During Reunion Weekend each year, Saint Mary’s University honors outstanding alumni who have made outstanding achievements in their professional careers, who best exemplify the Lasallian charism Saint Mary’s was founded upon, and who have generously contributed time and talent to the goals and objectives of their alma mater. This year, four alumni were honored during a reception and ceremony Saturday, June 24, on the Winona Campus. This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient was Paul Magallanes B’63 of Thousand Oaks, Calif.;…
Title Professor of Theatre, Department of Fine and Performing Arts How many years have you worked at Saint Mary's? 24 academic years (1999-2023) How do you hope you are remembered? I hope I am remembered for being a fair teacher. I hope my dedication to teaching theatre and my prideful joy of learner accomplishments in my voice studio, classrooms, and productions are what are remembered most. What will you mostly be remembered for? I have no idea! I’m sure my…
Title Professor of Music and Music Education How many years have you worked at Saint Mary's? Since fall of 1990, 32 years How do you hope you're remembered for/what will you most be remembered for? For the privilege of bringing not only active music making to our students through instrumental ensembles (and choir this past year), but also providing an outlet in their lives that nourishes the soul. Music helps us make connections to others in a way nothing else…
Ephrem Eshete B’23 is excited about his future. First, he has enlisted in the Army Reserve and is headed to basic training, excited to serve the country he has called home since 2017 when he moved here from Ethiopia. When he returns, he has a dream job waiting for him with a Big 6 accounting firm — a pinnacle career aspiration. He credits double majoring in Accounting and Business Administration in Saint Mary’s bachelor’s completion programs for…
Saint Mary’s University sophomore Callie Nguyen was in high school when she first started putting a “new twist” on dessert by creating chocolate dipped pretzels for her friends. And last year, instead of being salty about COVID-19 restrictions, Nguyen focused her free time on developing her sweet sideline business — Anytime Pretzel. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has big dreams to grow her business, from being a cottage food producer, into a full-fledged franchise, but first …. She plans to…
Nick Vanden Heuvel, an assistant public defender for the 3rd Judicial District in Winona, can tell you from experience that internships, no matter how valuable, never truly prepare someone for a career in law. The learning curve is far too steep. “Internships are good because they help you realize, mostly, what you want to do when you get out of college,” he said. “I used to want to work for Congress in the Capitol, and that internship taught me I…
Alex Zuzek B’18, M’22 wasn’t sure, at first, that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older sisters and study education at Saint Mary’s. But he’s glad he did. And by the time he was ready to enroll in an M.Ed program — largely because of his meaningful undergraduate experience and the university’s quality reputation — Zuzek said, he “didn’t really even think twice about going back to Saint Mary’s.” Zuzek was first introduced to the university as…
Saint Mary’s University senior Jordan Keeley may only be 5’6”— “average” as she calls it — but she’s proof positive that one person can make a big impact. And there’s nothing average about Jordan Keeley. As a goalie for the Cardinal women’s hockey team, Keeley guards the net game after game — knowing she’s the last line of defense against the opposition. As a student, she has a nearly perfect grade point average. And as a dedicated Winona community member,…
Saint Mary’s is committed to your success by providing you with the tools necessary to not only achieve your professional goals, but to share them with the world — especially the digital world. In 2021, Saint Mary’s launched 87 digital badges through a partnership agreement with Credly, and although we’re just getting started, we’re already seeing the benefits of these visual credentials. The best outcome is that our alumni are landing jobs because their badges are getting noticed on platforms…
Seeing the vital role nurses are playing throughout this pandemic helped to solidify Cecilia Flores’ career choice. “Since the pandemic, I definitely gained more interest in nursing, especially within critical care aspects,” she said. “It really touches me thinking about how critical COVID-19 patients are … it’s nurses who are with them during their last breaths and last words. I would do everything I could do to make them as comfortable as possible.” The West Saint Paul native said she…
