FAITH. JUSTICE. ACADEMIC RIGOR.
President Evans reflects on her first year at St. Kate’s, standing at the intersection of mission and innovation.
THE PERFECT STUDY SPOT
A student takes advantage of a sunny day to get some reading done on the lawn in front of Derham.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
KHATMEH OSSEIRAN-HANNA
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
MARY HAEG, JD
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
SARAH VOIGT MAOL’25
EDITOR
MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
DESIGNER HEATHER LONGMORE
CONTRIBUTORS
AMY CARLSON GUSTAFSON
ELLA CARLSSON/RED MOOD MARKETING
KARA D eMARIE MLIS’16
KENDALL GRAHAM
LINDSAY MADRYGA
ISABELLA NORCROSS ’25
MOLLY ORTH
ANDY STEINER
ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
KRISTIE ENGEBRETSON ANDERSON
PATRICK CLANCY
LIAM DOYLE
LESLIE LYNNE OLSON DESIGN
REBECCA ZENEFSKI SLATER ’10
TARA SLOANE
ADDRESS CHANGES
651-690-6666
STKATE.EDU/UPDATEINFO
mag.stkate.edu
@st.kates
@stkates
St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Communications. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission.
St. Catherine University was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905.
Learn more: stkate.edu/ourhistory
21
FEATURES
Soaring Together
A year of listening, leading, and looking ahead with President Marcheta Evans.
BY ELLA CARLSSON
Humanity in Action
For 25 years, the Center for Community Work and Learning has built meaningful connections between Katies and local communities.
BY ANDY STEINER
A Step Up for the Future
St. Kate’s CNA program helps fill a need in the healthcare industry while giving high school students an early career advantage.
BY AMY CARLSON GUSTAFSON
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Classmates at St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing, Gloria Keltgen Ahlstrand ’48 (left) and Ruth Johnson (Levchak) Eckel ’48 (right) reunited at Saint Therese Senior Living of Oxbow Lake. Read more on page 36.
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
Letter from Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna
Warm greetings to all! As senior vice president for Institutional Advancement, it is my privilege to work for the future of St. Catherine University alongside everyone who makes up the wonderful, welcoming St. Kate’s community — not least our incredible alumni. Since I started this role in February, I have had the joy of meeting many of you, including during our Reunion celebration, and I hope to have the chance to meet those of you I haven’t yet. President Evans and I will be traveling to several cities this year to connect with alumni around the country, and we invite you to join us.
One of the highlights of my time at St. Kate’s so far has been getting to witness the dedication of our alumni and community members in action. As the Volunteer Impact Report (page 4) makes clear, we have a passionate, involved base of graduates who are committed to giving back for the good of all. We are grateful for every contribution toward our shared future.
It is an exciting time at St. Kate’s as we look ahead to the next chapter under President Evans’ leadership (page 6).
Though this moment is not without its challenges for higher education, there remain many opportunities to expand our impact on students, and the world at large. From leveraging our academic strengths in healthcare fields to forging strategic community connections, I am confident in St. Kate’s potential for advancement.
We continue to grow external partnerships like the Certified Nursing Assistant program, which gives high school students an inside track to the healthcare industry and expands the reach of our educational programming (page 21). The 25th anniversary of Community Work and Learning is another testament to mutually beneficial community engagement, bridging the classroom to the workforce and helping the values fostered here reverberate out into the world (page 16).
The year ahead offers plenty of exciting opportunities for alumni to engage, share their voices, and participate in building St. Kate’s future. I look forward to all we will accomplish together.
TOP LEFT AND BOTTOM RIGHT: OSSEIRAN-HANNA MEETS WITH ALUMNI AT REUNION. TOP RIGHT: ST. KATE’S COMMUNITY MEMBERS WORK TOGETHER ON SERVICE PROJECTS AT CITIZEN KATIE. BOTTOM LEFT: AN ALUMNA WRITES NOTES THANKING KATIE FUND DONORS.
PHOTO/REBECCA
PHOTO/PATRICK
Meeting the Needs of the Time
Deb Sheats ’75 puts her nutritionist expertise and CSJ values to work as a volunteer for the Food Access Hub.
Begun as a grassroots effort to address food insecurity on campus, the Food Access Hub has offered free groceries to members of the St. Catherine University community for almost a decade — and Deb Sheats ’75, MPH, has been there since the beginning.
A registered dietitian, Sheats came to the effort with relevant knowledge and passion for nutrition. Her volunteer work runs the gamut from ordering and stocking the food shelf to coordinating and training volunteers who help with deliveries and distribution. Sheats has helped shepherd the shelf as it has expanded its offerings beyond nonperishables to include fresh produce, bread, frozen meat, and frozen meals as well, depending on donations from local partners.
A St. Kate’s alum and former full-time faculty member in Foods and Nutrition for 20 years, Sheats credits the influence of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs)
with inspiring her to give back. As a student, Sheats says, “we were challenged to meet the needs of the time and make a difference in the world…We saw [CSJs] doing things in the community and recognized that we needed to continue that legacy.”
Sheats may be retired from full-time teaching, but she remains active. In addition to her work with the Food Access Hub, she teaches TRW (The Reflective Woman) and GSJ (Global Search for Justice) courses and has become a CSJ consociate. Volunteering is a big part of the work of consociates, or lay people who make a public commitment to the CSJ community.
“Part of the commitment that we make is to live out the charism of the CSJ in the context of our lives,” Sheats said. “A food shelf made perfect sense — this was what I could do to use some of my inner knowledge and skills to help the broader community.”
SHEATS (LEFT) VOLUNTEERS AT THE FOOD SHELF WITH ANN ERICKSON ’75, MAOL’ 92.
