St. Lawrence Senior Stories 2019

ST. L AWRENCE

CATHOLIC CAMPUS CENTER

GRADUATING CL ASS OF

2019

“I went in with an open heart.”

Name: EMILY

MEADOR

Hometown: TULSA, Major: MUSIC

OK

THERAPY

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: 6 month music therapy internship at Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins, CO before I take the music therapy board certification exam.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST RISK OF FAITH YOU TOOK DURING YOUR YEARS AT KU? Deciding to be “all in” for Jesus. That meant doing what He lead me to, leading a bible study, and ultimately leading weekly Praise and Worship with Rise Band. Leading worship is something that I never thought I would do, and something that I didn’t necessarily want to do. When I was awarded the Worship Leader scholarship, I went in with an open heart. It has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have done.

I have learned so much about myself, leadership, and prayer because of this valuable experience.

Name: MARIEL

RAMOS

Hometown: OVERLAND Major: FILM

PARK

PRODUCTION

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Start off in Prairie Village and then KCMO WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO TAKE WITH YOU AFTER GRADUATION? I hope to impact more lives out there and to learn how to keep glorifying God with everything that I do, and everything that I am. I've learned that relationships make a huge difference when people know Christ and His love. For example, I have atheist/agnostic friends that I love dearly, but I have found that am more filled with God-based relationships. I also hope my faith can speak to everyone regardless of their beliefs or denomination.

“... keep glorifying God with everything that I do, and everything that I am.”

“ God answered one of my biggest prayers...”

Name: JOSE

MONTOYA

Hometown: LOS

LUNAS, NM

Majors: SPORTS

MANAGEMENT & JOURNALISM

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Summer 2019: The Fund for American Studies Program Advisor Fall 2019: Knox College Athletics Intern Fall 2020: Begin master's program in Higher Education WHERE DO YOUR DEEPEST COMMITMENTS LIE AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE? My first commitment is to continue growing in my faith. God answered one of my biggest prayers four years ago, when I was given the opportunity to study at this wonderful university with a full cost of attendance scholarship as a first-generation college student.

Now, after my time at St. Lawrence, he has put me on another journey to spread his Word all over the country: in the nation's capital this summer, and at my internship in Illinois this fall. My other commitment is to my family. My abuelo passed away a few weeks ago and he was the rock of our household. Growing up without a dad, my growth came from his guidance. He never let me give up and honestly my commitment is to never let my abuelo down. He was very special to me. And finally, I am committed to my career in the sport industry. At SEEK 2017 Lou Holtz put it simply: "Faith, Family, Football." Since then, I have used the three F's when it comes to my life.

Name: TYLAR

LOCK

Hometown: LENEXA,

KS

Major: NURSING NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Registered Nurse at KU Health System in the Medical Transplant ICU HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD CHANGED/GROWN WHILE AT KU? IF SO, HOW? I started my daily prayer life at KU thanks to spiritual direction with Sr. Debbie. That will forever have changed my life. I know I have grown a ton spiritually thanks to Sr. Debbie and Sr. Micaela’s direction. I also think that I have been able to learn more about my faith than I had before, and retain it. I really matured over my four years and that has made me more serious about owning my faith. Finally, God gave me the most amazing people and vocation through KU. I might have found my husband here and I know I found friends that will talk to me about faith and challenge me to be a better person. All the people I know are truly a gift from God, that I cannot be thankful enough for.

“God gave me the most amazing people and vocation through KU.”

Name: MARISSA

BERNAL

Hometown: SHAWNEE, Major: ELEMENTARY

KS

EDUCATION

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Get a first teaching job in the Kansas City or Dallas area.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope I can continue to keep the faith flame alive!

“...keep the faith flame alive!”

Name: ANDREW

MCCLURE

Hometown: LINDSBORG, Major: MIDDLE

KS

SCIENCE EDUCATION

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Teaching 7th grade science at Baldwin City Junior High.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope that my faith will be an evident part of my being, and that people will be called to their faith because of my example.

