraltar, Tarifa, Spain

9-12 miles, 3:39:00 13 2011 Karen Gaffney Columbia River

Swim and Cruise for Kids, Portland, Ore. 6 miles 14 2011 Kaiwi Channel, Hawaii

26 miles, 14:12:00 15 2010 Cook Strait, Wellington, N.Z.

19 miles, 8:02:00 16 2010 Clarence Strait, Ketchikan, Alaska

14.5 miles, 6:46:00 First successful swim 17 2010 Portland Bridge Swim, Portland, Ore.

11 miles 18 2010 Kaieiewaho Channel Relay, Hawaii

72 miles 47:55:00 Teammates: Mike Spalding, Linda Kaiser, Joel Schwartz, Randy Brown, Billy Brown First successful crossing 19 2009 Lake Taupo Triple Relay Crossing,

21 2008 Boston Island Marathon Swim,

Boston, Mass.

8 miles, 2:47:00 First female finisher 22 2008 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim,

New York City, N.Y. 28.5 miles, 7:55:31 23 2008 Catalina Channel, San Pedro, Calif.

21 miles, 10:12:00 24 2007 Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim,

San Francisco, Calif.

1.5 miles 25 2007 English Channel, Dover, England

21 miles, 10:02:00 Fastest American for the Channel Swimming Association in 2007 (second fastest American overall) 26 2006 Lake Minnetonka Challenge,

Minnetonka, Minn.

5 miles 27 2006 Pennock Island Challenge,

Ketchikan, Alaska 8.2 miles

Taupo, N.Z. 74.5 miles, 33:33:54 Teammates: Barbara Pellick, Penny Palfrey, Julie Bradshaw, Heather Osbourne, Lucy Roeper 20 2009 Monterey Bay Relay Swim,

Santa Cruz, Calif.

25 miles

Oceans 7

Spring 2019 | 19

hearing

Native Voices Regina Therchik ’20 traveled a thousand miles from home to attend high school … and didn’t leave her home state. That’s the scope of Alaska. It’s a bewildering paradox that can, at the same time, seem both mindbogglingly immense and provincially tiny.

For Regina, making sure the voices of her Native Alaskan community are heard is important. “I have always been a proud Yuk (Yup’ik person) and have always expressed my culture for myself and my community,” she says. “Unfortunately, not many people in my community have the confidence to pursue opportunities of varying types because of their demographics.”

So when she found a feasible path to education at CSB – thanks in large part to an Intercultural LEAD Fellowship, a Ratelle Native American Scholarship and a Virginia TahnkBusch Scholarship – she felt compelled and driven to make the most of the moment.

“When I decided to leave Alaska, I wasn’t sure what kind of place I wanted to go,” she recalls. “My fly-in to CSB/SJU was actually my first time leaving Alaska. And before attending my boarding school, I had never left rural ‘bush’ Alaska. When I spent a summer in Fairbanks, I thought it was too hot for me, so I ruled out anywhere too far south with too warm a climate. I thought Minnesota would be OK since it’s cold like Alaska, which I learned during my February fly-in. Thinking back now, I was naïve.”

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This past fall, Regina studied abroad in China, which is a very long way from Toksook Bay, Alaska. But, as she puts it, “One of the most valuable things about education to me is the chance to travel and experience more of the broader world around me.”

And, while her most recent trip didn’t take her quite so far away, it did bring her closer to her goals and ambitions. In March, Regina and a few fellow students traveled with CSB/SJU visiting professor Ted Gordon to Portland, Oregon, to present their ongoing research to the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Their project, titled “Identifying Pathways to Make CSB/SJU More Inclusive for Native Students,” has been funded as part of a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“The title identifies our primary goal,” says Gordon, “and to achieve this we have two major lines of research: contemporary and historical. The contemporary side (on which Regina is working) involves native and indigenous students interviewing other native and indigenous students and alums to learn about both their experiences at CSB/SJU and their recommendations.”

“This research on a Native American topic reminds me to work toward a decolonized anthropology,” reflects Regina. “I want to emphasize why our research team chose to have an indigenous student conduct interviews with other indigenous students on a topic concerning them. It is important to do indigenous students justice in how their stories are told in their voices.”

Wild

THE HERO’S JOURNEY INVOLVES CONSISTENT ELEMENTS. A CALL TO ADVENTURE. A TRUSTED MENTOR. CHALLENGES, OBSTACLES AND DETERMINED PERSEVERANCE. ANOTHER COMMON ELEMENT? A LOT OF THEM START OUT AT THE COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT.

Minds

John Muir once said, “Keep close to Nature’s heart ... and break clear away once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

Muir was referring to the sense of serenity that comes from connecting with the world around us. As a college student, Annie Johnson ’18 understood the barriers that prevent students from “breaking away” and spending intentional time outside. But after writing a senior thesis on the benefits nature can have on mental health, she also understood how vital it is to bring nature into daily life.

“As I brainstormed ideas for my thesis, wilderness therapy continued to rise to the top of the list,” says the environmental studies major and psychology minor. “My question became: how can Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s use techniques from wilderness therapy to help students experiencing depression, anxiety and stress? I chose these three issues because, according to Dr. Mike Ewing (Director of Counseling Services at CSB/SJU), they are the top three reasons why our students go to counseling.”

“I was cautiously intrigued about the idea of using wilderness therapy principles to facilitate a campus program,” Ewing says.

Demonstrated advantages of wilderness therapy include: reduced stress, increased resiliency and flourishing, improved

cognition, increased physical activity, and time for self-reflection which helps mental/ emotional stability.

It included a group of students meeting twice a month to spend time reflecting in nature, doing various outdoor activities and socially bonding on a deep level. At the end of the semester, the program culminated in a four-day canoeing trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

“The students in Wild Minds aren’t necessarily struggling with mental health, but we all struggle in some ways. Getting outside and taking a breath of fresh air can really help,” says Annie.

In the end, she was humbled by the positive responses to the program. “Everyone looked forward to Sundays. After going to Wild Minds sessions, they (said) their minds were clear, they were able to focus more and they were a little more outgoing.”

But a key hurdle for Annie was that, as successful as wilderness therapy programs have proven to be, it’s not realistic for a college student to put academics on hold to live in the woods for months. She needed to determine if it’s possible to capture those benefits and make great use of the environmental advantages we have – and do it in bite-sized sessions that fit into a college student’s life.

“The stories Annie shared with me reflect that she (and the program) were successful, and the data from her follow-up survey were also positive,” confirms Ewing.

Working in collaboration with CSB/SJU Counseling Services, Saint John’s Outdoor University, the Environmental Studies Department and a variety of student mental health clubs, she developed Wild Minds.

Annie describes it as “a program that combines outdoor adventures, mental health awareness and positive social atmospheres; all being accomplished through healthy risk taking and intentional journaling.”

This year’s student leader is Hannah Windschitl ’20. “Last year’s Wild Minds group was the perfect starting point to launching a successful program,” Hannah says. “I am ecstatic to be starting Wild Minds again this semester and bringing some students along with me.”

This year, Annie is a youth development specialist at Northwest Passage in Wisconsin, where she works with at-risk teenagers – and still embraces the power of getting outdoors. And the Wild Minds program? It lives on.