THIS FISCAL YEAR
Deb put in 240 HOURS impacting 800 STUDENTS
* Based on an avg. of 300 people a month served by food hub
Volunteer Impact Report
BY THE NUMBERS 2024–25
12% Volunteer Opportunities Offering
Remote Option
2,168 Total Hours Contributed
2,918 Total Students Directly Impacted
435 Total Volunteers
482 Total Opportunities Filled
2023 • 2024 • 2022 • 2017 • 2019
2020 • 2014 • 2021 • 1975 • 2015
Most Active Class Years
1961–2025 Alumni Volunteer Class Years
ALUMNI VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION 2024–25
Part of the commitment that we make is to live out the charism of the CSJ in the context of our lives.”
—Deb Sheats ’75
Advisory Council
33 volunteers
Career Development
118 volunteers
Class Leader
30 volunteers
Community Service Event
55 volunteers
I-SAIL Simulation Lab
49 volunteers
Katie Fund Support
33 volunteers
Mentoring
52 volunteers
Other
19 volunteers
Reunion Support
24 volunteers
Student Support
4 volunteers
Volunteer Speaker / Interviewee
65 volunteers
PRESIDENT EVANS CELEBRATES THE BEGINNING OF THE 2025–26 ACADEMIC YEAR WITH STUDENTS AT OPENING CELEBRATION.
When Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, first arrived on St. Catherine University’s campus in the spring of 2024 to be interviewed for the role of president, she had never considered coming to the Midwest, nor had she been to Minnesota before. What she found here was a heartfelt resonance with the University: “I just felt a deep connection to St. Kate’s mission,” she shares, noting that of her six children, five are daughters. She was drawn to the bold commitment St. Kate’s has to educate women to lead and influence. “You can feel it walking across the campus. People here walk the talk.”
Just months into her presidency — she officially took office on July 15, 2024, making history as St. Kate’s 12th president and its first African American leader — President Evans describes that moment as when she truly knew St. Kate’s was the right place for her: “When I met the people [and] the community and I saw the transformative work being accomplished here, that is when I knew I had found my new home.” Her nearly 30 years of leadership in diverse academic settings, from Bloomfield College — where she was the first African American and first female president — to Our Lady of the Lake University and UTSA, had prepared her to take this next step in her distinguished career. She has stepped into a long and illustrious legacy, becoming part of a line of women leaders who have shaped St. Kate’s since its founding.
A YEAR LISTENING, LEARNING, AND LEADING
Evans describes her inaugural year as one of listening, observation, and reflection.
From her first weeks, she engaged meaningfully with student groups, alumni networks, faculty, and staff, absorbing what makes St. Kate’s special and essential in today’s world. “I have long admired St. Kate’s as a valuedriven institution with strong academics,” she reflects.
“But over the last year, that admiration has deepened into love and respect. I’ve seen the resiliency of our students, the passion of our faculty and staff, and the commitment of our alumni. It’s clear to me that St. Kate’s truly is a village that uplifts, challenges, and believes in every member on campus.”
As Evans reflects on her first year at St. Kate’s, there are many special ‘firsts,’ but one pivotal moment stands out to her. She was invited to a student-led event focused on social justice, where she was approached by a student who said, “It means something to see someone who looks like me in this role.” That moment affirmed what she had always known to be her purpose: “I know representation is vitally important, but in that moment, it crystallized…I was here to be a mirror, [to show that] ‘If Marcheta can do this, then I can too.’” Many alumni and community
PHOTO/LIAM DOYLE
PHOTO/LIAM DOYLE
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
“HERE, WOMEN ARE AT THE CENTER, NOT THE EXCEPTION.” LIKE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PRESIDENT EVANS WAS FIRST DRAWN TO ST. KATE’S MISSION. OVER HER FIRST YEAR, EVANS HAS COME TO APPRECIATE ST. KATE’S AS “...A VILLAGE THAT UPLIFTS, CHALLENGES, AND BELIEVES IN EVERY MEMBER ON CAMPUS.”
members have also reached out to Evans with sentiments that echo that of the student.
Foremost among Evans’ early accomplishments was a financial realignment. “We were operating under a deficit. This year, we won’t have one,” she states. Though difficult choices were necessary, her listening tour around campus provided clarity, guiding the development of Soaring Together, a shared vision document that captured the opportunities existing in that pivotal time, and now drives the University’s strategic priorities.
Evans brought fresh leadership to critical areas, including the creation of a new division of Student Affairs, Equity, and Belonging, led by a senior vice president of Equity and Belonging. She also advanced inclusive governance through the creation of a staff council, giving staff a formal voice alongside faculty and students.
A VISION FOR WHAT’S NEXT
Leaning into St. Kate’s strengths guides Evans’ vision of the University’s future ahead: its people (students, faculty, staff, and alumni), the institution’s rich Catholic heritage, and the continuing presence of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on campus. “The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s call to loving our neighbors without distinction will always be a guiding principle of St. Kate’s. Our connection to the community is something we can expand,” she says. “We aren’t just preparing students for careers; we’re shaping leaders who will reinvest their gifts into the world around them.” Evans cites signature programs like the Care Bear Centers in local high schools and St. Mary’s on-campus clinic for the uninsured as a worthy beginning. She emphasizes that the University must continue its role as “part of the community, not an ivory tower.”
Building on its strengths includes expanding on St. Kate’s new Carnegie classification as an Opportunity College, a recognition given to institutions fostering student success through access and earnings. Evans sees a clear path forward. “This designation recognizes St. Kate’s commitment to making a life-changing education accessible.”
An example is expanding on one of St. Kate’s academic strengths: over 70% of its programs are healthcare related, from associate to PhD programs. Evans plans to leverage that foundation to match evolving workforce demands. In doing so, students can graduate not only with degrees, but with in-demand, job-ready skills.
Moral courage meeting intellectual inquiry…that’s precisely what I believe the world needs right now.”
—President Marcheta Evans
She also sees growth potential in the University’s cultural impact, particularly through programming at The O’Shaughnessy, which continues to serve as a vibrant hub for performance and community connection. “Being the best-kept secret is not a compliment,” Evans quips.
