Alumni Board Profile

Alumni Board Profile - Samantha "Samm" Rosenberg '20

L-R: Samantha Rosenberg, Dr. Bob AuFrance, and Alexis Washington (Samantha's first friend at Waldorf.)

Degree: Theater Arts Occupation: K-2 Special Education Teacher, Fairmont Area Community Theater Program Coordinator and Technical Director at Fairmont Opera House.

What made you want to be a part of

the board?: You know that saying “leave this world a better place than you found it.” That has always been something in the back of my mind while attending Waldorf. I remember midway through my Junior year, a professor was talking about what happens after we leave Waldorf. I thought to myself “we can’t just leave and be done.” After finally getting to walk in 2021 (thanks COVID) I remember being told about the Alumni Board and all the awesome things you can do as an Alumni. A year or so after I thought I should check in and ask. I was already doing stuff with Waldorf through my job at the Fairmont Opera House so I thought why not get more involved.

What has been your favorite part of being on the board so far?:

Meeting other alumni and hearing about their Waldorf experiences!

What accomplishments would you like to see by the board during your service?:

I would like to see more scholarships for students and more mentoring current college students. I am looking forward to digging and working with all of these people to make a difference in a current Waldorf student's experience. Favorite Waldorf Memory: My favorite memory was attending my first 24 hour theater event. We got to stay up all night inside the school and bond with other students. Then we had to perform our freshly written and barely rehearsed show to our peers. For someone who didn’t achieve a theater arts degree for acting - it was a completely out of body experience. I loved every minute of acting on stage in front of peers.

Advice you would give to your college

self: I would tell myself to not to rush the experience and take things slowly. Enjoy every minute. I feel like senior year had a pretty unfair end for not only me but my other 2020 classmates. I sometimes wish I had the chance to go back and slow it down.

How do you feel your education at

Waldorf impacted you the most?: I feel like my education from Waldorf has really rounded me out. We were able to take classes from any area of study and really find what we were passionate about. There were some classes that were mandatory that felt like burdens at the moment but looking back I have used a lot of that education in my daily life. But most importantly my education at Waldorf impacted my relationships. I made friends with people that I never thought I would be friends with. Some of those friends are still my friends today. I was able to meet people from all over the world and even got the opportunity to indulge in their cultures. Waldorf makes well rounded students and teaches you more than just academics.

Any fun facts/accomplishments you would like to include about yourself?:

Since leaving Waldorf I have enjoyed directing shows, creating educational theater camps and workshops for ages 5-18, and working with some + incredibly talented people! I also found a passion for teaching Special Education which - fun fact - Education was what I originally went to Waldorf for!

CONNECT with US

As a member of our alumni community we want to stay connected with you and we want you to continue to engage with us.

Visit our website at waldorf.edu/alumni/ update-your-info to update your contact information and share news!

CLASS UPDATES: 1950'S

Capt. Phillip Oppedahl '55 resides in St. Petersburg, Fla. He and his wife, Karen, have officially retired. His email address is pandkstpete@outlook.com Janet (Lee) Stock '56 resides in Story City. Her email address is kenandjanetstock@gmail.com

CLASS UPDATES: 1960'S

Rev. Harold E. Petersen '60 resides in Fergus Falls, Minn. He has written five books as devotional commentaries - all of which can be found on Amazon by searching his name. His email address is larskuhr@att.net Esther (Mattson) Brown '60 resides in Kalamazoo, Mich. She has a daughter, three grandsons, and six great grandkids. Many activities keep her busy, and she would like a travel companion. Her email address is estheranndesigns@yahoo.com Gayla (Richardson) Dieball '61 resides in Carlsbad, Calif. Her email address is gayladieb@yahoo.com Dallas Olson '67 resides in Lakeville, Minn. His email address is dalolson@usinternet.com