Name: PETE

ARENDS

Hometown: ST.

LOUIS, MO

Major: ACCOUNTING

“...the virtuous act.

This is the freedom that I wish everyone pursued.”

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Working as an accountant at Ernst & Young, a public accounting firm.

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN FREEDOM? Freedom is such an interesting concept to me. It seemed to have such a black and white, or rather, red, white, and blue meaning for me coming into college. I thought freedom was just the ability to be able to do what you want, to be free from oppression. Looking back, this thinking was only part true for me.

Yes, freedom from oppression is a good thing but doing whatever you want does not, usually, lead us down a good path. Living with this attitude of freedom, I found myself trying to fill an emptiness within me with material things and disordered actions that the world promoted. I seemed to be free, but I was really a slave to sin. But through the years I began to find a new type of freedom best described by St. Pope John Paul II. He says, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought”.

I have grown exponentially in this type of freedom here at KU. My desires have shifted and I feel free to do the right thing, the virtuous act. This is the freedom that I wish everyone pursued.

“I hope my faith inspires others to seek the fullness of a life with Christ.”

Name: MANDY

RUHMANN

Hometown: O’FALLON, Major: CHEMICAL

MO

ENGINEERING

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Working for Black and Veatch in the Power Delivery Unit.

DESCRIBE A SITUATION WHERE YOUR FAITH IMPACTED SOMEONE ELSE: I have been very open about my faith these past few years- my friends all know that I am Catholic! Recently, one of my friends has decided to come back to the faith after being away for years. I had known she used to be Catholic but I never forced anything on her, I just simply lived a joyful life and she saw that every day. This past Ash Wednesday, she knew I would be helping out at one of the services and asked if she could come. Of course I said yes, and she came!

Since then, we have been going to mass together and talking about Catholicism, and she has been working to mend the brokenness she felt towards the faith. I hope my faith inspires others to seek the fullness of a life with Christ. I genuinely do not know how I would have made it through these past four years without Him, and I wish to inspire others to choose Christ.

Name: BRIAN

LOCASCIO

Hometown: INDEPENDENCE, Majors: MUSIC

MO

THERAPY

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Working for the university radio station and transitioning to internship in San Diego, California to practice music therapy with a variety of populations.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? When I first came to KU I went to Mass because it was part of my routine and schedule. As time went on, I now choose to go to Mass because I want to hear God’s word for me, not just because it is part of my routine.

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN FREEDOM? I now know that God will love me regardless of the opinions of others and that the most important thing is to live your life with love at the forefront of everything you do.

WHERE DO YOUR DEEPEST COMMITMENTS LIE AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE? Family, Friends, God, Fuzzy’s

“I now know that God will love me regardless of the opinions of others.”

“If the way I live my life in faith can bring true love and light ... I’ll have done my job as an apostle of Jesus.”

Name: MATTIE

KARR

Hometown: OLATHE,

KS

Major: ILLUSTRATION

AND FILM

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I am moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film! SERIOUSLY!!!

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I’m a missionary no matter what. I’m headed to a part of the United States and an industry that isn’t the friendliest to Christians, let alone Catholics in particular. But, man, I am PUMPED. And not because I think I’ll make any sort of difference. I love encountering people, and the artists and filmmakers in LA are so diverse and unique.

But I also know there’s a lot of loneliness in LA. I’m such a little fish in that big pond, but if the way I live my life in faith can bring true love and light into the darkest parts of Hollywood, I’ll have done my job as an apostle of Jesus. He takes the lead every time, and right now we’re skipping into the belly of the beast! I can’t wait.

Name: MAGGIE

TARANTIINO

Hometown: DALLAS, Majors: JOURNALISM

TX - STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Moving to Kansas City to work as an account manager at Insight Global.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I want to be apart of a small group once I get to Kansas City and work to eventually be a leader for my own group, spreading the Gospel in the young adult community.

