Newsroom

Three alumni, Jane (Troller) Wood B;78, Marge Nabzdyk '79 and Bruna Bucciarelli B'76, detail what it was like in the early years of women in athletics at Saint Mary's. For Lindsey Lettner B'26, athletics played a huge role in shaping her as a person. If Lettner were to meet the "first women" in athletics, she said, she'd begin with a thank you. "They're the women who came before us and paved the way to do what we love now. A lot of people don't get the opportunity to play in college."

Four alumni — Michael Dooley B'66, Roger Haydock B'67, J.D., Joseph "Joe" Sweeney B'81, and Javier Rodriguez Cifuentes B'26 — discussed the many ways Saint Mary’s has changed through the decades: from pay phones to cell phones, group televisions to one in every room, and curfews — to lifelong friendships, transformational faculty and education, and the community feel that keeps them connected. Reminisce through their stories about all the ways this university has changed and, more importantly, the ways it hasn’t.

Janet Byrnes earned her Master’s in Health and Human Services Administration in 1985. Her first courses were held at what is now M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital and, about halfway through, she transferred to Saint Mary’s newly established graduate campus in Minneapolis. Nearly 40 years later, in 2024, Melissa Markfort received her MBA from Saint Mary’s by attending online courses. Though the method of learning and timeframe was very different for these alumnae, they share similar stories and experiences.

Hannah (Friedrich) Shelton-Davies B'16, M20 said she was an introvert before attending Saint Mary's. Now, as a major gift officer at Regions Hospital Foundation in Saint Paul — and also as the current president of the Alumni association at Saint Mary's — she uses her people skills to build relationships. "I stay engaged with Saint Mary's because of the Lasallian aspect. What Lasallians believe in is, for me, what being a human is, and what life is all about. For me, it is about leading ethical licves of services and leadership."