CLASS UPDATES: 1970'S

Tim & Vicky (Pedersen) Tarris '70 will

celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary on July 3, 2023. Don Nigg '70 resides in Jasper, Ind. His email address is dnigg64@gmail.com Mary Beth (Sucher) Royer '71 resides in North Mankato, Minn. She is enjoying retirement with her husband, Bruce, and have 3 married sons-Matt, Phil, & Luke, along with 7 granddaughters and 1 grandson. They winter in Palm Springs, Calif. Her email address is royer.marybeth@gmail.com John Deneen ’72 resides in St. Paul, Minn. He enjoys hearing from those that remember him and has a lot of fond memories of college. He feels that attending Waldorf saved him from "a lot of bad things". His email address is johndeneen@gmail.com Marcia (Lonnevik) Cain '72 resides in Spirit Lake. Her email address is caindick@aol.com Sue (Witte) Swackhamer ’73 resides in Holmen, Wis. She retired seven years ago after 35 years of teaching elementary education, and is currently a substitute teacher. Her email address is sueswackhamer@yahoo.com Robin (Olson) Becker '74 resides in Bloomington, Minn, and lives less than 2 miles from the Mall of America. She recently retired after 35 years of doing home daycare. She has two grown sons and three grandsons as of 2022. Robin loves time with family and friends and would love to hear from any former classmates. Her email address is robinbecker54@hotmail.com Gaile (Lasch) Schriber '74 resides in Sidney, Ohio. She is enjoying retirment with her husband, Jon, and enjoying quilting. They have five grandchildren. Her email address is schriberg@hotmail.com Dean Downer ’76 resides in South Dakota and works for the largest upland game reserve in North America during fall. He has 3 labrador retrievers and has been out of teaching and coaching for the past 6 years. He was awarded "Outstanding Middle School Shop Teacher" by the Iowa Industrial Teachers Association in his last year teaching. His email is ddowner@netins.net Donna Rasmussen '77 resides in Decorah, Winneshiek, Minn. She retired from the Fillmore Soil & Water Conservation District in Preston, Minn., in 2019. Her email address is rdrasmussen@outlook.com Candice (Boos) Smith '77 resides in Waterloo, IA. She is an Administrative Assistant in Plant Operations at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital & Organist at Ascension Lutheran Church in Waterloo. Her email address is bmsmith33@hotmail.com Terry Schatzberg ’77 Moved to Nebraska 10 years ago & looks forward to hearing from fellow classmates. His email address is terryschatzberg@yahoo.com Kim (Bosacker) Pinkstaff '79 resides in Kingman, Ariz. Her email address is kimbo.pink59@hotmail.com

CLASS UPDATES: 1980'S

David Clark '80 resides in Morgan Hill, Calif. His email address is dclarkem@yahoo.com Daniel Auxter '80 resides in Fremont, Ohio. His email address is dantvnut@yahoo.com Charles "Corky" Summers '81 resides in Yuma, Ariz. His email address is corkysummers13@gmail.com Craig Anderson '86 resides in Seattle, Wash., after a five year working vacation in Hawaii. His email address is craig@iwantapuppy.org Laura (Houwen) Honken '89 released her first novel, The Best Laid Lies, on February 7, 2022. Her email address is lhonken25@gmail.com

CLASS UPDATES: 1990'S

Jay Honsey '90 resides in Roseville, Minn. He owns ACSDI, a programming company in Roseville, Minn., specializing in meeting room and conferencing control. Amanda Blazek '90 resides in Sumner. Her email address is amandablzk@gmail.com Neil Birdsall '90 resides in Missoula, Mont. His email address is carolinaomm@yahoo.com Rev. Julie Wright '91 resides in Mahtomedi, Minn. She has been called to serve as Associate Pastor for Connect Ministries in Apple Valley, Minn. Her email address is wrightjuliejo@gmail.com Janna (Brinkman) Kautz ’91 resides in Phillips, Wis, and is enjoying retirement. Her email address is 71brinkman89@gmail.com Esther Nelson '92 resides in Skokie, Ill. She works as a Senior Shift Supervisor at CDS (inside Costco). Her email address is estherjnelson2019@gmail.com Heather (Ihle) Lilienthal '94 resides in Ankeny with her husband, Brad. They own and operate Commercial Supply Co. and the Iowa Meat Truck businesses. As "Mother Trucker", Heather delivers in the Des Moines metro and surronding area. Her email address is heatherlili@msn.com Erin Aalfs '96 resides in Moravia. Her email address is guthrie4me@yahoo.com Maria (Thorn) Wozniak '98 resides in Menifee, Calif. Her email address is alwaysmarialouise@gmail.com

CLASS UPDATES: 2000'S

Brandon Baker '01 resides in St. Louis Park, Minn. His email address is brandon.baker198042@gmail.com Mollie (Dettman) Baltutat '01 & '02 resides in De Soto. Her email address is mollie6610@gmail.com Jennifer Spencer '03 resides in Forest City. She is currently in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diagnosed in Oct. 2020. She wrote a children's fairytale book titled Princess June of Tangerine Lake which is loosely based on her cancer journey. Her email address is spenbj@wctatel.net