As students and faculty return to campus, they'll see many changes that have occurred throughout the summer. A total of 156 new banners (plus an additional 22 on the Saint Teresa Campus) are in the process of going up across the Winona Campus. We appreciate Jim Bedtke, vice president for facilities, and our maintenance team for their help in replacing the banners, on top of their many responsibilities with completing Aquinas Hall, and the many other campus improvements they are…
Dear Cabinet, As you know, we have a new Social Media Policy that covers posting officially on behalf of the university as well as tips for using one's personal social media accounts to post. We will be offering training in the coming weeks for those who have a role to post for their respective areas/departments. We hope to get all who post trained and will ask them to sign an agreement to follow the policy (thanks Ann for putting that…
Larkin Clem came to Saint Mary’s University for volleyball but she’s leaving with a fulfilling career path. The Elk River, Minn., native came to campus knowing she was a future Cardinal athlete and also that she was interested in biology. Now retired faculty member Randy Krainock told her about all the research opportunities she would have, and his enthusiasm both rubbed off on her and sealed her academic future. He wasn’t mistaken about research opportunities. Her sophomore year, Clem worked…
Ephrem Eshete B’23 is excited about his future. First, he has enlisted in the Army Reserve and is headed to basic training, excited to serve the country he has called home since 2017 when he moved here from Ethiopia. When he returns, he has a dream job waiting for him with a Big 6 accounting firm — a pinnacle career aspiration. He credits double majoring in Accounting and Business Administration in Saint Mary’s bachelor’s completion programs for helping him get…
Ree Guyer B'81 makes a name for herself in the music industry As a young woman, just starting out in the music industry in the mid ’80s, Ree Guyer B’81 walked into the office of Billy Sherrill, a big name record producer who ran Columbia Records. Sherrill was intimidating, not necessarily in stature, but certainly because of his surly nature, coupled with his intimidating history with music artists like George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Charlie Rich — even writing the…
Renee Thompson B'03, M'07 is earning her third degree from Saint Mary's Renee Thompson B’03, M’07 is hoping to add another degree from Saint Mary’s after her name this year as she earns a Doctorate of Business Administration. Thompson will soon have seen the university from every angle: as a bachelor’s degree completion student, an adult learner (earning both a master’s and doctorate); an adjunct instructor; a member of the alumni board and the business advisory council; and soon as…
Ronnie Edwards B'05 and his wife excel in the business of fitness What do you call a professor who tells corny jokes? In the case of the persistently punny Dean Beckman, associate professor of business and communication at Saint Mary’s, the answer is role model, adviser, and a favorite professor. For Ronnie Edwards B’05, Beckman was also the reason he changed his major. “He’s a big influence on where I am in my life,” he said. “He’s an amazing professor.”…
Jake Mencacci B'18 is a major league staff assistant for Pittsburgh Pirates Jake Mencacci B’18 knows he’s somewhat of an anomaly. Getting a foot in the door to your dream job before graduating college doesn’t happen every day. It often takes years of what Mencacci has already: patience, hard work, passion, building connections, and certainly some good luck. Mencacci always had the passion for sports; he grew up with either a baseball glove or a hockey stick in his hand.…
Students debate current moral dilemmas through Lasallian lens Lasallian students from across the U.S. are examining major ethical dilemmas facing today’s top largest technology companies in an annual Lasallian Societal Impact Case Competition — and this year Saint Mary’s team brought home the trophy for first place. The real-world scenario is an opportunity to test students’ research and presentation skills, but also to get them thinking about the ethical component of various aspects of business today. This year marked the competition’s…
Evance Chiinze B'20 diversifies his sill set to stay current in his field Evance Chiinze B’20 knows that with a more diverse skill set, you become more valuable to employers and can both advance and be more successful in your career. Which is why, as a finance analyst at Medtronic, Inc., it’s his goal to stay on top of the latest trends, and Saint Mary’s has helped him each step of the way — from bachelor’s to master’s and beyond.…