Momentum T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A RY
WINTER 2021
Service for life
inside this issue
Unlocking Opportunities | PAGE 6
1
From the President
2
True Passion
6
Unlocking Opportunities
8
Q & A with Dr. Rod Jonas
10
A Dream Job
12
Living Mission for Life
14
Record Breakers
16
Alumni News
A Dream Job | PAGE 10
Editor Lauren Dunnigan
Graphic Design Specialist Kate Kurtz Photographer Grace Ballalatak, ’20
Contact Momentum Editorial 701-355-8255 Circulation 701-355-3726 Living Mission for Life | PAGE 12
University of Mary
@umary
@universityofmary
University of Mary
FROM THE PRE SIDE NT
vibrant campus with record numbers. And after a year that was yet touched by and adapted to the pandemic, this academic year we find our campus once again in full form: we hosted a full Welcome Week schedule, Homecoming, Prayer Day, and our Candlelight Gala.
Monsignor James P. Shea President of the University of Mary
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he journey of higher education is a series of exciting, sometimes scary, beginnings. When students come to us, they experience a world of ‘firsts’ — for some, the first time living away from home, for others, a new step forward in their career. We here at the University of Mary have been called to support their dreams by opening doors to a deeper and richer life. Our highest goal is to see our students at commencement in love with life’s possibilities and eager to take on the challenges of the wide world, steeped in virtue, spiritual vigor, and intellectual integrity. What a privilege it has been to begin the academic year with a full, active, and
It is our joy to have wonderful young men and women with us, to watch them become fully themselves. As they take to these opportunities given them, there is a special fervor in their hearts this year, a fiery determination to embrace an invitation to cultivate greatness of soul. G.K. Chesterton once said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Underneath all the activity on campus, the fervor of our students comes from a readiness to see with awe, to fall in love with life’s possibilities from the day they arrive here … and to thank God for them. To acknowledge, joyfully, that life is a gift; and that life, however difficult, is good. Truly, astoundingly good. As 2021 comes to a close, we recall a year of gift, too: from the opportunity to cohost the North Dakota March for Life, to our Marauders hockey team winning its first ACHA Division II National
Championship; from our nursing program being named #1 in the nation again, to our track and field star, Ida Narbuvoll, winning not just one, but two NCAA Division II National Championships. Of course, none of this is possible without our dedicated faculty and staff, as well as the support and prayers you, our alumni and friends, give. Your support and care sustain us, and the example of alumni like those in this issue, taking to all their work with a spirit of awestruck gratitude, revives and inspires us. When we consider all the ways you bless us, our happiness is doubled indeed! And our sense of wonder is magnified as we give thanks to our good and faithful God and look, still, toward a future filled with Radiance and Life. In anticipating all that 2022 holds, our hearts and minds linger in that highest realm of thought, filled with our gratitude for you and for the mission we have the privilege to serve every day. You are ever in our prayers. God bless you!
Monsignor James P. Shea President
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TRUE PASSION 2
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It’s not hard to figure out that Dr. Jan Bury loves babies. Her license plate that says “BABIES” could tip you off, or her email address that also mentions babies; but the most obvious clues are the thousands of babies she delivered and cared for during her 27 years as an OBGYN and seven years as a labor and delivery nurse.
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an knew from a young age that she wanted to be in health care. When she was 14, she applied to be a candy striper at St. Alexius. At 16, she became a nurse’s aide. She went to college for nursing and graduated from the University of Mary in December 1977. After a year on the medical floor at St. Alexius, a spot opened in the labor and delivery unit, and there Jan found her true passion. “I always wanted to work in labor and delivery. I was just fascinated with pregnancy and birth,” she said. “My love for obstetrics was born.” Jan spent seven years as a labor and delivery nurse, but deep down, she wanted to be a doctor and the idea of medical school never left her mind. At the time, she had four children ranging from ages five to ten, and she knew that her chance to go to medical school would be when her youngest began school. She didn’t want to move her family too far from Bismarck, so she decided to apply only to the University of North Dakota and walk away from her dream if she did not get in. “My interview was on a frigid December day in Grand Forks. People told me to try to be lighthearted and a little funny during the process,” Jan said. She remembers telling a joke about Sister Michael giving her the only B she ever received in college … in art. She joked that she’s not an artist, and
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Jan during her time as a labor and delivery nurse.