Spring 2019 | 21

Challenge

Accepted “It was the hardest day of my entire life, physically and mentally. But it was probably one of my top five favorite days in my entire life.” First-year Bennie and ROTC Cadet Maureen Burns joined the Ranger Challenge team for the Fighting Saints Battalion (FSB) – Saint Ben’s, Saint John’s and St. Cloud State University – without knowing what it was at all. “But it sounded really cool.”

Ranger Challenge is the Army ROTC equivalent of a varsity sport, where teams compete in a series of events to compile the highest combined score. And the day Maureen is describing was her first competition – the Task Force Challenge in October at Camp Ripley, near Little Falls, Minnesota.

Competition is divided into two categories – nine-person teams and five-person teams. Generally speaking, the nine-person teams are predominantly male, though they require at least one female team member.

The five-person competition, however, sees teams with more female participation (though teams are required to have one male). The FSB typically excels.

22 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

“This last fall was the highest number of females I’ve seen trying out,” says team captain Cadet Kate Sulzle ’19.

“It was awesome.”

Cadets started training in August and Kate worked hard with her carefully selected team of three other Bennies and a Johnnie (along with a Bennie and a Johnnie alternate). And by November, they had not only taken first place at the Task Force Challenge, they had also gone on to win the Brigade Competition at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, beating regional champions representing 41 schools.

“Along the way, I picked up some important takeaways,” Kate says. “You have to learn about your people – what motivates them, their goals and aspirations. When competing, you can’t let yourself get fixated on the past – I had to make calls in the moment and stick with them. And, most importantly, it’s better to meet people where they are and build them up than to expect people to fit a specific mold.”

Cadet Marissa Tuccy is the FSB Cadet Battalion Commander this semester. She’s

proud of herself for earning that role, proud of the Bennies on this year’s five-person Ranger Challenge team, and proud of the Bennie cadets who have come before her and built a strong culture of women in leadership.

“I believe the motivation, courage and determination these women exhibit is what will lead to true gender equity within the Army,” says Marissa. “For now, there are many improvements that have been made for gender inclusivity in the Army.”

Kate, for example, will be commissioned this spring as a Field Artillery officer. That’s a combat arms branch that simply wasn’t available for Colonel Kimberly Kuhn ’89 (featured on page 13 of our Winter 2018 issue) when she was commissioned.

“I hope to use my leadership role (as cadet battalion commander) as a springboard for what women in the Army are capable of doing,” explains Marissa. “I can’t do this alone, but the environment President Hinton fosters here at Saint Ben’s creates an empowering atmosphere where Bennies give each other support and encouragement.”

Aiyo!

Tales of Great Adventure

Morgan Durbin ’18 is currently engaged in her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant fellowship in Sri Lanka. She’s been updating friends and family via email – what follows is an excerpt, edited for length: Aiyo is a common Sri Lankan exclamation (in both Tamil and Sinhala) of despair, fear, frustration, surprise, good humor, delight and everything in between.

Climbing the “5,500” steps (aka, a lot) to the tippy top of Adam’s Peak/Sri Padaya at 2:30 a.m., just to watch the sunrise: Aiyo!

Walking through the jungle wearing sandals(!) while a friend leads the way, sweeping the ground with his booted feet to check for poisonous snakes: Aiyo!

Resorting to naming the resident cockroaches so as to humanize them and pretend they don’t give me the heebie jeebies: Aiyo!

Getting peanut butter as a birthday present: Aiyo!

“Processed Cheese” (Velveeta) and “Fat Spread” (butter) … at least Sri Lankan marketing is honest: Aiyo!

Exploring the hill country full of green mountains, waterfalls, coniferous trees, cool weather and so, so much tea: Aiyo!

A stomach bursting with egg hoppers and curries made with jackfruit and pumpkin and always fresh mango and papaya and avocado: Aiyo!

their coffee, tea and spice industry make up 16 percent of their total exports. Tea plantations in the hill country and paddy rice fields everywhere else (quite literally) are as commonplace as corn fields in Minnesota. Food is pervasive, ubiquitous, omnipresent. The culture of food extends beyond three simple meals a day. I’m not mad about it.

I thrive when snug in a winter coat and mukluks, sipping on hot chocolate and making snow angels – not wearing jeans in a tropical climate.

I refuse to subscribe to the “Eat, Pray, Love” kind of attitude that romanticizes other cultures for being exotic and different.

People here are living their realities. My reality used to be mice, and now my reality is cockroaches. My reality used to be driving, and now my reality is an essential reliance on public transportation. I am living my life day to day, but I also acknowledge that this lifestyle is vastly different from my default. I am learning how to practice patience when the last thing I am is comfortable. I am learning how to practice patience with myself.

There are days and moments when I feel tired, and tired of being tired. I am rapidly learning how to be comfortable with discomfort. And, in one month, this place has me head over heels. Aiyo.

Sri Lanka is not my natural habitat. There is an “Aiyo” for every day here.

I grew up on a meat and potatoes kind of diet, not coconut and curries that set my mouth on fire.

Food is integral to culture, and culture defines communities. Meals are opportunities for sharing – sharing food, sharing stories, sharing laughter, sharing company. I’ve gotten really good at eating atypical finger food with my fingers. I rarely order for myself anymore; food is shared among the entire table. Agriculture employs a quarter of Sri Lanka’s population, and

Spring 2019 | 23

globally

think

Studying abroad has always been an adventure and a chance to see the world from different points of view. The CSB/SJU students in this fall’s Greco-Roman program got the unique opportunity to see the world from the world’s point of view.

On their excursions, they saw exceptional flooding in Venice, Italy, that covered nearly 70 percent of the city in water.

They experienced an unusually strong “medicane” (a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone) in Greece. But it was an offer from the Vatican that proved most eye-opening.

CSB/SJU Chemistry Professor Henry Jakubowski, this year’s program director, received a special invitation for his students (of all different majors) to sit in on a conference inside the Vatican City

at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS). Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the PAS, extended the invitation to “Climate Change, Health of the Planet and Future of Humanity.”

“The timing and topic of the conference coincided well with the unit we were studying on epidemics, pandemics and climate change in my seminar course, The History of Medicine,” recalls Jakubowski.

“So we were extremely pleased to get the invitation to be outside observers.”

When the group arrived at the Casina Pio IV building, however, they were stunned to learn that they were the only outside visitors invited.

The conference was attended by around 50 diplomats and scientists from around the world, including Nobel Laureate and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and economist, public policy analyst and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs – and 30 very engaged Bennies and Johnnies.

“It was a singular experience for myself and many of the students,” says Jakubowski.

“In our classroom discussions afterward, one action step that resonated was reaching out like this to CSB/SJU alums, asking them – for the sake of the future – to become better educated about climate change and its solutions.”

24 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

Tales of Great Adventure

Student impressions Jada Gilbert ’19 – CSB: “I was amazed by all of the solutions and approaches that were offered in regards to climate change. I think that being in a conference where there was no question of whether climate change existed, but rather it was treated as a mere fact that the Earth is in danger – it really allowed for a productive conversation.”

Dane Kuhr ’20 – SJU: “I had always planned on pursuing mechanical engineering in the future, but after attending the PAS conference and meeting (Nobel Laureate and former U.S. Secretary of Energy) Steven Chu, I was inspired to direct my education toward renewable energy production. Upon returning home from the semester abroad, I want to take the holistic approaches to combating climate change that we heard and apply them to a Department of Energy summer internship where I will be conducting research on concentrated solar power production at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.”