She is also focused on elevating St. Kate’s visibility more broadly, strengthening awareness and presence so that the University’s academic excellence and community impact are recognized regionally and nationally.
TRENDS SHAPING THE UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE
Higher education today sits at the intersection of flux and opportunity, and Evans sees both clearly. She cites politics’ increasing pressure on academia, skepticism about the return on investment, shifting demographics, and rapid technological changes like AI as significant factors. “We have to remain nimble, and in some cases, courageous,” she urges.
St. Kate’s is responding with creative solutions: hybrid learning, simulation labs, and gamified instruction, all designed to keep students engaged, flexible, and
prepared for the future. “It’s not just about keeping pace,” Evans affirms. “It’s about leading, showing how innovation and mission can move together.”
Her belief in the relevance of women’s colleges rings especially true. Once there were more than 200 in the U.S.; today, only 30 remain. For her, that brings even more clarity of purpose.
“Here, women are at the center, not the exception. St. Kate’s stands uniquely at the intersection of faith, justice, and academic rigor. Moral courage meeting intellectual inquiry…that’s precisely what I believe the world needs right now.”
GROUNDING ROOTS
After decades in academia leadership, Evans is clear in her guiding principles. “Lead with integrity. Don’t lose sight of your why,” she says, noting that clarity of purpose is what sustains her through difficult decisions. She also acknowledges the demanding nature of leadership and has learned the lesson of how important it is to safeguard individual well-being: “You can’t pour from an empty vessel.”
That grounded perspective comes from the strong women in her life, especially her grandmother and her aunt “Gigi,” who recently passed. “They taught me resilience, humility, and joy,” she shares. Their influence, combined with her deep faith, continues to shape her approach to leadership, one rooted in stewardship and in creating space where others feel seen and valued. At the heart of her philosophy lies a steadfast conviction that comes straight from her grandmother: “Education takes considerable investment and a lot of sacrifice, but once you get your education, no one can take it from you. Your mind is free.” It’s a belief she carries into every decision at St. Kate’s.
A BELOVED FIRST YEAR
The word Evans chooses to define her first year is ‘beloved.’ “What I hope the St. Kate’s community has seen is that
I lead with an open heart. I’m deeply committed to St. Kate’s mission and to justice...to building a community where [all] are beloved. I’m listening and I’m learning.” She’s learning to live in minus 30-degree winters as well — and even that couldn’t dampen her spirit. “I survived with my trusty new parka!”
In her first 12 months, Evans led St. Catherine University into a place of financial solidity, inclusive governance, and focused direction, while uplifting its legacy and mission. Her vision for the future is compelling: a University that soars together, students empowered, faculty and staff energized, alumni engaged — propelled by mission and growing for the future.
“I always say everyone needs to be seen, valued, and heard, and we try to live that out in everything that we do,” says Evans. As St. Kate’s moves into its next chapter under her leadership, it’s clear its mission is indeed soaring.
ST. KATE’S TOUR
JOIN US IN BUILDING ST. KATE’S FUTURE
This year, meet President Evans and Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna, senior vice president of Institutional Advancement, as they travel cross-country to meet St. Catherine University alumni, parents, and friends and build Katie pride across class years and all of our constituents: stkate.edu/tour
Bookmark
Readings to raise awareness and educate on mental health
BY ISABELLA NORCROSS ’25
Observed annually on October 10, World Mental Health Day promotes awareness of the importance of taking care of mental health, and educating against the stigma of mental illness. In this edition of Bookmark, experts in the field provide recommendations that explore mental health in just a few of the many roles it plays in families, life paths, and communities.
Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma: Skills, Hope, and Strength for Your Journey (2025)
I’m Not Alone: A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness or History of Trauma (2006)
both by Michelle D. Sherman, PhD, and DeAnne Boeltl Sherman ’67
DeAnne Boeltl Sherman ’67 is a mental health advocate and educator, often volunteering with the National Alliance on Mental Health. Her daughter, Michelle, is a clinical psychologist with expertise in supporting families with mental illness or history of trauma. Outside of co-authoring two books, DeAnne and Michelle collaborate frequently, hosting workshops on mental health.
“Loving someone with a mental illness can be exhausting and overwhelming, and family members have been invisible and unsupported for far too long,” says DeAnne. “Our books honor families’ experiences, empower them with research-based information and skills, and offer hope… especially to teens who often feel confused and afraid.”
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD (2014)
Rachel Sumo MSN’17, DNP, is a nurse practitioner and advocate for mental health wellness in African immigrant communities. In May 2025, she worked with the Liberian Advanced Practice Providers Network and Anoka County to organize “Breaking Stigma, Embracing Strength,” an event dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness, raising awareness, and providing valuable resources to the African immigrant community.
“Mental health awareness, fostering open conversations and collective healing, is especially crucial in African communities, where individuals suffer in silence and carry the weight of trauma due to mental health stigma,” Sumo says. “The Body Keeps the Score provides insight into how trauma is stored in the body and shapes behavior, relationships, and overall well-being, validating the often unspoken experiences of many immigrants.”
The College Student’s Guide to Mental Health: Essential Wellness Strategies for Flourishing in College by Mia Nosanow, MA, LP (2024)
This book was recommended by Heide Malat, director of the St. Kate’s Counseling Center. The Center offers free, quality care to students no matter their background and specializes in issues common in the college population. Services include one-onone sessions, drop-in support, crisis and group counseling, and workshops tailored to needs.
“This book is an essential guide for college students — and for those who support them, including parents, family members, and higher education professionals,” says Malat. “By offering practical tools to navigate the emotional, mental, social, and academic challenges of college life, this book empowers students to thrive during one of life’s most pivotal transitions.”
Humanity in Action
For 25 years, the Center for Community Work and Learning has built meaningful connections between Katies and local communities.
BY ANDY STEINER
One of the main factors that drew Nesteho Abdi ’27 to St. Catherine University, says the public health student, was the institution’s overarching focus on social justice.