Jan with one of the babies she delivered.
Jan retired this fall after 27 years as an OBGYN and labor and delivery nurse. everyone laughed. Soon enough, she received her acceptance letter and moved to Grand Forks in 1986 with her four kids. “My kids were awesome,” Jan said. “We were in it together; they would go with me to the med school labs in the evening to look at slides or specimens, and I had a suitcase with an entire human skeleton that we had at home.” Jan wonders if these experiences are what inspired three of her daughters to become doctors as well.
Jan and her daughter, Jill, doing surgery together. 4
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Eventually Jan and her family moved back to Bismarck for two years for her clinicals. She married Bob Bury in 1988, who was also an OBGYN. After Jan graduated from
medical school, the family moved to Kansas City for her residency in the same field as her husband. “Working in a big city hospital gives you such a breadth of experience and education,” she said. “I thought I died and went to heaven!” The family loved their time in Kansas City and became avid Chiefs fans, but their hearts were still in Bismarck. So, when Jan’s residency was complete, they moved back home in 1994. Jan said her practice grew quickly, and she enjoyed working with her husband. “Whichever one of us wasn’t working or doing a delivery was responsible for kid stuff and making sure everybody was
Dr. Jan Bury and her husband Dr. Bob Bury with their daughters, Dr. Jill Steinle (left), and Dr. Laura Knutson (right). where they needed to be. The kids were all still home and busy participating in sports and music, but we made it work. We made a good team,” she said. Together, Bob and Jan have a combined 10 children and 16 grandchildren, with one on the way. Three of their daughters are also doctors: two OBGYNs and one in palliative, or end of life, care. “They grew up seeing both of us as OBGYNs, and I guess it didn’t scare them off!” Jan said. “It was busy, being on call and going in for deliveries, but it was rewarding.” Bob retired in 2011, and Jan joined him in retirement at the end of August 2021.
Jan says that retirement has been much harder than she ever imagined. “My work has been such an important part of who I am as a person,” she said. She’s hoping to spend her time outdoors, reading, being with family, shopping for antiques, and traveling a little, specifically back to Kansas City with her family to cheer on their favorite sports teams.
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ooking back, Jan is grateful for the opportunities that shaped her into the person and doctor she became. Sometimes people ask her if she wishes she went to medical school sooner. “If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change it,” Jan said. “I think it made me a better physician to
be a nurse first. I feel like you can’t teach somebody how to sit at the bedside with a patient when you’re in medical school. You don’t have the luxury to sit with them for hours at a time, but you do as a nurse. I think that experience gave me a more human touch with the patients and the ability to have that connection with them.” Dr. Jan Bury received an honorary doctorate at the University of Mary’s 2021 Alumni Awards Banquet, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Mary. Jan received it as a “witness to resilient joy, model of steadfast compassion in health care, and exemplar of professional excellence in medicine.” umary.edu
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UNLOCKING Opportunities W
hen Mary Kracht was a junior in high school at Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities, she didn’t know where she wanted to go to college. “I knew little to nothing about what I needed or desired in a university, except that I wanted to belong to a strong Catholic community,” she said. That year, she had the opportunity to visit the University of Mary on a free bus trip, and she fell in love with the school. “I specifically remember attending Mass on campus. I was amazed at the number of students at
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Mass, along with their attentiveness and reverence. By having the opportunity to go on the University of Mary bus trip, I was able to experience a college campus firsthand. Not only that, but I was able to see and understand what it looks like for an institution to not only talk about, but really live out, its Catholic values.” Mary is now a freshman at the University of Mary and is one of countless students who have been introduced to the university through the generosity
of Mary Jo Feltl, who sponsors the bus trip from Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Mary Jo is passionate about Catholic education. During her time working with Real Presence Radio, she would help live-stream radio shows from various Catholic high schools in the Twin Cities area. Eventually, she decided to start livestreaming from Catholic universities as well. The University of Mary was one of her first calls. “I remember I called on a Sunday, and by Monday we were already making
John Brickweg, Mary Jo Feltl, and Tom Schulzetenberg during the sixth bus trip this fall 2021.