Jess Hansen ’20 – SJU: “I was stunned when they invited me to sit in the front row next to some of the speakers. … The conference was motivating and gave me an optimistic outlook on our ability to solve the problem. … They mentioned how the younger generations need to be the driver of solving climate change and we have the ability to do it. It made me feel more important and like I have a voice in making change happen in the world.”

Cecilia Lovinger ’20 – CSB: “Attending this climate change conference in the inner walls of the Vatican completely changed my perspective. Science and facts must be taken seriously, but they may also coexist with religious teachings and values. They don’t have to be at war, but instead can live in harmony. It doesn’t have to be an either/ or for me. It can be a both/and.”

Tessa Rahrick ’20 – CSB: “Being able to hear experts talk about climate and the effects of climate change and possible solutions inspired me deeply. Now I want to do more personal research and become an activist, and do whatever I can do to let people know that this is a problem and that we need to work together to fix it in any way we can. I came out of the Vatican with conversations, with ideas and with determination; this event sparked passion in my spiritual self. And I plan to act on these ideas as well – that is how deeply I have been affected by all that I have learned.”

Mikayla Kelly ’20 – CSB: “Spiritually, I was very struck by something the Vatican representative said when he opened the conference. He said, ‘We’ve come full circle, in that Saint John Paul II really pushed the Church into researching and thinking about the way in which we treat God’s creation, we’re having this conference several years after Pope Francis’ moving encyclical Laudato Si’ on how we are to care for creation, and now we sit in the Papal Academy of Sciences to really talk about our responsibility as a global community to care for our home.’ From a Christian theological standpoint, there is no greater concern for anyone on the planet than how we care for God’s creation, because the first commandment God ever gave humanity was ‘to cultivate and care’ for God’s creation.

For me this conference wasn’t just about different fields coming together to talk about a common issue. This was the reawakening of a spiritual calling to justice.”

Kayla Schneider ’20 – CSB: “Faith is one of the most important things in my life and, after attending the science academy talk, I know that this is an issue that is important to myself and the planet that God has created for us.”

Abbey Whiting ’20 – CSB: “Attending a climate conference with big leaders brought forth a great sense of relief in knowing that discussion is occurring throughout the world and action to reduce carbon usage is occurring in other countries. … One delegate made a closing statement quoting Nelson Mandela that was perhaps the most powerful thought of the day – ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’”

Spring 2019 | 25

THIS IS

THE MOMENT This is the moment when we illuminate the next 100 years The ambitious, aspirational, multi-year for Saint Ben’s and the women who become Bennies. With the Illuminating Lives campaign is the largest $100 million goal, we aim to provide access to Saint Ben’s for comprehensive campaign in College of Saint deserving students, improve learning in 21st century academic spaces, and build confidence by offering a full range of Benedict history. Alumnae, parents, friends experiences to as many students as possible. and benefactors are rallying together to profess LOOKING TO DO YOUR PART their belief that there is no greater return on investment than an educated, courageous woman, AND START ILLUMINATING LIVES? grounded in the liberal arts and Benedictine Visit our campaign website at csbilluminatinglives.com, or check out some of the suggestions on the next page. values, determined to change the world.

MARCH 2019 CAMPAIGN UPDATE CAMPAIGN PROGRESS ACTUAL $78,192,564

GOAL $100,000,000

ILLUMINATING LIVES CAMPAIGN PROGRESS (BY PRIORITY) ENDOWMENT GIVING ACTUAL $45,759,710

GOAL $63,000,000

ANNUAL GIVING ACTUAL $21,372,622

GOAL $25,000,000

FACILITIES GIVING ACTUAL $11,060,232

GOAL $12,000,000

26 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

Actual (as of 2/28/19)

Goal

LIGHT IT UP What can you do to lend your light to advance the goals of the Illuminating Lives campaign? Here are five practical ways to get involved.

SHOW UP

SET UP

Campaign-themed events and celebrations are underway around the country. Check our website at csbilluminatinglives.com/events to learn when one is coming to your area. Check with your classmates and friends and then show up! You’ll reconnect with the college, meet some like-minded alums and friends and get familiar with the important goals of the campaign.

Consider leaving Saint Ben’s a gift in your will or estate. It’s very easy to do. And, if you’re like most people, starting that process will be a great first step in organizing some important things that you may have been putting off. Visit givecsb.mylegacygift.org to learn more and get started!

TALK THEM UP

When you turn this page, you’re going to learn about the Bennie Conversations program. It’s an initiative designed to capture and preserve stories from CSB alumnae from all generations. By telling our stories, we’ll celebrate and document the impact this college has had on its students – their families, their businesses, their communities … the world. Visit csbilluminatinglives.com/how-she-shines to see more.

Who understands better than an alumna like you the transformational impact a CSB education can have on a young woman? The Illuminating Lives campaign is expanding access to that impact to deserving students everywhere. You’ve seen it. So say it. Tell someone about why these young women are worthy of investment, and share it on social media using hashtags #csb, #illuminatinglives and #howsheshines. Visit csbilluminatinglives.com/video for inspiration.

SPEAK UP

STEP UP Every annual gift, facilities investment, endowed scholarship commitment and documented will or trust bequest helps us reach our $100 million goal. Visit csbilluminatinglives.com today, learn more and give!

Spring 2019 | 27

MALONES HELP WELCOME A NEW GENERATION OF BENNIES AND JOHNNIES For Colleen McCormick Malone ’80, the most memorable part of her campus visit to Saint Ben’s in 1975 wasn’t the Main Building or the chapel or the residence halls. It was connecting with her close cousin Linda McNamara Beckler ’79, who was a first-year Bennie at the time, and seeing the good relationships she had already formed with her first-year friends.

The Malones were impressed with the vision for the space. Often, when an institution runs out of space, the instinct is to build new.

CSB decided to take a more sustainable approach that is very much in keeping with our Benedictine heritage. When the college purchased these two monastic buildings, along with the nearby Wendelin building, it addressed a pressing need for administrative space.

“I was amazed at the women connection,” recalls Colleen.

“It struck me as something I would like, too.”

“When Mary Hinton told us about the process of reevaluating the space needs on campus, the savings realized in that reconfiguration and incorporating the Benedictine old space with new space, we knew right away that we liked this plan,” says Colleen.

With a cousin on campus, an uncle working at Saint Ben’s, grandparents in St. Joseph and the impressive reputation of the CSB/SJU business administration major, Colleen felt she had found a welcoming home for her next four years. Of course, that wasn’t all she found – CSB/SJU is where she met her husband, Mike Malone ’80.

To celebrate that welcoming spirit, the Malones recently announced a major gift to the Illuminating Lives campaign in support of the Malone Admission Welcome Center in CSB’s Schoenecker Commons. The Malone Admission Welcome Center is the beautiful, inviting space through which many prospective Bennies and Johnnies will first experience the hospitality of the CSB/SJU community and the connections that are made that last a lifetime.

The new welcome center is a modern, two-story atrium space that bridges two historic former monastic buildings – Caedmon, built in 1911, that was originally built as a horse barn and served more recently as a residence for the sisters, and the Artisan Studio, built in 1962 as a carpentry shop, and most recently used as studio space for both sisters and lay artists.