“In my life,” she says, “I want to be able to say what I believe and do what I hold true and dear to my heart.”
St. Kate’s integral values instilled by the founding Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs), of loving the dear neighbor without distinction, are the same ones she learned growing up as a Muslim. “I believe that regardless of religious affiliation, at the core of all of our responsibilities is humanity and the ability to love everyone.”
In her first weeks on campus, Abdi, a third-year undergraduate, saw these values in action when she learned about the many community engagement opportunities available through the University’s Center for Community Work and Learning (CWL). She jumped in as a community-engaged learning student and a Community Leader intern with the St. Kate’s/ CSJ Food Access Hub.
The experience deepened her connection to campus and to the larger community. “There would be alumni there who were just coming by to help,” Abdi says. “I saw children and their parents shopping for food. It was a great space to see humanity in action. I learned about the world in ways I couldn’t in class.”
A LEGACY OF PARTNERSHIP
Living out our values within, and alongside our communities, is what CWL has been all about since its conception 25 years ago, says director Sophie Hunt, PhD. “Through our programs, students have the opportunity to practice what they are learning in the classroom, to develop leadership skills, and to learn from community members, all while contributing to the common good.”
Hunt is referring not only to CWL’s communityengaged learning (CEL) model — in which students collaborate with partner organizations as part of their coursework — but to the variety of other opportunities. The center has long offered three paid student employment programs that have become hallmarks of CWL: America Reads youth tutoring in math and reading; teaching, research, and program collaboration with faculty and staff through the Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP); and Community Leaders positions with local organizations. It’s also home to the Civic Engagement Collective and St. Kate’s Civic Engagement Fellowship, in which students, faculty, and staff work to encourage community involvement in democratic practices including voting, dialogue, and advocacy. All of these ways for students to get engaged allow them to build leadership and professional skills they will use throughout their lifetimes.
OVER ITS 25-YEAR HISTORY, COMMUNITY WORK AND LEARNING HAS CONNECTED ST. KATE’S WITH THE LARGER COMMUNITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND STAFF PARTICIPATE IN SERVICE PROJECTS DURING THE ANNUAL FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH CELEBRATION IN MARCH.
For Sarah Gerdes ’08, MAOL’21, a CEL project led her to produce a story for Minneapolis radio station KFAI about the impact of light rail construction on Saint Paul neighborhoods around University Avenue.
It was an eye-opening experience, Gerdes says. “Through participating in courses that have a service-learning component [CEL], you are exposed to communities that are different from your own — communities like KFAI that I didn’t even know existed.” This expanded way of seeing the world eventually led her to work at BIPOC-centered nonprofits, and at CWL itself as a program manager, and to the position she holds today. Now, as community services manager at Saint Paul Public Library, she says she is “directly using the work and experience I earned with CWL.”
Integral to CWL’s longstanding success are mutually enriching relationships with local community organizations who collaborate with St. Kate’s students for a day, a semester, or longer. Some of these partnerships have existed for nearly as long as CWL itself. Mano a Mano, which distributes surplus U.S. medical, educational, and construction supplies to impoverished Bolivian communities, has been working with CWL for more than 20 years.
Nate Knatterud-Hubinger is director of partnerships and strategy at the Twin Cities-based nonprofit, and he
says that the collaboration has been “extremely helpful to us at Mano a Mano. The connections we’ve built have been important and fulfilling for everyone involved, and the student workers have been such a benefit to us.”
DEEPENING IMPACT
As the program looks forward to the next quarter century, Hunt says it will continue to build on the charism and legacy of the CSJs, expanding the program’s reach to all students, including innovations with online community-engaged learning and building upon the CEL component that forms an integral part of The Reflective Woman (TRW) courses. Additionally, a new $50,000 grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University supports program leaders in assessing the work that’s already been done in TRW and in holding a series of community conversations across campus that will help CWL meet the University’s mission to educate social justice leaders.
This ability to adapt to effect change is as much a part of CWL’s future as it has been in its legacy. “Across my 18 years at St. Kate’s, I have seen the impact community engagement has had on students, and the impact our students have had on the broader community, whether it be transcribing housing deeds, serving a meal, or tutoring kids,” says D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, assistant vice president for Engaged Learning and Employer and Community Partnerships, director of the Office of Scholarly Engagement, and former CWL director. “The St. Kate’s mission to educate our students to lead and
VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED WITH THE ST. KATE’S/CSJ FOOD ACCESS HUB PRESENTED AT THE FALL 2024 CROSS-CAMPUS FOOD ACCESS COALITION (CFAC) WORKSHOP.
influence while also caring for our neighbors is fundamental to what we do, and motivates us to always work alongside our communities to create a better world for everyone.”
For Abdi, CWL’s impact has grown throughout her undergraduate career. This summer, she’s conducting a Summer Scholars collaborative research project on the impact of cultural migration on Somali elders’ diabetes management. She sees a clear line connecting her earlier community-engaged experiences to the scholarly work
she is doing now, and to the positive impact she hopes to make on the world post-graduation.
“I am a community-centered person,” she says. “I care deeply for people around me. My CWL experiences have been extremely helpful in shaping who I am and helping me to plan what I want to do in the future.” One of those plans is to attend graduate school in public health. “It’s a clear connection — I plan to take what I’ve learned about service at St. Kate’s and use it to help the larger community.”
My CWL experiences have been extremely helpful in… helping me to plan what I want to do in the future.”
Nesteho Abdi ’27
COMMUNITY MEMBERS COME TOGETHER FOR CITIZEN KATIE, ST. KATE’S ANNUAL DAY OF SERVICE.
A Step Up for the Future
St. Kate’s CNA program helps fill a need in the healthcare industry while giving high school students an early career advantage.
BY AMY CARLSON GUSTAFSON
Elijah, Madelynn, and Samantha are sitting at a table in a room on the second floor of Whitby on the St. Catherine University campus. The three Cristo Rey Jesuit High School students are at ease with each other as they share stories, laughs, and knowing looks while talking about their experience in the summer Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program.