I hope to bring others with me on my spiritual journey.

Name: ERIC

SHULTZ

Hometown: KANSAS

CITY

Major: ARCHITECTURAL

ENGINEERING

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Work at Alberici in construction management.

DESCRIBE A SITUATION WHERE YOUR FAITH IMPACTED SOMEONE ELSE: I have a group of friends who were Catholic growing up, but stopped practicing the faith.

I would tell them about events going on at the St. Lawrence Center or just tell them that they should come to Sunday Mass. After a long time, two of them have started to come to Mass occasionally. I am hoping to continue encouraging them so that they can start to rebuild their relationship with Jesus.

I hope that by continuing to live out my faith as I start my career I will have a positive impact on the people around me. I hope to bring others with me on my spiritual journey.

Name: DAVID

ARTH

Hometown: OVERLAND

PARK, KS

Majors: FINANCE

“You have to ask yourself: ‘What will I do with this opportunity?’”

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Thankfully, I have already accepted a position with PwC in St. Louis, Missouri. I have never lived outside of the greater Kansas City area, and I am excited about this first step into a professional career.

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN FREEDOM? College is an interesting time. In a way, it is a simulation of adult life: you manage your own time, get your own food, and feel the consequences of your actions more directly than anytime before. College is also a controlled place where you can have some fun, attend classes for brief periods during the day, and fill the rest of your time with activities and experiences that you choose for yourself.

The freedom of choice is suddenly thrust into your hands, and you have to ask yourself: “What will I do with this opportunity?” I have grown in freedom by choosing those priorities that will make me the happiest and avoiding those opportunities that will make me ashamed, hurt, and dissatisfied.

That freedom has also included taking ownership of my faith rather than letting others make my path for me.

Name: ABBY

BONTRAGER

Hometown: NASHVILLE,

TN

“For the first time in my life, I took charge of my faith.”

Major: EXERCISE

SCIENCE

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I will be attending grad school at the Medical University of South Carolina to study to become a physical therapist.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? My relationship with God has grown immensely while at KU. For the first time in my life, I took charge of my faith and really spent time getting to know God and building a personal relationship with Him. I hope that in the future I can help lead others closer to God through the example of how I live my life. I hope that my faith will inspire others to come to have a personal relationship with God.

“I will be able to rely on God and give him my struggles.”

Name: SARAH

STUHLSATZ

Hometown: WICHITA, Major: ELEMENTARY

KS

EDUCATION

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I am getting married and moving to Kansas City this summer. I will begin my first teaching job at Kansas City International Academy with 5th grade in August!

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I know that I will always have my faith and God will never leave me, always loving me. In all of my faults and the hardships life throws at me, I will be able to rely on God and give Him my struggles, even when it is hard.

Name: AMANDA

REGGETI

Hometown: WICHITA, Major: APPLIED

KS

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND GLOBAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

“I would invite her so many times ... one day she said yes.”

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Work and go to graduate school next year.

DESCRIBE A SITUATION WHERE YOUR FAITH IMPACTED SOMEONE ELSE: One of the biggest ways I have seen my faith impact others is in my friendships. The way my friends and I pushed each other to pray more and be more dedicated to life as Catholics has been mutual.

I specifically feel my faith impacted my roommate during my freshman year, who was raised Catholic, but struggled to practice, feel welcomed, and participate in her faith.

I would invite her so many times to do things both at church and outside of church, she always said no. I was praying for her and even starting to lose the motivation to invite her, feeling she would just say no, but one day second semester she said yes. She met and became friends with my friends from church over time, and we have all grown together.

“I pray that my faith can be strong and deep enough that I change lives around me.”

Name: LIZ

HUMPHREY

Hometown: WICHITA, Major: CLINICAL

KS

LABORATORY SCIENCES

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Obtaining a second concentration of my degree, working for a year, maybe a Masters degree in Micro, who knows, we will see!