28 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

Colleen and Mike were particularly impressed with the orientation of the welcome center. Its large glass windows perfectly frame an amazing view of the Sacred Heart Chapel. They also enjoyed the way the plan helped Saint Benedict’s Monastery, while saving the college and its students money. “Being who we are, we thought this package was very special,” she smiles. “The space is a beautiful representation of the growth of both CSB and SJU. I am still amazed at how people had that vision for these old buildings.”

Colleen and Mike feel fortunate in life and fortunate to have had CSB and SJU in their lives. “We talked and wondered whether we should give now and watch this come to fruition, or wait until we die to give,” Colleen says. “By doing it now, we can help pay it forward with a new generation of Bennies and Johnnies. Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have grown by leaps and bounds since we were here. We want to see that continue. These young people are amazing.”

SNIPPETS OF CONVERSATION JOIN THE CONVERSATION Every Bennie knows the motto – “so let your light shine” – was inspired by Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus encouraged his disciples to be bold in their good works. Rather than hide their light under a basket, they were told to place it on a stand for all to see.

As Bennies, we know the impact of daring to shine. We’ve seen it in the sisters who lit the spark more than a century ago. And we’ve seen it in the generations of alumnae who’ve fanned the flames of lifelong learning.

Now we have another opportunity to shine – simply by telling our stories.

Bennie Conversations: How She Shines is an initiative designed to capture the individual impacts of our collective light. Through alumna-to-alumna interviews, we hope to celebrate and preserve the moments that define a Bennie.

FOLLOW THE STORY Throughout the Illuminating Lives campaign, as we compile Bennie Conversations and other sparks of Bennie illumination, we’ll be posting them on the campaign website at csbilluminatinglives.com – under the How She Shines tab! Come back to visit often to hear from more Bennies like Vanja.

CAN YOU HELP? Our goal is to record 500 of these alumnae conversations. But to do that, we’ll need help. Lots of help.

•W ill you honor this effort by telling your story in an alum-to-alum interview?

• Do you have the curious spirit to gently draw these stories out of fellow alumnae as an interviewer?

• Let us know where we should look – who are the Bennies you know who have stories we should all know?

• Nominate a Bennie you know who has the listening ear to be an interviewer for Bennie Conversations.

Reach out to learn more and volunteer by emailing Abby Hansen ’12, CSB engagement officer, at ahansen001@csbsju.edu.

Vanja Sinanovic-Absmaier ’05 was a psychology major from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is currently heading Global Business Services Procurement for Allianz in Munich, Germany, and will soon transition to lead transformation of IT delivery for Global Lines in Allianz. She had her Bennie Conversation via Zoom with Abby Hansen ’12.

“When I came out of the civil war in Bosnia, which was a religious conflict at the end of the day, I really had an aversion toward religion. In addition, I’m a child of mixed marriage, meaning my mom is Catholic; my dad is Muslim. And when I arrived at a Catholic university, you know, a Benedictine Catholic university, and they told me that I had to take some theology classes, I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’ In my mind they were going to teach me about Jesus and what I can do and what I cannot do and whatever. ...

“But I must say, the theology classes I took at Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s were so brilliant.

They were deeply philosophical – about individual spiritual life. They were covering history of religion and theological aspects of it. We were really free to talk and think and question everything. We were actually stimulated. Which, for me, really helped my soul and really helped my healing and understanding.”

Spring 2019 | 29

I’M A BENNIE

’88

Nancy Fitzimons Alvarado ’88 visits with Laura and Cristina, the recipients of the first Bricks to Bread oven in Costa Rica.

NANCY FITZIMONS ALVARADO ’88 BRICKS TO BREAD From a plane to an SUV to a motorized canoe to a bus … it’s not easy to get to Barrio Escalante, Costa Rica. The indigenous Bribri people kind of like it that way. But in March, a group of volunteers made the trek in order to help build a brick oven in the community.

The project is the third community brick oven built in Costa Rica by Bricks to Bread, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit co-founded by Nancy Fitzimons Alvarado ’88. “We are an emerging ministry that began with a group of friends in 2012 building an oven for a family in need,” says Nancy.

Bricks to Bread works with partners like the Peace Corps in Costa Rica to help identify and vet the recipients of their ovens. For this most recent build, Nancy’s daughter Ana Grace Alvarado ’20 (who serves on the Bricks to Bread board of directors)

30 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

was able to serve as an in-country liaison while studying abroad in Costa Rica. Bricks to Bread is a family passion for the Alvarados.

Currently, Nancy’s full-time career is as the finance and operations director for a community-based nonprofit in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.

First-year residence hall

“After our first in-country oven, my husband and I personally built one at our house (in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) to use as a way to demonstrate to our local supporters the functionality of the oven with the idea of baking just as they do in Costa Rica and selling to our communities just as they do in Costa Rica,” Nancy explains. “The oven has become an icon in our community just as the ovens become icons in Costa Rican communities. We bake bread every other week as long as it is above 40 degrees. All proceeds go toward building our future ovens. We’ve had pizza party fundraisers, we bake flat breads during our spring fundraiser and pretzels during our Oktoberfiesta.”

“It is my dream and passion to someday focus 100 percent of my efforts on serving Bricks to Bread and the amazing Costa Rican women and families we work with,” says Nancy.

“Until then, we will continue to refine our mission and our programs and build local global citizens by providing mission trip experiences to our friends and families here at home.”

Favorite course/professor

You can learn more about Bricks to Bread and how you can contribute or take part at brickstobread.org.

Major at CSB Spanish and what was at that time called international business

First-floor Corona (Just down the hall from Ana’s first-year room!)

Any class with Jack Farley

Favorite Bennie memory It’s actually the more recent ones that are the most vibrant in my memory.

My Bennie friends are still my very best friends. We see each other often and have always supported each other during life’s ups and downs. To this day, my son (at age 15) thinks my college roommate Jeanne Cavanagh’s sons Ben and Nico are his cousins! He says, “We must be cousins because we don’t see each other very often, but when we do, it’s as if it was just yesterday, and we’re best friends all over again.”

CLASS NOTES

| MILESTONES Theresa McDermott O’Kane published 1979

a children’s picture book titled “Dragonfly Surprise.” The book has won awards including: Reader’s Favorite 5 Stars, the Wishing Shelf Red Ribbon Award 2017, the 2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Certificate of Excellence in Children’s Literature (Second Place in Special Needs/Disability Awareness) and Honorable Mention for Picture Books 6 and Older, Dec. ’17.

Mary Flynn Worley is the development director of First Generation Initiative and Lasallian Formation at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Nov. ’18.

