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Medical students attribute success to Catholic education By Denis Macleod
beliefs, but also an underst anding of why we have them. The result of that education is having the knowledge and desire necessary to live a life not only as a good Catholic but hopefully as a good Catholic physician. I’ll do what I can to live up to that standard.” The following are the medical students who graduated from a Catholic high school in North Dakota and are now studying medicine at the UND SMHS in Grand Forks.
At the Teddy Bear Clinic held at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences for kindergartners in Grand
Forks, two kindergartners perform “teddy surgery” aided by second-year medical students, including Wesley Halseth, Minot, at far right. (Submitted photo)
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welve first- and second-year medical students studying at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) in Grand Forks are alumni of Catholic high schools in North Dakota. They attribute their collegiate and professional studies success to the solid education and sound catechesis they received from their high school teachers. “Looking back I find that the education I received in the Catholic school system was outstanding,” said second-year medical student Wesley Halseth, Minot. “Certainly it was more than adequate to academically prepare me for college and lay the groundwork for later 16
professional studies. More importantly though, were the nonacademic strengths that it offered. With an emphasis on service and being a good neighbor, I feel that my Catholic education provided a strong basis for the drive to help others that is especially important going into the medical field.” “The importance of my education in the Minot Catholic school system, both in my personal and professional lives, cannot be underestimated,” added UND SMHS Associate Professor Mark Koponen, MD. “I truly believe that the successes I have had the great fortune to experience in my life were the direct result of the Catholic schools I attended and the extraordinary people who
NEW EARTH FEBRUARY 2015
were my teachers.” Halseth continued, “The most important aspect is, of course, the education we received in regards to our Catholic faith. I think the teachers at Bishop Ryan High School did a good job instilling in me more than just a passing familiarity with our
Bismarck–St. Mary’s • Justin Berger, first year •Andrew Dockter, second year • Al Johnson, second year • Bryan LaBore, second year Dickinson Trinity • Lee Kiedrowski, first year • Scott Poswilko, second year • Megan Schwartz (formerly Strube), first year Fargo Shanley • Grace Carson, first year • Matt Glogoza, first year • Chris Traynor, second year Minot–Bishop Ryan • Wesley Halseth, second year • Tyrone Berentson, first year
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