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope and strive to provide a light to others around me and establish a positive outlook during hard times for these individuals. Honestly, my biggest desire is to be authentic, and a true and holy example for others and bring a sense of peace to anyone who is struggling.

What I want the most out of this is to TRULY desire to help others and myself for the right reasons, rather than seeking attention or recognition for any good acts I’m performing. I pray that my faith can be strong and deep enough that I change lives around me through prayer, patience, kindness and understanding.

I will need LOTS of prayers to actually do this and remain diligent with it so please pray for me!

“God will shock me with what is possible if I rely on Him and love people through Him.” Name: MARIANNA

MERCER

Hometown: TOPEKA, Major: SECONDARY

KS

ENGLISH EDUCATION

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: After graduation, I will be working at Kansas City International Academy in Kansas City, Missouri, teaching 7th grade English Language Arts!

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN FREEDOM? I can look back at poems and journal entries I’ve written over my time at KU, trying to map out or define what freedom is. Fighting what I knew all along, really. Freedom is alignment with the vision of God. I’m trying to grow closer to that alignment everyday and therefore always becoming freer.

As I move onto a new part of life, I want to spread the mission of warmth and hospitality that St. Lawrence strives for to communities in KC (and wherever else I may end up). People desperately need to be heard, seen, to know God’s love and be known, themselves - I want to fulfill this need as a teacher and as a friend.

This would be a daunting task, but I know by now, after so much has happened in my time at KU that I never thought possible - teaching in two different countries, getting excited about teaching middle school (who knew), traveling to 5 !! national parks, growing closer to God with every day, every breath - God will shock me with what is possible if I rely on Him and love people through Him.

Name: LAUREN

PETERSON

Hometown: TOPEKA,

KS

Major: INFORMATION

SYSTEMS

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Find a decent job that will hopefully lead to great things.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope that my faith will continue to give gifts, not only to me, but to those I love, through me.

Name: JACKSON

MCELROY

Hometown: OLATHE, Major: MARKETING;

KS MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Working on the e-commerce and digital strategy team at Hallmark’s headquarters in downtown Kansas City.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST RISK OF FAITH YOU TOOK DURING YOUR YEARS AT KU? While perhaps not a risk, I learned the great importance of having trust in God. That no matter what situation I was in, the highest of highs or the lowest of lows, to just trust. God has a strange and unworldly way of making our worldly things work out and St. Lawrence gave me the resources and the opportunity to turn to God, fully putting my trust in HIm.

“St. Lawrence gave me the resources and the opportunity to turn to God.”

“St. Lawrence introduced me to a life in the Church that has sent me on mission.�

Name: TYNAN

BOLLINGER

Hometown: BENDENA, Major: CIVIL

KS

ENGINEERING

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I will be a FOCUS missionary.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? I would not be the man I am today and a disciple of Christ if it had not been for the St. Lawrence Center, an encounter with the beauty of the Catholic Church, and an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.

St. Lawrence introduced me to a life in the Church that has sent me on mission. I have many to thank for that. The staff, Father Mitchel, AVI, the FOCUS Missionaries, other Catholic students on mission for Christ and the Church, friends, and family, who all in a unique way have given me and shown me a relationship with Christ that must overflow into the world and the lives placed in front of me.

I hope Jesus can encounter souls through my openness to bringing him to those in my life.

An encounter with Jesus in His Church has changed my life and I hope that my witness can help other college student encounter the person of Christ and the unique call he has for their life.

Name: CARLA

BORDIER

Hometown: STAFFORD, Major: LINGUISTICS,

KS

WITH A FRENCH MINOR

“[At] the St. Lawrence Center I saw people my age who were living out their faith in a fresh new way that I had never seen.”