Perforce, directed by Janet Setter Dryer, 1983

made the 2018 list of Star Tribune Best Places to Work. This is the second company that Janet has led to this achievement.

| MARRIAGES

2010

1988

Ashley Theisen to Britan Eisenbeis, Sept. ’18

Shannon Gray to David Scipioni, Sept. ’15

Brenda Kuklok to Richard Bohnen, April ’18

2001

hana Mengelkoch to Justin Bestel, S Aug. ’18

2003 2006

Therese Way to Mike Woolridge, Oct. ’18

2007 2009

Heather Johnson to John Griffin, Sept. ’18

Carrie McConville to Andrew Henningsgaard, April ’18 Krista Seipel to Benet Schulz ’09, Sept. ’17

Emily Miller to Nathan Orr ’11, Sept. ’18

Amanda Sperl to Adam Lieberman, 2011 Sept. ’18

2012

Alexa LaPatka to Peter Michaletz, June ’18

Jocelyn Sullivan to Lucas Wright, Aug. ’18

Dana Van Bruggen to Cody Bullock, May ’12 Molly Carter to Maxwell Forster ’13, 2013 Oct. ’17

Margaret Hooley to Daniel Gutmann ’13, Sept. ’18

Amanda Suchy to Kurt Schmit ’09, May ’18

Taylor Jacobs to John Marinkovich ’13, Sept. ’18

2010

Mary ‘Molly’ Jarrell to Michael Kulpa, Oct. ’18

Alison Burg to Cory Bemis ’07, Oct. ’18

Katherine Raskob is chief executive 1985

officer at Fundraising Institute Australia in Sydney, Australia, June ’18.

1996

L aurie Wolfe Johnson has received a Fulbright grant for the Spring 2019 semester to do research and consulting work in Uzbekistan.

Michelle Clifford Schaefer earned a master of arts in teaching with K-6 licensure from Concordia University St. Paul, Dec. ’18.

Dr. Elizabeth Nesset Ferguson is the 1999

designated institutional official and program director at Maricopa Integrated Heath Systems, Phoenix, Ariz., July ’18.

Shannon Verly Wiger was recognized as 2004

a 2018 recipient of the 5 Under 40 award by the St. Cloud Times. The annual award recognizes leaders in local businesses who also embrace community involvement.

Shannon is the director of business development/vice president at Moss & Barnett/Spring Hill Capital, LLC, in St. Cloud.

Jessica Guentzel Himmerick is the chief 2005

of staff at the Carlson School Undergraduate Program in Minneapolis, Oct. ’18.

Megan Murphy is a physician assistant at 2015 Janning ENT Center in Willmar, Minn., Dec. ’18.

Amy Maslowski received her M.A. in 2016

clinical-counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in June, 2018, and is currently in the counseling psychology Ph.D. program at the University of North Dakota.

Jessica Davis is the supervisor at the 2018 Sibley House in St. Paul, Dec. ’18.

Precious Drew was featured on KARE 11’s “Women Crushing It Wednesday.”

Precious, along with fellow alumnae, Lucia Cervino ’18 and Ashley Lee ’18, founded Perk: The Natural Beauty Lab, Dec. ’18.

Ryan McCanna is a content specialist at FindLaw, Oct. ’18.

’10

CAITLIN CARR TO RYAN EARLE, OCT. ’18 For complete news and notes from classmates and to post your notes, go to BenniesConnect: www.csbalum.csbsju.edu or email us at csbalumnae@csbsju.edu.

Spring 2019 | 31

CLASS NOTES

2013 Bethany Luckemeyer to Anthony

2013

Retica ’13, Sept. ’18

Amy Ranweiler to Jacob Harris ’13, Sept. ’18

Alicia Renstrom to Arturo Cerna ’13, June ’18 Mary Rymanowski to Brian Peterson ’13,

June ’18

Megan Stark to Isaiah Streed ’13, Aug. ’16

2014

Alexa Bollig to Cody Lambert, Feb. ’18

Melissa Bradley to Nicholas Jaeger, Sept. ’18

Ashley Delp to Sam Dittberner ’13, June ’18

Stella Fredrickson to Michael Sandager ’14, Oct. ’18 Abby Hansen to Thomas Brossart ’14, Aug. ’18

Ashley LaLiberte to Landon Martinez ’17, Sept. ’18 Angela Stevens to Dustin Schlangen ’13, Oct. ’18 Lauren Thoma to Mitchell Ergen ’15, July ’18

’13

Sara Tiemens to Garrett Lee ’14, Sept. ’18

A NNE PAVEL TO MITCHELL VOIGT ’14, JULY ’17

talk LET’S

The choice is yours.

Your legacy is in good hands.

Sarah Torchia to Cody Lynch ’14, Jan. ’19

Let’s start the conversation now, so your voice can carry on through generations. A legacy gift of any size pays exponential returns. It’s an investment in ambitious, promising women – women who will honor your legacy with transformative, world-changing impact. Make a bequest through your will or trust, name CSB as a beneficiary, or establish a charitable gift annuity.

Contact Gigi Fourré Schumacher ’74 at gschumach001@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5480 and learn more.

32 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

CLASS NOTES

2014

Taylor Alama to Travis Erickson, Aug. ’18 2017

Casey Klinker to Bradley Olijnek ’17, Oct. ’18

Tess Troyak to Jeremy Reller ’17, Oct. ’18

Rose Berg-Arnold to Zachary Holton, 2018 Aug. ’18

Amy Jo Eiden to Drew Wilfahrt ’16, Aug. ’18

Molly Gersch to Mitchell Kollodge, Sept. ’18

Natasha Stubeda to Dylan Koll ’17, June ’18

| BIRTHS / ADOPTIONS Ema Urness Hartung & Greg Hartung, girl, 1998 Ella, July ’17

Elizabeth Nesset Ferguson & Derek 1999 Ferguson, boy, Derek, April ’18

Kathryn Jeffery Foley & Matthew 2001 Foley ’01, girl, Margaret, Oct. ’18

A my Peffer Grossman & Troy Grossman, girl, Lorelei, Nov. ’18

Susan Schulzetenberg Gully & Michael 2004 Gully ’00, girl, Lilyana, Oct. ’18

’14

Amy Pauling Shay & Patrick Shay, girl, Anna, Oct. ’18

TASHA DANIELS TO ANDREW PERRY, DEC. ’17 2015

’14

K ELSEY LECLAIRE TO JOSEPH SMITH ’12, JUNE ’18 Tierney Chlan to Kyle Pavek, Sept. ’18 2015

Sarah DeWitt to Kevin Greening ’15, Sept. ’18

Maria Pugliese to Nicolas Bradley ’15, Oct. ’17

Jamie Reynolds to Garrison Stima, June ’18

’15

2005

arah Kopischke Ashton & Justin S Ashton, boy, Gage, July ’18

J an Fiedler Barthel & William Barthel, girl, Amelia, Nov. ’18

S avannah Gruber Engelke & Barry Engelke, boy, Easton, Aug. ’16 & boy, Wyatt, Sept. ’18

J essica Schlangen Lust & Paul Lust, girl, Callie, Nov. ’18

L isa Wolff Wittig & Jonathan Wittig, girl, Catherine, Oct. ’18

2006

achel Haney Gingrey & Daniel Gingrey, R boy, Peter, Aug. ’18

E mily Krump Hart & Tommy Hart, boy, Patrick, Oct. ’18

N ichole Glenna Kruse & Benjamin Kruse ’06, girl, Lydia, Oct. ’13, girl, Karina, Jan. ’16 & girl, Marvelle, Nov. ’18

2007

MELISSA QUINTANILLA TO DANIEL ANFINSON ’14, AUG. ’17 Alexis Good to Zachary Grieves ’17, 2016 Nov. ’18