The eager teens are learning skills that not only prepare them to pass the Minnesota state exam to work as a CNA, but also serve as a foundation for several other careers in the healthcare field. They all agree that the class has taught them more than they expected, including patience, time management skills, and confidence.
“I just love being in the lab, being in the setting of a [provider’s] office and around all the equipment,” says Elijah, a junior, who wants to be a general surgeon. “When we’re learning about it, and then we’re actually in there doing it — it’s even better.”
Erica Largent DNP’25, MSN’23, St. Kate’s CNA program coordinator and assistant professor of nursing, is leading the charge to help high schoolers develop the skills and experience they’ll need to pass the Minnesota CNA exam.
“Our program is designed for the students to come to campus,” she says. “We want them to have that college experience. We want them to come into our nursing labs and see what it’s like to imagine themselves here in the future.”
St. Kate’s CNA program is designed for two groups, depending on age and education level. In the first, college and adult learners complete a “fast track” hybrid course with online work and in-person lab training. The other group is comprised of high school partnerships where students come to campus (either over a semester or a month in the summer) as part of programming through their school, earning PSEO college credits along the way.
The dozen Cristo Rey students who participated in last summer’s CNA program, funded by the GHR Foundation, will be placed in healthcare roles through the high school’s unique corporate work study program, where they’ll spend one day a week during the school year working in a healthcare setting.
“It’s giving them that early exposure and a chance to figure out if it’s a good fit for them,” says Largent. “It also gives them a very good paying entry-level healthcare job
— that they need a certification for — and it sets them on that trajectory towards their future goals working in healthcare.”
A STEP AHEAD FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
As part of her Doctor of Nursing Practice project, “Strengthening Certified Nursing Assistant Knowledge Exam Readiness in High School Students,” Largent found that in Minnesota, CNAs represent nearly 27,000 healthcare positions, according to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state also leads the nation in nurse aide shortages, resulting in 78% of nursing homes and nearly 35% of assisted living facilities limiting admissions. [1]
Largent knew that the on-campus high school CNA students did well on the skills part of the CNA assessment, but struggled with the knowledge exam.
LARGENT (CENTER RIGHT) IN THE LAB WITH CNA STUDENTS MADELYNN (LEFT), ELIJAH (CENTER LEFT), AND SAMANTHA (RIGHT).
“With high school students, the learning must be hands-on,” says Largent, who notes that 45% of the students speak a primary language other than English. “It doesn’t work just to stand up and lecture, or they won’t retain it.”
Largent introduced a game-based vocabulary to improve students’ retention of medical terminology and linguistics with great success. Her implementation of activities, mind maps, and gamification led to a 20% increase in passing rates compared to the year before.
“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing them pass,” she says. “For some, it changes their life. They can apply for good-paying jobs. They can check off a prerequisite for getting into nursing school. It enhances their resume and provides a competitive edge when applying for positions. It also teaches them so much about caring for other human beings and how fulfilling it can be to leave an impact on someone’s life.”
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Kesiah Kolbow, vice president of Cristo Rey’s corporate work study program, says when they survey students and their parents, healthcare is the number one career path that they’re interested in.
Through the work study program, students who earn their CNA spend one day a week working onsite in the profession throughout the school year. She calls this summer class of CNA students from Cristo Rey “trailblazers” and hopes their experience provides direction for their future dreams.
“The corporate work study program isn’t just about positioning students to know what they want to do,” Kolbow says. “They also learn about what they don’t want to do at an early age. We want them to understand their skills well and develop their confidence to hopefully get into a CNA track for the longer term, or maybe even nursing or medical school.”
Elijah, Madelynn, and Samantha have different longterm plans, but all agree that the CNA program experience has provided them with a solid foundation for whatever career moves come next.
“I learned that I like community,” says Madelynn. “I like practicing skills on each other and asking each other questions. I learned that I can push myself to learn new things.”
As Elijah shows off his official St. Kate’s student lanyard, he smiles.
“I just love seeing my badge and my picture with St. Catherine University on it,” he says. “I’ll be the first male in my family to go to college. It’s a blessing.”
A MEANINGFUL DEGREE
In spring 2024, Ger Yang ’28 was a Harding High School senior taking the CNA course at St. Kate’s through Saint Paul Public Schools. At the time, not only was she coming to campus for class and completing her other high school coursework, but she was also a caregiver to her ailing father.
“The class impacted me as I learned how to properly care for someone, not just at school, but also at home with someone I loved,” Yang recalls. “It helped me care for my dad more easily and efficiently and teach my siblings how to care for him properly.”
Yang is a first-generation Hmong American woman, the youngest of eight siblings, and the first daughter in her family to attend college. She says growing up, her parents were in and out of the hospital due to health complications, so she’s always been surrounded by doctors and nurses.
Now in her second year at St. Kate’s, working toward her BSN, Yang plans on becoming a postpartum nurse and possibly a nurse practitioner. She credits Largent’s teaching and counseling for her decision to pursue a nursing degree, a goal that she says carries deep meaning for her.
“At the time, my father was actively dying, and it made me very emotional,” says Yang, who was able to have one-on-one conversations with Largent. “Erica understood me like nobody else did at that moment. I asked her, and she suggested I consider the nursing route.” Before Yang’s father passed away, she told him she was going to be a nurse.
“He was so pleased,” says Yang. “He was so happy, and he kept squeezing my hand.
I knew it made him proud that I was going to be his first daughter to graduate from college and become a nurse.”
ABOVE: YANG, A FORMER CNA STUDENT, WITH HER FATHER.
[1] Bostic, 2021; Long-Term Care Imperative
OPPOSITE: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SUMMER CNA PROGRAM DEVELOP SKILLS AND GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS.
Along with high school partnerships where students come to campus, St. Kate’s CNA program offers a course for college and adult learners, who complete online classwork and in-person lab training. Through this hybrid CNA track, St. Kate’s serves a wide array of learners, including the Hmong American Partnership, a Minnesota nonprofit that sponsors students with financial needs from a variety of cultural backgrounds to attend CNA training.