student in particular who went one of the first years. He’s now graduated from the University of Mary, worked there for a while, and has since moved back to the Twin Cities with his wife, whom he met at college, and has a little baby. It’s those kinds of stories that touch me, which were made possible by the bus trip.” the plans to go,” she said. “And I figured that if we were going to go all the way there, we might as well bring some high school students to check out the school.” So, in October of 2015, they loaded up two buses and made the trip to Bismarck. The trip was so successful that they’ve done it every year since, but now instead of two buses, they take four. They no longer sponsor a live radio show, in order to have more time for the students to check out the campus. Parents and teachers are invited as well, and they normally bring about 150 people on the trip. Mary Jo loves seeing the impact the trip has on the students’ lives, like Mary’s and many others’. “I remember one
Additionally, Mary Jo helps host a Twin Cities send-off party each summer for students who will be freshmen at the University of Mary. “It’s great to see the kids make connections and friends before heading off to college,” she said. “It can be scary to go out on your own, and students have told me that meeting a few of their classmates beforehand has really decreased their anxieties.” John Brickweg, the University of Mary’s regional admissions representative in the Twin Cities area, says that the impact of the trip and send-off event cannot be overstated. “A significant percent of students who go on the trip end up coming to the University of Mary,” he said. “This past summer, our annual freshman send-off event was the largest it
has ever been, with over 120 students and parents in attendance. Many students had attended the bus trip in previous years, and the event was almost a reunion.” Mary Jo says she does it all because she loves Catholic education, and she loves the University of Mary. “I think it is important for the students to have the opportunity to see a truly Catholic college,” Mary Jo said. “Our success is given to us by God, and we can’t take money to the grave, so it’s good to give back, and I love Catholic education and promoting Catholic schools.” Students like Mary couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities Mary Jo unlocks for them. “Her generous gift allowed me to discover the treasures of the University of Mary,” she said. “Her selflessness is so inspiring. I hope to grow to have half the spirit of self-gift as Mary Jo does.” Mary Kracht
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Q&A with Dr. Rod Jonas
Dr. Rod Jonas started his career as a basketball coach and now serves as our Dean of the Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Hear from Dr. Jonas about the lessons he learned as a coach that translate to the work he is doing today.
Q: What drew you to the University of Mary? A: At the time, I was assistant basketball coach at North Dakota State University. I really wanted to get into higher ed in an administrative role. I was pursuing a PhD – I thought it would give me other opportunities. Eventually, I wanted to move away from coaching, and I thought coming to Mary was an opportunity to do that. I was hired as the physical education program director and head basketball coach. Eventually an opportunity opened as the student teaching program director on campus, so I took that position. Then I was named a chair of the department of education, and then in 2010, I became dean of the school. I think the Lord had a plan for me here at the University of Mary. 8
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Q: Being a program director, coach, and finishing your doctorate sounds busy. How did you balance it all? A: Well, that was also a time in my life when I had small children, so that was difficult, too. People often talk about work-life balance, but I've never believed in that concept, because I don't think it works. I, along with my wife and family, have always tried to integrate my family life with my work life, because I don't think that you can put either in a silo. For example, when the team took road trips, our kids went with us on the bus. We tried to make my work life part of our family life, so that's one way I dealt with that.
The other way is that I multitask pretty well. I think coaching teaches you that you must be able to do several things at once, and I think in my administrative role, the same is true – you must learn to balance a lot of different things, but you also have to rely on other people to do the work with you.
Q: What other skills from your time as a coach have translated to your role as dean? A: I have a leadership style that lends itself to building teams, and I think we've done that here. I've built a very strong team of faculty and a leadership team that can help us all do the work that we do in our school. We've done a really good job of hiring the right people who are a good fit not only for our mission as an institution, but also for our school. What we tend to look for when building our team are people who would be good teammates, and who worry more about what is best for our school and our programs than themselves, and I’m proud of that.
Turbo, he was just eight weeks old, and I brought him into my Emerging Leaders Academy class. He's our mascot now. He was seven pounds when they met him, and this fall when I brought him in, he was 44 pounds. They were so excited to see him.
Q: What makes you excited to come to work in the morning? A: Making a difference. I think we're all put on this earth for such a very short time. God has a plan when this is all over, but while we're here, we have to make a difference in the lives of those we touch. I think it's very important that we understand that. Most importantly, I think people have to feel they make a difference. So not only is it important for me to make a difference, but I hope to help our faculty understand the value and importance of making a difference in our students’ lives. When I retire, I’ll know that I've made a difference.