Georgia LaLuzerne to Josh Groeneweg, Oct. ’18

Lauren Schoenbauer to Edward Mallak ’16, Aug. ’18

’07

MEGHAN POEPPING KENNEDY & TIMOTHY KENNEDY, GIRL, CLARE, JULY ’18 Spring 2019 | 33

CLASS NOTES

Sarah Wildenborg Toov & Bryan Toov, 2007

Stephanie Rothstein Homuth & Grady 2009

Megan Mastrian Young & Andrew Young, girl, Emily, Dec. ’18

2008

Jessica Hersman Strassener & Daniel Strassener, boy, May ’18

girl, Eleanor, Oct. ’18

Homuth, girl, Claire, Oct. ’18

2014

K athryn Heim Mestnik & Erik Mestnik, boy, Westley, Sept. ’18

Andria Welsh Clark & Allen Clark, girl, 2010

’14

Madeline, April ’18

’08

CASSANDRA GIMLER DARSOW & GREG DARSOW, BOY, GRAYSON, DEC. ’18 ikki Bender DeLisi & Peter DeLisi ’08, N boy, Jack, Aug. ’18

J osephine Reisdorf Ehle & Timothy Ehle, girl, Marie, Oct. ’18 aeleen Rasmussen Fandrich & Robert R Fandrich ’08, boy, Brycen, Nov. ’18

Tiffany Waverek Huffman & Zeb Huffman, girl, Zara, Oct. ’18

eidi Golliet Colburn & Joshua Colburn, H boy, Charlie, Oct. ’18

aula Traut Czech & Jared Czech, boy, P Crosby, Dec. ’18

elly Peltz Korn & Nicholas Korn, girl, K Jacqueline, Oct. ’18

Melissa Koch Mulligan & Matthew Mulligan ’10, boy, Benjamin, May ’18

Angela Tate & Andrew Aebly ’10, girl, Eleanor, July ’18

2011

Katie Brown & Luke Nelson ’11, girl, Luna, Oct. ’18

Anna Burgason Dirksen & Andrew Dirksen ’05 (SOT ’13), girl, Mary, Dec. ’18

Chelsie Roberge Griesinger & Jordan Griesinger, boy, Roman, Sept. ’18

Lisa Brand Kurtz & Nick Kurtz ’11, girl, Madison, Aug. ’18

achel Polk Parker & Dustin Parker, girl, R Lexi, Nov. ’18

Laura Deal Ramczyk & Michael Ramczyk ’07, boy, Joseph, Feb. ’18 Megan Barrett Vathing & Bennett Vathing ’11, twins, boy, Finn & girl, Rory, Sept. ’18 Dana Van Bruggen Bullock & Cody 2012 Bullock, girl, Brooklyn, Dec. ’16

Caitlin Hite Hansvick & Seth Hansvick, girl, Emma, Nov. ’18

OLLEEN KENNEDY KANAN & C AMED KANAN, GIRL, RAYAH, OCT. ’18 H annah Laudenbach Kurkowski & Jamie Kurkowski, boy, Braden, Oct. ’18

Bernadette Martinez Yarbrough & Kale Yarbrough, girl, Eloise, Sept. ’18 Elizabeth Ringle Benson & Michael 2015 Benson ’15, boy, Lysander, Nov. ’18

Alyson Pulvermacher Happ & Adam 2016 Happ ’15, girl, Hadley, Oct. ’18

2017

| DEATHS 1949

Mikayla Mages Bruggeman & Billy 2013

Bruggeman, girl, Jacqueline, Aug. ’18

Noreen Muggli Carroll, Nov. ’18

Ann Harvey Lynch, sister of Sheila Harvey Ostrowski ’51, Nov. ’18 George Conkey, spouse of Audrey 1950 Robinson Conkey, Dec. ’18

Marianne Tomljanovich Noble, mother of Anne Noble Phinney ’86 & Petra Noble ’92, Sept. ’18 Roger Birk, spouse of Mary Lou Schrank 1952 Birk, Nov. ’18

Betty Mandell Heymans, mother of Amy 1953 Heymans Kluesner ’81, Ann Heymans Rodich ’82, Maria Heymans Becker ’92 & Christina Heymans Arneson ’94, Dec. ’18

Emily Sherlock Purnell & Thomas Purnell ’11, boy, Jack, June ’18

Karlye Barron Rude & Luke Rude, boy, Easton, Dec. ’18

T aylor Alama Erickson & Travis Erickson, boy, Dawson, Jan. ’18

1955 1956

Marie Landeis Hauth, Oct. ’18 Philippa Gleason Lindquist, Oct. ’18

Thomas E. Schmid, spouse of Joanne Koshiol Schmid, Sept. ’18

’08

Rod Dachel ’57, spouse of Suzanne 1957

Welch Dachel & father of MaryTeresa Dachel-Baker ’87, Dec. ’18

T ENA RYTEL MONSON & BEN MONSON, BOY, LEVI, NOV. ’18

Charles Pfeffer, spouse of Rita Graham 1958 Pfeffer, Nov. ’18

Jenna Haler Peterson & Eric Peterson, girl, Elin, June ’18

arly Andresen Snee & Ryan Snee ’08, C girl, Ivy, Oct. ’18

2009

eidi Sutter Coleman & Joel Coleman H ’10, boy, Noah, Aug. ’18

Emily Simone Harrison & John Harrison ’07, boy, Benjamin, June ’18

34 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

James Christenson, spouse of Judith 1959

’13

NNE PAVEL VOIGT & A MITCHELL VOIGT ’14, GIRL, MADALYN, AUG. ’18

Veeder Christenson & father of Laura Christenson Lambrecht ’85, Sept. ’18

Joan Latterall Kotsmith, mother of Cynthia Kotsmith Fleegal ’81 & Annette Kotsmith ’87, Nov. ’18 Richard Heffner, spouse of Ruth Zenner 1960 Heffner, Oct. ’18

CLASS NOTES

1960 Joseph Swartzer, Sr., spouse of Dorothy Ellsworth Swartzer, Sept. ’18

Florence Wagener Lugovina, June ’18 1961 William Fallon, spouse of Jean Landherr 1962 Fallon & father of Kathleen Fallon ’90, Nov. ’18

Mona Boggie Reardon, Oct. ’18

Janet “Jean” Stark, Dec. ’18 1963 Daniel Goulet ’63, spouse of Kathleen 1964 Hammers Goulet & father of Kristine Goulet Romain ’90, Dec. ’18

Tim Bierman, son of Judith Wagner 1965 Bierman, Nov. ’18

John Herrick ’64, spouse of Kathleen Magara Herrick, Jan. ’19

Mary Mortier, Dec. ’18

William Posten, spouse of Pauline 1966 Lanners Posten, Dec. ’18

1969

onald “Pat” Hare ’69, spouse of D Patricia Halada Hare, Oct. ’16

Lawrence Flynn, father of Julia Flynn 1971 Hupperts, Mary Flynn Rossi ’75 & Virginia Flynn St. Clair ’78, Oct. ’18

THEY WANT TO KNOW! Your friends – your classmates – Bennies who’ve never met you. … They want to know about the important moments and milestones in your life. So let us know so we can let them know. Tell us about your promotions, awards, babies, weddings and loved ones whom you’d like folks to remember.

It’s not bragging, it’s just sharing.

Cher Joy Trulen, Nov. ’18

Betty Rian, mother of Cheryl Rian Daum 1972 & Mary Rian Crea ’73, Feb. ’18

Roberta MacDonell, mother of Mary 1973

Register in BenniesConnect at www.csbsju.edu/csb-alumnae to stay up-to-date all around. Or simply email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu.