Around Campus
KELSEY DORR ’23, MBA’25 NOMINATED FOR NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Tennis standout Kelsey Dorr ’23, MBA’25 was nominated for the prestigious National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year award, capping off a historic career as the Wildcat tennis program’s most decorated player of all time. Dorr made history as the first Wildcat to qualify for the NCAA Division III Singles Championship and win the ITA cup. Off the court, she excelled academically, graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and an MBA in strategic management, and was active in initiatives such as the St. Kate’s/CSJ Food Shelf, Data Fest, and academic research projects addressing educational disparities.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year program honors graduating female college athletes across all three divisions who have demonstrated excellence not only in athletics, but academics, community service, and leadership.
“For me this nomination represents a culmination of all of the incredible contributions Kelsey has made to
St. Kate’s and our athletic department,” says head tennis coach Benjamin Hageseth, who notes that he has worked with Dorr since her sophomore year of high school. “She has reset the bar over and over on the tennis courts at St. Kate’s, and yet she never used her individual accolades as the barometer for success — instead, she cared more about and worked for the success of the team and teammates around her.”
Dorr describes her personal journey as one of growth, resilience, and leadership. Overcoming challenges, including the loss of a beloved grandfather during one of her greatest athletic achievements, she emerged as a confident, accomplished individual. “From the start of my college experience, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone to become a better student, athlete, and leader for my team,” she wrote in her nomination statement. “Being a student athlete at a women’s [institution] created a sense of belonging that allowed me to flourish and see my true potential.”
STUDENT OPPORTUNITY HUB TO SUPPORT HEALTH PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
This fall, St. Catherine University launched the Student Opportunity Hub, funded by the GHR Foundation Legacy Grant, to reimagine health science and nursing student support, as well as advance academic excellence. Co-coordinated by Beth Meighen-Palanivel MAHS’13, DNP’24, associate professor of nursing, and Mulki Habad MAOL’25, assistant professor of respiratory care, the hub supports undergraduate and graduate students in the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing.
The hub was designed to address gaps in support unique to health professional students, who experience high levels of stress, need tailored academic support, and benefit from developing
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a sense of professional identity and belonging within interdisciplinary teams. Designed to be welcoming and supportive, the space features comfortable seating, a sensory-safe nook, and a reservable group study space.
Meighen-Palanivel and Habad emphasize the importance of student feedback and faculty-learner collaboration in the ongoing development of the Student Opportunity Hub, including the physical accommodations and initial pilot structure. With this collaborative input, the team has included wellness opportunities and group accountability study sessions, and has explored innovative ways to engage online learners.
ALUMNI RETURN TO CAMPUS FOR REUNION 2025
On the weekend of June 6–8, St. Kate’s hosted close to 200 alumni on campus for the annual Reunion celebration. The classes of 1975 and 2000 celebrated their 50-year and 25-year Reunions with class pinnings and photos. President Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, delivered her first “State of St. Kate’s” address to alumni of all years, reflecting on her first year at the University. The weekend included class parties, campus tours, a Conversation With Books focused on the romance genre, and a social hour for recent graduates to meet President Evans. Alumni also had the opportunity to record their college memories for a St. Kate’s oral history that will be released as a podcast later this year. (Email alumni@stkate.edu to share your own stories and ideas!)
REUNION ATTENDEES: Check your email for photos from Reunion 2025! Email alumni@stkate.edu if you have not received access details.
For more news and to read full announcements, visit stkate.edu/news.
TWO KATIES AWARDED FULBRIGHTS
Two St. Catherine alumnae, Josi Aguilera ’25 (left) and Nag Poe ’24 (right), received 2025–26 Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards, with Liz Bolsoni ’23, Kiara Gomes ’25, Kristin Lentz MLIS’25, and Emma Svendsen ’25 selected as alternates. The Competitive Fellowships office, part of the Office of Scholarly Engagement, supported students in the application process.
Poe was selected for an English Teaching Assistant Award in Thailand. In this position, she plans to combine her passion for
education and experience in exercise and sport science by incorporating activities like sports into the classroom.
Aguilera, an international studies and political sciences major, was selected for an English Teaching Assistant Award in Kyrgyzstan. However, she has declined to pursue a fully funded master’s degree in public policy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Previously, Aguilera was awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2023.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Visit stkate.edu/alumni-events for more information.
GIVE TO ST. KATE’S DAY
November 12
FEAST OF SAINT CATHERINE
November 24
GIVE TO HONOR HER
February 10
WOMEN OF COLOR LEADERSHIP SERIES: KELLY HALL-TOMPKINS
February 27
2026 KELLY LECTURE: VALERIE JARRETT
March 5
DEW DROP BOP
May 1
REUNION 2026
June 5–7
FIRST ASSOCIATE
PROVOST FOR ADULT AND ONLINE ED NAMED
St. Catherine University appointed JaeEun Joo, EdD, as its first associate provost of adult learning and education in July. Joo, who has 25 years of experience in online education, most recently worked as executive director of online learning at Metropolitan State University Denver in Colorado. In her new role, she will use her impressive breadth of knowledge to expand St. Kate’s global portfolio, strengthen educational and operational quality, forge strong partnerships, and ensure outstanding learner experiences.
The new associate provost position will be crucial in ensuring the University continues to provide high-quality, flexible, and accessible educational opportunities to students of all backgrounds.
Katies in Action
In her new role as executive director and CEO of GiveMN, MAOL student Jenna Ray amplifies the power of giving to unite us.
BY KENDALL GRAHAM
For Jenna Ray MAOL’26, leadership and care are synonymous. “Empathetic leadership” is a vision she has cultivated throughout her career, and one she hopes to implement as GiveMN’s newest executive director and CEO.