To this day, I have students and graduates who consistently stay in contact with me, and I think that's what I'm most proud of, the difference I've made in the lives of our faculty and our students, and only they can tell you what that difference is. I hope I've helped them become the people that God intended them to become.
Q: What’s your vision for the future of the Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences? A: We will continue to develop quality programs that can make a difference in the lives of the students that we serve; that’s our number one priority. Additionally, we will continue to find ways to help our current programs grow not only in quality, but also in enrollment, which is vital to the health of our school and the University of Mary as a whole.
Q: What are some of your hobbies? A: Well, everyone who works with me knows I love hunting. I really don't take time off, except during the fall when I take some extra time off on weekends to go on hunting trips. I have two hunting dogs, Koda and Turbo, who is currently an eight-month-old pup. I've trained all my dogs for hunting. I teach the junior level course for our Emerging Leaders Academy. This past spring, when I got
Dr. Jonas and his dog, Turbo, at his Emerging Leaders Academy class. umary.edu
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a dream job S
ashay Schettler started off in Bismarck Public Schools (BPS) as an instructional aide while she was still working on her undergraduate degree. It was during that time that BPS hired their first cultural responsive coordinator to serve indigenous students in the district. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my dream job’,” Schettler said. She is a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. Only a month after she graduated from college, the position opened again, and she applied. “There was only one position, but two of us were a really good fit, so they created two positions,” she said. The position was still new, so Schettler was able to help create what the position looks like and trailblaze new programming across the district. As the programming grew, the district created the position of Indian Education Director to oversee the two cultural responsive coordinators. Schettler was the perfect fit and transitioned to the director position in March 2021. 10
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Not only is Schettler the first full-time Indian Education Director for BPS, but she is also the only full-time Indian Education Director in the state of North Dakota. Although her position is primarily about impacting indigenous students in the district, her work benefits all students and staff. “We work for culturally relevant practices, which impacts all students and is beneficial for our entire community,” she said. Schettler directly reports to the superintendent of the school system and spends most of her days working on creating programming and teaching systems that help the district equitably reach indigenous students. “Often times this position and our indigenous education program can be viewed as divisive, as though we’re siloing indigenous
“Our vision is to honor the seven generations who stand behind us, and to build with intentionality the seven generations ahead of us.” peoples into their own program,” Schettler said. “But really, it is about the unique responsibility that we have to our tribal citizens that are in our public school setting to make sure that they can see themselves reflected in a classroom, in the curriculum, and in the staff.”
On top of her work in the school system, Schettler is working on her master’s in teacher leadership from University of Mary Online. “My classes have really prepared me to take on some of the challenges that we have within our schools, and they’ve taught me some of the fundamentals that you really need to know,” she said. “The staff at Mary has been amazing. They are so supportive and loving; they support the work I do, and they support me as a person. It’s been a great experience.”
Schettler hopes to graduate in the summer of 2022, all while trailblazing in her new position and planning her wedding. Her passion for what she does keeps her going. “When I started as a coordinator, I was at a BPS event with my mom, and she was telling everyone that I planned everything, and I told her, ‘No, no, I’m just here for support.’ She was so proud of me,” she said. “She passed away in 2019, and when I got this position in March, I went to her grave and said, ‘Well mom, you were seeing into the future, because I do run the program now.’ It all goes back to when I was young, and my mom always told me I needed to be proud of where I came from.”
Less than one percent of BPS staff are indigenous. In contrast, 12% of students are indigenous — a total of about 1,455 students. Schettler works to make sure that these students have examples and role models in the school system. “Our vision is to honor the seven generations who stand behind us, and to build with intentionality the seven generations ahead of us, as we work together to celebrate and empower our students,” she said. “What are these next generations of indigenous youth going to look like, how are they going to impact the world, and how are we going to empower The 2021 masters graduates from the Native American Education Leadership Program (NAELP). them to do that, instead of telling them that they don’t really exist in a modern, contemporary example?” of education program. United Tribes Technical his fall, the University of Mary
GRANTS BENEFIT NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS
One way they’ve been able to do that is by offering courses in all indigenous languages that share North Dakota borders — a total of five languages — at Bismarck High School this fall, by partnering with local tribal colleges. Schettler hopes to continue to expand that program in the future.
