STILL LISTENING

During our last capital campaign, Illuminating Lives, we began an initiative called Bennie Conversations. The intent was to capture the voices, experiences and wisdom of as many College of Saint Benedict alumnae as possible. These alumna-to-alumna interview sessions have become a priceless source of insights and a finger on the pulse of our community. So much so that, even though the Illuminating Lives campaign has long since come to its successful conclusion, we’re happily continuing the conversations.

In the Bennie Conversations interview process, one of the questions that’s always asked is What does it mean to be a college for women? The answers we get are surprisingly varied and always interesting. Here are a few of them.

Enhancing The Liberal Arts Experience

“You are doing a lot of growing up in college. There is value in doing that around other women who are also trying to figure out what they want to do in life. What do they believe? And then they are learning to express all of those things.”

“I especially liked classes where there were more women enrolled, just being part of groups where there were more women helped me express myself better and feel understood.”

Gaining Courage And Confidence

“You need courage to be authentic and be who you are. The confidence that you learn at Saint Ben’s. … Part of being confident is being courageous too. I think Saint Ben’s teaches that to women.”

Joining A Network

“I think if you would have asked me in college, I would have said, well Saint Ben’s doesn’t really feel like an all-women’s institution because Saint John’s is there. Now, as a woman in my 30s, reflecting on this I realized how grateful and powerful it was to be part of a network of women who uplift other women, and you realize how rare that is in some places around the world.”

If you’re interested in sitting for a Bennie Conversation, please contact Ellen Newkirk ’13, Engagement Officer, at enewkirk001@csbsju.edu. We look forward to listening!

Key consistent themes identified through Bennie Conversations

1. The liberal arts education our alumnae received as students has impacted the way they engage with the world.

2. The Bennie sisterhood is strong and infinite.

3. Attending a women’s college developed our alums’ sense of identity and helped them find their voice.

4. The Catholic and Benedictine traditions laid a strong foundation for our alumnae.

5. Saint Ben’s is a lifelong community