Ray arrives at the role with two decades of nonprofit experience, most recently as GiveMN’s deputy executive director for community impact. She has built a career with an eye toward making change. But with roots in the theater, her love of stories remains a guiding force — one that led her to St. Catherine University’s Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program.
“I really loved connecting with folks and telling important stories, but I also started thinking about leadership and what I could take from the work that I’d done in theater and apply to community organizing and public leadership,” Ray says. She felt compelled by a program that could help her develop her own voice and leadership style. “That makes sense to me from the time that I spent in the liberal arts, but also as a Native woman leading in spaces that weren’t necessarily designed for me.”
Ray is a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. She spent much of her life in rural western Minnesota, and her upbringing and Native heritage has shaped her drive for a leadership style rooted in care. She explains, “In Anishinaabe Métis cultural tradition, leadership isn’t about power or title, it’s a way of being. In particular, we understand
leaders as folks who step forward when they’re called, do what is required of them for the care of community, and they fall back when their work is done.”
Coming from a tradition of Native entrepreneurs and business leaders helped Ray understand how empathetic leadership could be compatible with the future of business and philanthropy, something she’s exploring further in her MAOL program. “I feel like I’ve really been able to develop and dive into that at St. Kate’s, which has then helped me to do so in my work at GiveMN,” she said. “The projects that we’re working on directly translate into GiveMN’s work, particularly crafting our vision to solving the generosity crisis.”
The “generosity crisis” Ray refers to is a philanthropic term for the trend toward increases in skepticism of institutions, while household contributions to charitable causes decrease. This same topic was the focus of one of the sessions led by Ray at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ annual fundraising conference last summer, titled “Cut Through the Noise: Meaningful Messaging Amidst Uncertainty.” (Maddie Korva MAOL’25, fellow graduate of the St. Kate’s program and director of marketing and communications at GiveMN, co-led the sessions.)
Unity was a key theme of that conversation. “What we know is that people are experiencing an all-time high desire to do good,” says Ray. “So I think there’s a really interesting opportunity for the social sector,
RAY SPEAKS ABOUT CURRENT PHILANTHROPIC TRENDS AT THE MINNESOTA COUNCIL OF NONPROFITS’ ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CONFERENCE.
nonprofits, and generosity leaders to be able to build bridges across differences in understanding.”
It’s a challenge that Ray embraces and calls for others to embrace, too. She encourages anyone looking for ways to live their values to support the organizations closest to their hearts.
“At a moment in time where many folks are feeling — regardless of political affiliation — a lack of control or agency, generosity is one thing that we can do to reclaim our agency and power, and invest in the things that matter to us,” she says.
Class Notes
1950
SALLY MAMER SAULT ’50 (pictured far left in The Wheel archive photo) attended her 75-year Reunion last June, accompanied by daughter Celeste Terry and granddaughter — and fellow alumna — Tasha Rose Terry Zerna ’08, MAOL’15.
1960
CASS DALGLISH ’66, MFA, PhD had her book Ring of Lions, a work of historical fiction, published by Calumet Editions in February.
MARJORIE MATHISON HANCE ’70 was featured in a July Star Tribune article about Pelican Lake. Mathison Hance is co-chair of Pelican Lake’s task force finding solutions to swimmer’s itch.
’72 performed in DayTrippers Dinner Theatre’s spring production of 37 Postcards at Plymouth Playhouse.
ANNE BARRY ’79, JD was named chair of the U.S. Rugby Foundation in March. The first woman to lead the 61-year-old foundation, Barry was previously its first woman treasurer and first woman president, and in 2014 was the first woman inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame.
2000
ANDREA ENGDAHL ’08 was profiled by the Star Tribune for her work as a nurse midwife at M Health Fairview Clinic-Riverside and Masonic Children’s Hospital.
2010
ANIKA BRATT ’11, PhD received tenure at Macalester College, where she is a professor of environmental studies and, since 2021, has been a Wallin Postdoctoral Fellow.
CHRISTINE PAETZEL GUTIERREZ ’12 and Kadie Gutierrez welcomed baby Malachi “Mac” Amos on March 26, 2025.
PAIGE WERA ’16, MBA’23 began a new position at 3M as United States and Canada area portfolio leader.
AUDRA CLARK ’19 was named assistant basketball coach at Northern Illinois University. As a Wildcat athlete at St. Kate’s, Clark was a four-year starter and fourtime Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference selection.
CAROLINE KELLY ’19 married Blake Shaw on August 2, 2024 in St. Paul, Minn.
2020
SYDNEY COXWORTH ’20 opened a new practice, Complete Wellness Chiropractic, in Winnebago, Minn.
ALEXIS JENSON ’20 began a new position at Rainbow Companies as a copywriter.
ANDREA MATA SARABIA ’22 married Guillermo Cabral on June 14, 2025 in Our Lady of Victory Chapel. Their wedding was the first to take place in the Chapel since its reopening in October 2024.
JERUSALEM TADESSE ’21 received the Citizen Lifesaving Award in May 2021 from the Eagan Police Department, along with her father, cousin, and a family friend. The recognition honored the lifesaving medical aid they provided to prevent a 2-year-old from drowning in June 2024. Tadesse and her father, who is also a nurse, performed CPR until emergency services arrived. SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
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HANNAH RESENDIZ OLSON ’23, MPH’24 was a featured presenter at Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition’s webinar in August celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. Resendiz Olson, a community health representative in Scott County (Minn.), spoke about “Milk Rx,” a partnership between Scott County Public Health and St. Francis Regional Medical Hospital that facilitates breast milk donations for mothers and babies in need.
MAURA BREMER PETERSON MAOL’24 received the 2025 Julie Belle White-Newman Award for Outstanding Leadership Research from St. Kate’s Master in Organizational Leadership program for her study exploring how organizational leaders can cultivate joy in remote and hybrid work environments to improve employee engagement.
In Memory w
Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the following St. Catherine University graduates, faculty, staff, and community members.