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was awarded two grants from the Office of Indian Education’s Professional Development Program worth $2.88 million to be used over the next five years. The first grant supports scholarships for Native Americans wanting a bachelor’s degree in teacher education or special education on a fast track of three years. The second grant is scholarship money for Native American graduate students wanting to enter University of Mary’s online master’s
College is a key partner in these awards.
“We’re so excited, humbled, and honored to receive this scholarship funding again that has proven in the past to significantly benefit our Native American population,” said Dr. Carmelita Lamb, associate dean of the Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Lamb says the grants awarded to the University of Mary over the past years have benefited 110 Native American students, representing an 85 percent completion rate for the program. umary.edu 11
Ashley and Michael with their adopted children, Annabella and Nicholas.
Living Mission for Life. M
ichael Mortenson, ’15, came to the University of Mary to play football. Ashley (Sickler) Mortenson, ’15, came for the physical therapy program and competitive scholarships. Both students from Dickinson Trinity High School, Michael and Ashley enrolled at Mary in the fall of 2010, around the same time Monsignor Shea became president of the university. “I was interested to see what would happen under his leadership,” Michael said. Many new initiatives were started during their time at Mary, giving Michael and Ashley a unique opportunity to grow in their relationship with God and each other. “Our sophomore year, the Rome campus opened, and that really transformed people,” Ashley said. “Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) came to campus and started Bible studies,” she said. “That had a really big impact on our community.”
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Michael was also one of the founding members of Saint Joseph’s Hall, a discernment hall for men at Mary. The Catholic studies program started while they were students, and Michael minored in the program. The two had started dating in high school, and despite a brief break after returning from Rome to discern their vocations, they dated throughout college. They got engaged in 2013 and married the summer of 2014, before their senior year of college. Ashley had switched her major to nursing, and Michael was almost done with his degree in business administration and just needed to student teach to finish his secondary math education degree.
The FOCUS missionaries at Mary asked them to consider becoming missionaries themselves. “I did want to be a FOCUS missionary,” Ashley said. “I kept praying for it. Michael was absolutely against it. That year FOCUS had a conference in Nashville, and when I went to the conference, I just said, ‘Fine, Lord, if you want us to do it, tell Michael, and I will follow.’ And then I had a great conference,” she said. “I didn’t have such a great conference,” Michael said. “It was hard. But I realized I’d been given a lot in my formation, and I’ve been given a lot in my ability to befriend people. And God made it very clear that He wanted me to be a missionary.” Later during the conference, Michael told Ashley he had a change of heart. “I know,” she said. “We are going to be FOCUS missionaries.”
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he Mortensons served as FOCUS missionaries at Minnesota State University Mankato for six years. Over the years they served in Mankato, they were able to see transformation in the students and on the campus as the community grew in fellowship and faith.
them that there is a purpose to life and there is meaning, everything changes.” “It’s hard to describe,” Ashley said. “But after walking with a handful of women and seeing them transform, it is super beautiful to see that through Jesus Christ, a new life is possible.”
“So many people walk around and for a plethora of reasons, aren't really happy. They don't have real friends. They don’t have a purpose.”
“Right now, there’s a battle going on for the soul of every person,” Michael said. “So many people walk around and, for a plethora of reasons, aren’t really happy. They don’t have real friends. They don’t have a purpose. You see the spiritual poverty that exists right in front of your eyes every single day. But then when you truly befriend somebody, and you bring in the light of the Gospel and show
Ashley and Michael spent six years as FOCUS missionaries.
Ashley and Michael credit their passion for sharing the Gospel to their time at the University of Mary. Now that they have retired from FOCUS, they continue to look for ways to meet the needs of the world. “We are convicted to live lives as missionary disciples and to follow Jesus’ commandment to make disciples of all nations, not because it was our job as FOCUS missionaries, but because we continue to see the need,” Ashley said. She currently serves as director of middle school faith formation at the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary in Bismarck, ND. Through her work there, she has revamped the middle school faith formation to be small group-based and involve the parents more. Ashley and Michael also both lead Bible studies through their parish and are working on getting a young adult group started.
