Campus CelebratesNew Era for College

in this issue

Saint Benedict’s & Saint John’s Magazine is published in

March by CSB/SJU Communication & Marketing Services.

1 Around Campus

2 CSB/SJU Ranked No. 3 in

National Study Abroad Report

4 A Journey to the Other Side of the

World and Back

8 Professor Brings Civility to Civics Class

10 Explosion Sets Career Path in Motion

14 Student Athlete Earns National Honor

16 Two Alums in Aftermath of Katrina

S P R I N G 2 0 0 6

ON THE COVER

Students on the study program in South Africa ride the

historic rails through Nelson Mandela Bay. Pictured

clockwise from left: Kara VonderHaar, Nicole Naumann,

Mark Frees, Michael Scharenbroich, Amber Wacek, Lila

Gilbert, Juliet Nguyen and Savo Heleta.

Photo: Katy Pfannenstein ’06

Editor: Glenda Isaacs Burgeson

Designer: Greg Becker

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A R O U N D C A M P U S

Walesa Discusses Lessons of Solidarity During VisitBy Glenda Isaacs Burgeson

Nobel Prize-winner Lech Walesashared his unique perspective as a non-violent combatant in the Cold War in anaddress Nov. 30, before an appreciativeand packed house in the Abbey Churchon the SJU campus. Using gentle humor,he chided the world’s only superpower toexercise moral leadership in his publiclecture, “The Legacy of Solidarity inPoland: Twenty Five Years Later.”

Hosted by CSB and SJU, his visit wassponsored by the University Chair inCritical Thinking at SJU. In welcomingremarks, Nick Hayes, holder of theUniversity Chair in Critical Thinking,hailed Walesa as the “outstandingCatholic statesman of our time.” Br.Dietrich Reinhart, SJU president,observed that, while historians tend to

dismiss the role of the individual as anagent of change, “We live in a worlddeeply in debt to the fact that our guestmade a decision to make a differencewhen he jumped a shipyard fence onAug. 14, 1980.”

Walesa, in his version of the downfallof Soviet power, delivered a modestaccount of events that catapulted him tothe world stage, but first he tried toconvey the unique geo-political circum-stances the Polish people historically havefaced.

Poland, located between Asia andEurope, between Germany and Russia,has provided the most direct route forwarring adventurers, he explained. Andsometimes, while passing through, theinvading armies decided to stay and

occupy. At one time, he noted, Polandwas erased from the world map for 120years. This history of invasion andoccupation has given the Polish people aspecial sensitivity, an ability to anticipatewhat others might choose to ignore.Before World War II, for example,Poland tried to warn the world aboutGerman aggression, “but the worldwould not listen. At the end of the war,the Polish people were the only ones to

(Photo above) Students from Poland were on handto meet their national hero. Front row: MateuszKrasnicki, Malgorzata Farun, Aneta Toporowska(from Hamline University), Pola Ciupa, Marta Gago,Stanislaw Obrochta; back row: Jerzy George Hornikand Adam Blaszkiewicz. (Photo: Lee A. Hanley)

Walesa continued next page

CSB/SJU Ranked No. 3 iThe Open Doors Report ranked CSB/

SJU No. 3 among baccalaureate institu-tions for total number of study abroadstudents. Open Doors is an annual reporton international education published bythe Institute of International Education(IIE).

The two schools had a total of 565students study abroad during the 2003-04 academic year, according to datareleased by the IIE. Highlights from theOpen Doors publication are released eachyear for the preceding academic year.

The ranking continues the schools’leading edge among baccalaureateinstitutions for both the number andpercentage of students who studyinternationally. About six in 10 CSBstudents study internationally before theygraduate, a participation rate nearly twicethe national average for liberal artscolleges. For the past two years, SaintBenedict and Saint John’s have togetherbeen among the top three undergraduateliberal arts colleges nationally in thenumber of students participating ininternational study programs. Since 1999,CSB and SJU have sent more than 2,500to study on six different continents.

Before graduating, half of all CSB/SJUstudents will participate in one of CSB/SJU’s 16 semester-long programs. Theprograms, located in 13 countries on sixcontinents, are led by faculty.

“CSB/SJU offers a broad spectrum ofchoices for students interested in globallearning and expanding their careeroptions,” said Dallas Kenny, dean ofinternational and experiential educationat CSB/SJU.