MacDonell Belisle, Margaret “Peggy” MacDonell Armstrong ’74, Maureen MacDonell ’77 & Diana MacDonell ’81, Oct. ’18

Alice Dapra, mother of Susan Dapra

Jackson, Oct. ’18

Irene Kub, mother of Catherine Kub Williams, Sept. ’18 Tara Brewi, Sept. ’18 1974 Lillian Caskey, mother of Nancy Caskey Wells & Theresa Caskey Roberg ’78, Dec. ’17 Margaret Spellacy Jensen, sister of 1976 Eileen Spellacy Leir ’74, Nov. ’18

Delphine Stein, mother of Barbara Stein 1978 Cureton, Sept. ’18

William Ward, father of Debra Ward Hambleton, Dec. ’18 William Briwa, spouse of Holly 1979 Dierkhising Briwa, July ’18

John Gagliardi, father of Nancy Gagliardi Little & Gina Gagliardi Benson ’84, Oct. ’18 Mavis Skalle, mother of Heidi Skalle 1980 Hoffman, Oct. ’18

Susan Linton, Sept. ’18

Allan Edwards, father of Barbara Edwards 1981 Farley, Jan. ’19

Thomas Lenneman, father of Annette Lenneman, Dec. ’18

THERE’S POWER IN CONVERSATION Bennie Conversations: How She Shines is an initiative to capture and preserve what it means to be a Bennie through hundreds of recorded one-on-one interviews.

Your stories – funny, sad, heroic, relatable – showcase the impact each of us has when we let our lights shine.

Contact Abby Hansen ’12 at ahansen001@csbsju.edu to learn more about …

• volunteering to tell your story.

• v olunteering to interview other Bennies.

• s uggesting Bennies with great stories to share.

• s uggesting Bennies who are easy to talk with to become interviewers.

Spring 2019 | 35

CLASS NOTES

1981 Edward Maier, father of Jeanne Maier,

1988 James Gillen, father of Mary Gillen

Jason Boedigheimer ’93, spouse of 1994

Don Coy, father of Elizabeth Coy1982

Ernest Utecht, father of Karen Utecht 1989

Orlyn Struck, father of Betsy Struck Moga, Jan. ’19

Jane Rohe, mother of Mary Jane Rohe Kalina, Sarah Rohe King ’85 & Anne Rohe Holmberg ’99, Nov. ’18

Dawn Mannella, mother of Maria Mannella Linders, Nov. ’18

Theresa Loecken Roiger, mother of Michelle Loecken Roiger, Dec. ’18

Judith Marquis, mother of Anne Marquis, Dec. ’18

Wayne Vaverek, father of Hope Vaverek Saranpaa, Dec. ’18

Patrick Cummings, father of Jeanne 1990

Steven Brown, spouse of Lisa Moser 1995

Regina Lahr, mother of Kathryn Lahr 1991

Ray Tomsche, father of Michelle Tomsche, Oct. ’18

Donald Condon ’53, father of Catherine Condon DeLaRosa, Dec. ’18

Richard Bergstrom, father of Molly 1996

Dec. ’18

Burgeson, Nov. ’18

Erma Lefebvre, mother of Anne Lefebvre Kunkel, Nov. ’18 Robert Hofmann, father of Lori Hofmann Urke, Oct. ’18

1984

imberly Bowser O’Brien & spouse, K Timothy O’Brien ’83, Dec. ’18

John “Jack” Morris, father of Christine 1986

Morris Boerner, Kathleen Morris ’87 & Elizabeth Morris Otto ’95, Nov. ’18

Juletta Dingmann, mother of Marlene Dingmann, Jan. ’19 Ermaline Lahr, mother of Tina Lahr, Oct. ’18 Joan Brimmer, mother of Karen Brimmer 1987 Chartrand, Oct. ’18

Helen Janisch, mother of Michel Fidler Lawrence, Nov. ’18 Gerald Manske, father of Beth Manske1988 Behnke, Jan. ’19

Theodore Dullum, father of Elizabeth Dullum, May ’15

Fenske, Sept. ’18

Harbeck, Jan. ’19

Cummings, Oct. ’18 Allen, Jan. ’19

Diane Drutschmann Elkerton, Nov. ’18

Harriet Haeg, mother of Sarah Haeg Roers, Nov. ’18 Nancy Rademacher, mother of Denise Rademacher Smith, Oct. ’18 Howard Weise, father of Susan Weise Turzinski, Dec. ’18 Delores Kantor, mother of Roxanne 1992 Kantor Becker, Dec. ’18

Gene Beijer, father of Kimberly Beijer Blum, Oct. ’18 Delores Hanson, mother of Debra Hanson, Dec. ’18 Mary Meysenburg, mother of Claire Meysenburg Smith, Jan. ’19

Nicolette Wilson Boedigheimer, Dec. ’18

Brown, Nov. ’18

Bergstrom, Dec. ’18

Shawn Larson, mother of Holly Larson 1997 Brandenburger, Aug. ’18

Raymond Woitalla, father of Jacqueline Woitalla Deters, Dec. ’18 Paul McCabe, father of Marie McCabe McVenes & Patty McCabe Flowers ’02, Aug. ’18 Michael McLoone, father of Kathryn 1998

McLoone Marsh, Elizabeth McLoone Dybvig ’01, Margaret McLoone ’06 & Bridget McLoone Deering ’09, Sept. ’18

Ralph Nesset, father of Elizabeth 1999 Nesset Ferguson, Nov. ’18

Kenneth Twit, father of Katie Twit Larkin, Dec. ’18

Life is better when

BenniesConnect When Bennies connect, old friendships thrive and new friendships blossom.

Use BenniesConnect to submit class notes, update your address, check on a friend and plant the seed for more meaningful connections— both personally and professionally.

To register, go to www.csbsju.edu/csb-alumnae and click on the BenniesConnect link.

36 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

CLASS NOTES

Arden Gall, father of Nora Gall Ewers, 2000 Jan. ’19

Norman Jarvi, father of Elizabeth Jarvi 2001

Fagen, Mara Jarvi Koolmo ’03 & Breanna Jarvi Bjerketvedt ’06, Jan. ’19

Donald Neu, father of Mary Neu Motley, Oct. ’18 Robert & Joan Keppers, parents of Elaine Keppers Thelen, Dec. ’18 Dan MacDonald, father of Angela 2003 MacDonald Marsh, Jan. ’19

Edward Pokorny, spouse of Gretchen 2007 Vanden Berg, March ’18

Gerald Suchy, father of Amanda Suchy 2009 Schmit, Oct. ’18

John LaLuzerne, father of Georgia 2016 LaLuzerne Groeneweg, Oct. ’18

Pamela Petron, mother of Megan 2018 Petron Graczyk, Oct. ’18

YOU THINK YOU LIKE SAINT BEN’S, BUT DO YOU

REALLY? CSB and SJU on social media are great, but the CSB Alumnae Association has a whole stream of alum-specific content to keep you up-to-date and connected. Like and follow us everywhere!

facebook.com/SaintBensAlums linkedin.com/groups/64647 twitter.com/saintbensalums instagram.com/csbsju/

KNOW SOMEONE WHO’LL

LOOK GREAT IN RED? Referring a student is one of the best ways you can help build the CSB/SJU tradition. If you know a high school student who would make a great Bennie or Johnnie, let us know by filling out the Student Referral form on our website. As an added bonus, we’ll send them a voucher for a t-shirt that they can redeem during a campus visit.