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he Mortensons have two children, Annabella and Nicholas, whom they adopted three years ago. They have fostered ten children and plan to continue foster care. “Through our struggle of infertility and God’s work in our hearts, we considered adoption, but we kept feeling God’s invitation to foster care,” Ashley said. She is also passionate about women’s health and teaches natural family planning. Michael works at the University of Mary as a mission advancement officer. He’s also assisting with the execution of the university’s athletic strategic plan, Greatness through Virtue, by teaching classes to scholar-athletes and fundraising for the initiatives. “My role is to bring people into our mission who can support us in a wide variety of ways,” Michael said. “I get to sit down with people and explain where we’ve been, where we are going, and how we are meeting the needs of the world around us.” For the Mortensons, it all comes back to sharing the love of Christ with others. “I firmly believe people are hungry for purpose, and that can only be truly fulfilled by receiving the Gospel and living a Christ-centered life,” Michael said. “That’s what makes us generous, and that’s what makes us joyful.” umary.edu 13
“
FROM THE
COACH
CR AIG BAGNELL “Both Danny and Luke are phenomenal athletes who make a major impact on the
It is truly such a great blessing to receive so many accolades this past season. I love the game, and I do it for the glory of God and to show off the talents He has given me. I can’t wait to get back after it and come back better next season! — Danny Kittner, Wide Receiver
field. They work extremely hard and truly care about the
”
success of the program. I know both guys are going to give their best effort, and because of that, they have changed the culture in the program and the expectations we have. When special players are also some of the hardest workers, it makes my job much easier.”
#2 #1 IN THE COUNTRY Receptions & Yards
IN THE COUNTRY Touchdowns
Most catches (128) and receiving yards (1,723) in a season – UMary and NSIC Record
B D R O C RE Most catches (19) and yards (284) in a single game – UMary and NSIC Record
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R E N T T I K Y N N DA
#2 #6
#1 IN THE COUNTRY Receiving Touchdowns
IN THE NSIC Receiving Yards
IN THE COUNTRY Receiving Yards
Most touchdown receptions (20) in a single season – UMary Record
“
To be a Marauder means to be relentless in everything that you do, to take pride in everything you do, and constantly strive to be the best version of yourself. This mindset is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
”
— Luke Little, Wide Receiver
S R E K A E BR E L T T I L E K U L &
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ALUMNI NE WS & NOTE S
> MATTHEW & RACHEL (GOETTLE) WERMERSKIRCHEN'S SON
> SAWYER (UETZ) & REED CRONIN > ALEX & BRITTANY (DAVIS) COURNOYER
& DAUGHTER
> ISAAC & MAGGIE (HELGELAND) POPP
> JENNIFER VERMAAT 'S FAMILY
BETTY RAMBUR, ’78, works at the University of Rhode Island as Routhier Endowed Chair for Practice and professor of nursing. She is married to Don DeHayes. Betty was the nursing department chair from 1991-2000, and was recently appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an influential, non-partisan panel of experts who advise the U.S. Congress on Medicare policies. The second edition of her textbook, Health Care Finance, Economics, and Policy for Nurses: A Foundational Guide, was published in April 2021. VONNE SMEDSHAMMER, ’85, retired after 36 years of teaching and coaching. She taught 30 years at West Fargo Public Schools, teaching junior high math and science; four years at Valley High School in Hoople, ND; and two years at Starkweather High School in Starkweather, ND. LONNIE GRABOWSKA, ’03, ’05, is married to Kathy Grabowska and works at the ND Office of the Attorney General as the director of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He was ordained as a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Bismarck in 2011. He is currently a doctoral candidate for a PhD in criminal justice through Walden University.
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> KRISTA RICHAU'S DAUGHTER
NEENA MARIE KIRKWOOD, ’06, started a new job at Team Rehab of Clackamas, in Clackamas, OR, as a clinic director, Doctor of Physical Therapy. KRISTA KAY RICHAU, ’07, and Kenton Richau welcomed a daughter, Kristi Ann Lesli Richau, on May 3, 2021. Krista works at Beulah Public School District #27 as a business manager. BROOKS HETLE, ’08, recently moved to Fargo, ND, for his new job at North Dakota State University as the associate director of residence life. APRIL WAHL, ’08, is married to Jordan Wahl and works at Century Baptist Church as a middle school ministry youth pastor. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Bible and Theology from Sioux Falls Seminary in May 2021. JENNIFER VERMAAT, ’08, is a language arts and driver education teacher at Marshall Public Schools, Marshall, MN. She and her husband, Tanner, have two daughters, Ellory and Mallory. LINDSEY HEFTA, ’10, recently accepted a new position as director of marketing at Dakota Credit Union Association. She also was recognized as the 2021 winner of the American Marketing Association’s 4 under 40 Emerging Leaders Award.
