Dr. Roxanne McMurray M’93, a nurse anesthetist by trade, never planned on starting a medical device company. “I never set out to be an entrepreneur,” she said. “I am very content giving anesthesia.” But, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. After years of frustration with airway devices that didn’t adequately help anesthetized […]
By Maura Sullivan Hill As the founder of Phumulani Minnesota African Women Against Violence, Comfort Dondo helps women experiencing homelessness and abuse. And she knows what they need because she has been there herself. Dondo, a student in Saint Mary’s Doctor of Education in Leadership program, started Phumulani in 2017, when she was at a […]
WINONA, Minn. — As the school year begins, it’s time to mark your calendar for this year’s “Jazz at Saint Mary’s” concert schedule. Fall 2022 The Red Bird Club opened its doors in 2014 in the Valéncia Arts Center at the crossroads of Vila and 10th streets in Winona. Never heard of it? Maybe that’s […]
Kelly Shannon, vice president of marketing and communication, stands behind Saint Mary’s brand. Saint Mary’s is rolling out the results of a branding refresh in June, and yes, there’s a new logo, but Shannon explains that branding is so much more than a logo: “A brand is the sum total of all of the images […]
By their senior years, many college students are starting to panic, wondering if they’ll be able to find a job after graduation, whether they’ll enjoy the path they’ve chosen, and if they’re truly prepared to take the first big step in their careers. Parker Swanson isn’t panicking. The Saint Mary’s University senior, who is triple […]
By Tom Brandes Growing up in Louisville, Ky., Vachel Hudson M’19 was familiar with Saint Mary’s College of California because of its successful athletic teams. After moving to Minnesota and receiving his undergraduate degree, he began looking at MBA programs. He was familiar with the Saint Mary’s name, just not Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. […]
WINONA, Minn. — The Sandbar Storytelling Festival welcomes the interactive dance party duo Koo Koo Kanga Roo for an evening of moving to the music on Saturday, Oct. 15. The show, sponsored by Todd VonBastiaans and Winona Area Public Schools, will run from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. (with doors opening at 5 p.m.) in the […]
From his new office at Goldman Sachs in Tucson, Ariz., Javier Madrid B’18 describes his shoot-for-the-moon philosophy. He believes in aiming high. His philosophy is that if you fall short of your goal, you’ll still end up in a good place. Madrid grew up in Naco, Ariz., and had just moved to Tucson, Ariz., at […]
Family is everything to Jacqueline (Jacky) Beltran ’24. After losing her father to cancer her senior year of high school, the connection between her, her mother, and her now 5-year-old little sister became even stronger. Love carried them through the tragedy. So when she began applying to colleges, the idea of moving away from their […]
For Sarah (Marek) Landman B’04, M’07, Saint Mary’s has always been a second home. A Winona native whose parents, Patrick B’79 and Maureen (Randell) ’81 Marek, as well as several aunts were all alumni, she was introduced to the Saint Mary’s community early in life. Running around her parents’ regular reunion get-togethers, she would frequently […]
When students come to Marisa (Niemiec) Corcoran B’99 and ask the tough questions about faith and religion, her answer is clear and simple. “My philosophy is love,” she said. “I’m going to show them so much love and show them God loves them. Conversation is important. We invite people to be honest about where they […]
David Dahlstrom B’10 remembers his Strategies presentation like it was yesterday. “I remember I didn’t sleep the night before,” he said. “I remember how much time and effort we put into it and how many times we flip flopped on our strategy. And I remember the relief when it was completed, and the nap I […]
As a staff accountant for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Abby (Zimmer) O’Brien B’08 sees herself as a problem solver. And she’s felt that way in the myriad of positions she’s held in her professional career since leaving Saint Mary’s. For O’Brien, it’s the education she received at Saint Mary’s that set her […]
A first-generation college student, Chuck Joseph B’66 knows firsthand about Saint Mary’s University’s goal to make education accessible to every student. And it’s the accessibility to the breadth of education Saint Mary’s has to offer that has kept him close to his alma mater for so long. Growing up during the Great Depression, neither of […]
WINONA, Minn. — 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 […]
Current/former title(s) Assistant director of the Academic Skills Center and Reading Lab supervisor; director of the Academic Skills Center; director of Learning Services; director of Learning Services and First Generation Initiative How many years have you worked at Saint Mary’s and what brought you here? 31 years. I just graduated from my master’s program in […]
Current/former title(s) Dr. David Jackson, associate professor, School of Education, and former chair and dean of the School of Education. How many years have you worked at Saint Mary’s and what brought you here? I have been working at Saint Mary’s for the past 27 years. What brought me here was the opportunity to be […]
Kevin Bross M’03 was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s 10 Innovative Teachers for his work in implementing instructional rounds at Blaine (Minn.) High School. Modeled on medical rounds performed by doctors, Bross and other teachers observe a classroom teacher and later conduct a debriefing that notes the effective educational practices they observed. Teachers are […]
Last month, the Saint Mary’s community welcomed hundreds of alumni back to campus for Reunion Weekend 2022. This was the first time Reunion Weekend was held in person since 2019. During the event-filled weekend, Saint Mary’s celebrated the following individuals during the 2022 Alumni Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 25: Robert ‘Bob’ Skemp ’49 Distinguished […]
Jordan Keeley, a recent Saint Mary’s graduate, is using her summer to go the extra mile … actually, the extra 250 miles. This summer, Keeley plans to run, walk, or Rollerblade 250 miles in 100 days to raise funds for the Minnesota Special Hockey team based in Rochester. According to Keeley, the funds raised would […]