Go to www.spreadred.com to help dress someone for a lifetime of success.

Spring 2019 | 37

BENNIE CONNECTION

1 1.

Bennies celebrated at the wedding of Kara Schoenherr ’16 to Michael Scardigli (SJU ’15) in September. Back row L to R: Natalie Tinucci ’16, Olivia VanOrsdale ’16, Molly Sullivan ’15. Front row L to R: Lauren Herzog Scardigli ’12, Mackenzie Kelley ’16, Christina Ayodele ’16, Kara Schoenherr Scardigli ’16, Carley Berthiaume ’16, Carrie McQuiston Scardigli ’90, Katie Monahan ’15.

2. At last fall’s Entrepreneur of the Year event, President Hinton met with former roommates and current Bennie Book Club members. Back row L to R: Mary Hinton, Pat Kent ’73, Mari Lyn Ampe ’73, Marre Jo Vilina Sager ’73. Front row L to R: Anne Doyle Smit ’72, Teresa Mazzitelli ’72, Jane Schneider ’73.

2

1

Right after college, this group of 1999 3.

Bennies started weekly reunions every Thursday night to watch “Friends”. They eventually changed to once a month and still work hard to make “Bennie Dinner nights” a priority! Here they are in December. Front L to R: Elizabeth Pothen Crosby, Shannon Shimota Hanlon. Middle L to R: Elizabeth Mazzoni Friedrichs, Amy Antoine Wolvert, Kim Nuytten Pilney. Back L to R: Jennifer Abrahamson Rose, Jennifer Jelinek Vinck, Janna Jenson.

Mary Traxler Ozbun ’75, Monica 4.

Wermerskirchen Schulzetenberg ’74, Bev Hahn Cote ’74, Rita Igel Moore ’75, Kelly deRosier ’74 and Marilyn Nistler Kelly ’74 met for lunch and book sharing last fall during the week of Bennie Day.

38 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

4

3

BENNIE CONNECTION

6 5.

Rylee Medelberg ’19, Corie Barry ’97 and Meghan Ortizcazarin ’20 connected recently during a Women’s Summit luncheon sponsored by Best Buy. 6. The class of 1961 met for a luncheon in October at Chianti Grill in St. Paul. First row L to R: Lee Reuter Klimisch, Mary Kay Carle, Jean Scherer Wagener, DiAnn Tintes Vinck. Standing L to R: Margie Warmka Barrett, Angie Helfter Korsmo, Avis Schnieder Page. Not pictured: Angela Helfter. They are getting close to celebrating their 80th birthdays and hope to return to CSB soon for their 60th class reunion.

5

Teri Kluzik ’80, Lori Johnson 7.

Coleman ’80, Maggie Twohy Carney ’80 and Joan DesLauriers Donner ’80 were first-year roommates. Last fall they celebrated Bennie Day 2018 together in Lake Como, Italy!

7 Spring 2019 | 39

ARE YOU A

SUSTAINER? Being a Saint Ben’s Sustainer means that you stand up on a recurring basis for today’s Bennies. It means you know the importance of giving to fund the scholarship help on which over 90 percent of our students rely. It means you understand the impact that women’s education has – today and tomorrow.

Being a Sustainer provides a steady, predictable stream of giving.

Don’t get us wrong. We love a nice lump sum as well, but predictable Sustainer gifts help us plan for the scholarship support Bennies need.

It takes less time than you’d spend ordering a customized dog sweater.

Becoming a Sustainer is fast.

That makes being a Sustainer easy for you – and important for us. Year to year, 90 percent of Sustainers feel satisfied enough to continue their support. Our overall donor retention rate is under 75 percent.

There’s no need to remember anything.

Just like a good rotisserie oven, you can set it, and forget it!

Being a Sustainer is, well, sustainable. Less paper, less postage, fewer administrative costs ... That means more dollars end up where they’re really needed – helping Bennies.

LEARN MORE AND BECOME A SAINT BEN’S SUSTAINER TODAY!

GIVECSB.COM

40 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine

GENEROSITY

?

by parents who lead by example. “They stressed that giving can take many different forms, largely through time, talent or resources. Individually, there are numerous medical causes and organizations that are important to me, but education and accessibility of education is very special to my family and guides some of my charitable giving efforts.”

Making the education she’s received and the experiences she’s had as a Bennie available to as many future Bennies as possible continues to inspire Libby. “I’ve been challenged at Saint Ben’s and I’ve grown in so many different ways. I’ve learned so much in how I approach the world and who I’m called to be. That’s a common theme among Bennies that I’ve noticed – curiosity and drive to make the world a better place. The world needs more Bennies and that alone merits the need for more contributions to make Saint Ben’s accessible to every woman.”

A Tradition of Her Own BY | GREG SKOOG (SJU ’89)

When Libby Grygar ’19 graduates in a few weeks, she’ll take her global business leadership major out into the world, seeking adventure. For starters, she’s hoping to find a strategic planning, product development or corporate finance role in the Twin Cities.

But when she goes, one connection she’ll keep with Saint Ben’s is one she’s already started – a personal tradition of giving to support scholarships. It’s a thoughtful and intentional process she’s been developing for some time.

“I wanted it to be a daily decision instead of every once in a while,” she says. “I originally began a separate investment fund

with the intention of donating ‘round-ups’ – tracking my daily spending and rounding each purchase up to the nearest dollar.

Then I took that difference weekly and put it into a money market account.

“Over time I have increased the multiplier I use for round-ups and additionally have a recurring amount that goes into that same money market account. Whenever the account reaches a certain threshold, I make a withdrawal and that becomes my gift to Saint Ben’s. In the future, as my income hopefully grows, the amounts that I can give to Saint Ben’s will increase as well through different multipliers and recurring amounts. But I see myself continuing a plan like this in the future.”

Libby points out the Young Alumnae President’s Circle (YAPC) as a simple, practical way that any young alumna can get started building a philanthropic tradition of her own. “The YAPC is a fantastic program that all young alums can and should take part in if possible. The tiered program is adaptable to the first few years out of college while transitioning to a new career and the progressive nature continues to nudge donors to continue giving more if possible.

“An interesting way to look at a program of this sort is its ease to build into each of our daily lives. The monthly contribution for recent alums is $5. That can be equated to a cup of coffee or something similar. I owe so much to Saint Ben’s that I’m able and willing to make changes in my daily life to make giving to Saint Ben’s a priority.”

To find out more about becoming a YAPC member, contact Ellen Newkirk ’13 at 320-363-5487.

Or visit givecsb.com and look for the Young Alumnae President’s Circle link.

Charitable giving isn’t a new idea for Libby.

She and her sister were taught it early on

Spring 2019 | 41

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 93723

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

2019 COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT | SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY

We look forward to seeing you

JUNE 21-23

CLASSES ENDING IN 4 AND 9

YOUR CLASS REUNION IS APPROACHING FAST! Mark your calendar and plan to reconnect with Bennie and Johnnie classmates and enjoy the campuses in the summer.

Learn more and register today at csbsjureunion.com.