> MAYCIE LYNN JOHNSON'S DAUGHTERS
NOELLE, ’10, and ANDREW KRATZKE, ’11, and their two sons moved to Glenwood, MN, as Noelle accepted a new job teaching upper-level math classes at Minnewaska Area Schools. Andy works at Discovery Middle School as an 8th-grade teacher. JOSH JOHNSON, ’11, and his wife, Bianca, recently relocated to Sioux Falls, SD, with their two children, Aurora (4) and Otto (2), and dog, Blaze. Both have recently accepted positions through Sanford Health Systems, Josh as an orthopedic surgeon and Bianca as a pediatrician. In the spring, they will welcome five horses to their rural property. JOSHUA JOHNSON, ’13, and his wife, Kourtney, welcomed a son, Marcus Ken, on May 15th, 2021. Joshua works at Dakota Stage Ltd. as the executive director. The family lives in Mandan. JAMIE, ’15, and ZACHARY KUZNIA, ’16, welcomed their third child on June 22, 2021, Michael Thomas. They have two other boys, James and Alphonse. Jamie is a residence director at the University of Mary, and the Kuznias have lived on campus for six years while raising their growing family.
ALUM NI NE WS & NOTE S
> JOSH JOHNSON'S FAMILY
> ALEX & BRITTANY (DAVIS) COURNOYER
> GREG & KELCI (BENSON) ADERS' FAMILY
> MATTHEW & RACHEL (GOETTLE) WERMERSKIRCHEN
MATTHEW, ’17, and RACHEL (GOETTLE) WERMERSKIRCHEN, ’18, were married on September 15, 2018, in Bismarck, ND. In the summer of 2019, they moved to the Twin Cities, where Matthew is attending law school at the University of St. Thomas and will graduate in the spring of 2022. Rachel is an upper elementary assistant guide at St. John the Baptist Catholic Montessori School. They welcomed their first son, Thomas James Christian, into their family on July 8, 2020. MARIAH LYNN (BENZ) SCHAAF, ’17, married her husband Lucas in September 2019. They welcomed a son, Benjamin, in June 2021, and Mariah began a new job at Bismarck Public Schools as a speechlanguage pathologist. KELCI (BENSON), ’18, and husband GREG ADERS, ’17, ’20, were married in October 2019 in Bismarck, ND. The couple welcomed their son, Arthur, on February 13, 2021. Kelci currently works as a registered nurse and Greg is a physical therapist in Montana.
> ZACHARY & JAMIE KUZNIA'S FAMILY
SAWYER (UETZ), ’18, and her husband, REED CRONIN, ’18, both graduated from the University of Mary’s nursing program. Both work at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND. They got married on October 3, 2020 and plan on moving to Scottsdale, AZ to further their nursing careers. MAYCIE LYNN JOHNSON, ’18, and her husband Jerik Johnson welcomed two rainbow babies to their family in May 2021, Lenni and Delilah. Maycie recently started a new job at Cambridge Medical Center in Cambridge, MN. KYA N. (SMITH) COCHRAN, ’18, married Shaun Cochran on October 31, 2020. The couple lives in Arizona. ALEX, ’19, ’21, and BRITTANY (DAVIS) COURNOYER, ’19, ’21, were married at the University of Mary's Our Lady of Annunciation Chapel on June 19, 2020, and welcomed daughter Siena Lynn on July 18, 2021. Alex is currently pursuing his EdD at the University of Mary, where he is the director of residence life. Brittany works as a pediatric speech-language pathologist in Bismarck.
> JOSHUA JOHNSON'S SON
ISAAC, ’20, and MAGGIE (HELGELAND) POPP, ’20, were married on August 14, 2021 in Brookings, SD. The couple lives in Bismarck and both work at the University of Mary. BRENT FREESE, ’21, married CARMEN (TITUS), ’16, on September 17, 2021, at Our Lady of Annunciation Chapel on the University of Mary campus. Carmen works at CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck in the critical care flex pool. Brent works at North Dakota National Guard.
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