Janine M. Delage, former employment coordinator w May 28, 2024
Dolores A. Odland, former employee w January 3, 2025
Dolores Studer Tobin ’46 w May 23, 2025
Mary Jane Dornack Faricy ’49 w June 18, 2025
JoAnn Low Potts ’50 w May 8, 2025
Rosemary Bishoff Vesel ’53 w May 15, 2025
Margaret Hauge Rakas ’53 w November 23, 2024
Faye Casper Michaletz ’54 w October 30, 2019
Margaret Domke Drezek ’54 w March 18, 2025
Joan Walsh McGowan ’54 w June 4, 2024
Lauretta Vaughan Wermerskirchen ’55 w June 18, 2025
Mary Louise Brandes Griffith ’56 w June 24, 2025
Jane Keenan Roden ’56 w June 13, 2025
Helen Lerwold Durand ’56 w May 29, 2025
Patricia Pertile Paul ’56 w July 11, 2025
Margaret M. Roach ’56 w July 20, 2025
Janice Buckley Walsh ’57 w July 13, 2025
Gloria Kraus Bartels ’58 w January 31, 2025
Margaret Becker Smith ’59 w July 11, 2025
Carol Staloch Loomis ’59 w June 21, 2025
Jean Simons Purcell ’61 w May 20, 2025
Mary Ellen Casagrande Dunphy ’62 w May 31, 2025
Mary Anne Savage ’62 w May 11, 2025
Norma Tanata Grant ’63 w November 29, 2023
Kathleen A. Baxter ’66 w May 19, 2025
Antoinette Wetzel ’66 w July 13, 2025
Elizabeth Bray Kenney ’67 w July 14, 2025
Ann M. Seifert ’67 w November 4, 2023
Yolanda Simonetti Moon ’67 w January 19, 2025
Barbara Truzinski Ringham ’70 w May 22, 2025
Janet Stoffel ’72 w July 27, 2022
Marilyn A. Dvorak, RGS, ’73 w February 12, 2022
Kathleen McConnon Petron ’74 w January 25, 2025
Kathleen Dornack DelGreco ’78 w September 12, 2024
Louise Pelletier Pieper ’80 w June 2, 2025
Teresa Reiter Pabst ’83 w July 7, 2025
Joanne Dornack Brownell ’84 w September 19, 2020
Lynn M. Sager ’87 w June 29, 2025
Sharon Rongstad Kill ’89 w August 16, 2024
Suzanne Ramier ’94 w May 16, 2025
Sandra Huebschen Wood ’98 w June 18, 2025
Kathlyn Kremer Vilendrer MA’12 w May 2, 2025
Amy L. Eustis AS’13, BS’15 w June 12, 2022
Joyce A. Lopez MLS’15 w July 22, 2025
ELIZABETH “LIZ”
KERWIN, CSJ, ’57, died peacefully on June 16, 2025 at Carondelet Village in Saint Paul, Minn. Born in 1933, Kerwin grew up in Saint Paul and in 1952 entered the community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs), where she took on the name Paul Elizabeth.
Kerwin earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and math from the then-College of St. Catherine (1957), a master’s in biology from the University of Notre Dame (1966), and a certificate in spiritual direction from Gonzaga University (1983). She is survived by her sister Stephanie Kerwin Lloyd ’67, who is a St. Kate’s alumna as well.
Kerwin taught at many CSJ-run schools before becoming a professor at St. Kate’s and St. Mary’s Junior College in Minneapolis. She also served 36 years at the Loyola Spiritual Center, with 20 years as spiritual director, and was later recognized as one of its co-founders in appreciation of her outstanding leadership. A music lover, Kerwin sang for over 30 years in St. Kate’s Choral Society and the CSJ Celebration Choir.
Would you like to make a memorial gift? Please contact 651-690-6976 | giving@stkate.edu Let us know about a loved one who has passed away: 651-690-6666 | inmemory @stkate.edu
Katie Diary
BY ISABELLA NORCROSS ’25
In 2020, amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruth Johnson (Levchak) Eckel ’48 was transitioning into Saint Therese Senior Living of Oxbow Lake, an assisted living community. The move happened during a stressful period as her family navigated both global upheaval and the need to ensure Eckel was healthy, safe, and comfortable.
During the move-in process, Eckel and her family stepped into the cafeteria and were met with an unexpected surprise. There, in the meal line, stood Gloria Keltgen Ahlstrand ’48. Like Eckel, Ahlstrand was a 1948 graduate of St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing (later St. Mary’s Junior College), then under the direction of the then-College of St. Catherine. Ahlstrand immediately recognized her old classmate and joyfully exclaimed, “Oh, good! Ruthie’s here!”
Their reunion was pure coincidence; neither knew the other lived at Saint Therese. Decades earlier, they had studied, trained, and built friendships together at St. Mary’s, which joined St. Kate’s in 1942 during World War II. At the time, St. Kate’s had established the WWII cadet nursing program to address the critical shortage of nurses both domestically and abroad in-service. The program incentivized women to enter the field by offering free education and hands-on training in exchange for wartime service. It became an official part of the U.S. Cadet Nursing Corps in 1943 and ended in 1948, graduating around 130 cadet nurses each year.
As students, Eckel and Ahlstrand were part of the same friend group and had remained in touch through Christmas cards over the years, but it wasn’t until this chance encounter that they reconnected in person — two lifelong nurses embodying the legacy of St. Mary’s, once again side by side.
BELOW: RUTH JOHNSON (LEVCHAK) ECKEL ’48 (LEFT) AND GLORIA KELTGEN AHLSTRAND ’48 (RIGHT) REMINISCE TOGETHER OVER THEIR DAYS AT ST. MARY’S.
RIGHT: THE ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF NURSING CLASS OF 1948 PHOTO.
AHLSTRAND (LEFT) AND ECKEL (RIGHT) PICTURED IN THEIR NURSING UNIFORMS AT ST. MARY’S.
ROSE SWE ZIN ’27
KATIE CAT