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I hope to work with an interpreting agency and be the bridge that can connect two worlds and bring people together by eliminating the language barrier.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? I’m a cradle catholic and a Mexican one at that! but I don’t think that my real faith journey started until I came to KU and went to the St. Lawrence Center. I saw people my age who were living out their faith in a fresh new way that I had never seen. I realized that there are so many ways of living a good Catholic life.

My relationship with God has grown exponentially since I have been at the Center, and I hope it keeps going even once I leave it. I have a deeper understanding of how to live out my life, and what it means to me to be a “good Catholic”.

I hope that I can live the Christian life as authentically as possible and be an instrument of God wherever I am.

Name: RACHEL

HEITMANN

Hometown: HEBRON,

NE

Major: ENVIRONMENTAL

STUDIES, WITH A MINOR IN SPANISH

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Entering the convent with the Sisters of Life!

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN FREEDOM? My understanding of freedom has completely changed over the last several years— being free is no longer choosing what I think will make me the most successful or happy, but instead it is to be completely open and ready to receive what God is offering me.

I’m beginning to see that the more in tune I am with what God desires for me, the more free I am from being a slave to the world. In the next steps of my life, I hope that I can live the Christian life as authentically as possible and be an instrument of God wherever I am.

“I hope to continue the exploration and growth in my faith and theological understanding.”

Name: BRENDAN

J FOWLER

Hometown: LEAWOOD,

KS

Major: ACCOUNTING

AND BUSINESS ANALYTICS, WITH A FRENCH MINOR

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Work at the Federal Reserve of Kansas City.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? It has become far deeper than I ever would have imagined or expected. I slowly shifted from being a cradle Catholic who checked most of the boxes off to a mindset of pursuing my faith day in and day out, taking the time to understand what I believe and analyzing the doctrines and elements within the Church and the Mass. I began to focus on my relationship with God and trusting in Him. I hope to continue the exploration and growth in my faith and theological understanding and through that be able to impact people in everyday life at in work and outside of work: to draw them closer to Christ, the Mass and the Church for the greater glory of God.

“Now, my day feels incomplete without the Eucharist.”

Name: OWEN

TOEPFER

Hometown: HAYS,

KS

Majors: CLASSICAL

LANGUAGES AND ENGLISH

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Notre Dame Law School.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD GROWN WHILE AT KU? My faith has grown immensely throughout my time at St. Lawrence. Freshman year, my spiritual life consisted mostly of Sunday Mass and occasional rote prayer, and the unfortunate thing was that I didn’t think there was much room for growth. However, through spiritual direction, the example of my peers, taking classes through the Institute for Faith and Culture, frequent reception of the sacraments, and countless hours spent in the chapel for adoration, my faith has taken on a completely different character. Now, my day feels incomplete without the Eucharist and meditative prayer, and, as St. Paul advises, I truly am ready to give the reason for my hope.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? The legal field is not known for its Christian charity, and as I build a career as a lawyer I anticipate encountering considerable challenges to my faith and my vocation to be a witness to the truth and love of Christ. St. Lawrence has given me the opportunity to build my faith on a firm foundation—one that, I trust, will be strong enough to withstand whatever life throws at me as I transition into this next chapter.

Name: VICTORIA

REGGETI

Hometown: WICHITA, Major: EXERCISE

KS

SCIENCE

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program at MGH Institute of Health Professions.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope to lead a good example of a Christian life. I hope to be involved in my community and in bringing Christ to the center of my work and relationships.

“The true and reckless love of Christ...”

Name: JOSHUA

WINTON

Hometown: CARLISLE, Major: INTERNATIONAL

PA STUDIES

NEXT STEPS AFTER GRADUATION: I really have no idea!

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU HOPE YOUR FAITH WILL MAKE MOVING FORWARD? I hope as I work on my relationship with Christ, I can show others with similar struggles as mine the true and reckless love of Christ!

Congratulations,

CLASS OF 2019!

1631 Crescent Road Lawrence, Kansas 66044 (785) 843-0357

www.kucatholic.org