Kenny noted that the programs allowstudents to gain proficiency in interna-tional languages such as Chinese,Spanish, French, German and Japanese,

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realize that Stalin was trying to trick theworld. And what happened to us then?Fifty years of struggle to get rid of thesystem imposed by Stalin.” Walesarecalled the hopelessness of resistance.“We stood no chance,” he said, againstnuclear weapons and Soviet power. Theystood no chance, until they were given“the gift of a Polish pope.”

Before the visit to Poland by Pope JohnPaul II, people did not have the courageto oppose communism. However, whenJohn Paul II came to Poland, “The worldlooked on in astonishment as Polishpeople flocked to see the pope.” Al-though the pope never encouraged themto fight communism, his visit galvanizedtheir courage as they realized they were “anation of believers.” Having recountedthen, how the Polish people traversedfrom hopelessness to defeating a murder-ous system “without a single shot,”Walesa challenged the world’s remainingsuperpower to exercise political andmoral leadership in the era of globaliza-tion.

Walesa’s visit was especially memorablefor CSB and SJU international studentsfrom Poland. “For me personally, the visitof Lech Walesa was an amazing experi-ence. It was like meeting a living legend,moreover a legend from my own country.I was very proud that I could welcomehim here, in the United States, as astudent of Saint John’s University,” saidAdam Blaszkiewicz. CSB student MartaGago agreed. “I was extremely delightedto see him. He is the biggest icon inhistory of Poland and it was a greathonor to meet him,” Gago said. MateuszKrasnicki said he never had the chance tomeet Walesa or to see him in real lifewhile in Poland, only occasionallywatching him on TV. Krasnicki, whoworks with Life Safety at SJU, wasassigned to Walesa’s security detail, givinghim the opportunity to meet Poland’snational hero in person.

A R O U N D C A M P U S

“and to apply their knowledge in real-lifeinternships and service activities ininternational organizations, communitiesand companies,” he said.

“We are delighted to be nationallyrecognized, and excited that more andmore of our students seek out these

Walesa continued

Hallmark Features of GlobalLearning Unique at CSB/SJU

CSB/SJU has the highest number of

faculty-led semester abroad programs

among liberal arts colleges in the U.S.

Over one-third of CSB/SJU faculty have

led study abroad programs.

CSB/SJU has full-semester study abroad

programs on six continents, with an

average of 23 students in each program.

CSB/SJU offers over 200 courses with

global and inter-cultural content.

Ten percent of CSB/SJU faculty teach

international languages.

Of the 165 colleges and universities

which make up the ASIANetwork,

CSB/SJU is in the top one percent

in sending teachers to Asia. No other

U.S. Catholic college or university sends

more teachers to Asia than CSB/SJU.

o. 3 in National Study Abroad Report

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A R O U N D C A M P U S

incredible opportunities to studyabroad,” said Kristi Kremers, CSB/SJUglobal education coordinator. “The creditfor our remarkable standing goes directlyto the campus community, which hasmade great strides to infuse internationaleducation throughout the four-year

experience at CSB/SJU.“It is absolutely critical that our

graduates have the tools and skills tocompete in today’s global workforce, andclearly our students, faculty and adminis-trators recognize this and rise to thechallenges presented,” Kremers added.

(Left) Junior Ben Ivory in the altiplano of Chile; the Andes are in the background.

(Below) Katy Pfannenstein visits a small village after climbing Mount Kenya. She wason a side trip from her program in South Africa.

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Now a graduate student in medicalphysics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Berglund recalled the appre-hension she felt at the College of SaintBenedict as graduation approached.

“I had just reached the halfway pointof my senior year and was finallybeginning to grasp the fact that themajority of my time at CSB was behindme and that the future was fast approach-ing,” she said. “I was still in the thick ofmy senior thesis so my thoughts andconcerns were pretty well anchored to thepresent, but at the same time I wasbeginning to dream about the possibili-ties ahead of me.”

Like many college seniors, she knewshe wanted to pursue graduate studies,but she wasn’t ready to take that step.

“I was restless and wanted to learnmore about myself and more about theworld beyond the bubble of academia.And so I applied to the Peace Corps.”

She received her assignment duringfinals week: Guinea, a small French-speaking country in West Africa,teaching physics to high school students.

She didn’t speak French, but, no matter,she knew physics.

“I naively assumed that science andmath are the same in any language,” sherecalled.

When she set foot on African soil inJuly, along with 17 other trainees, thecollege graduate from Henning, Minn.,began a new education.

“The moment my foot hit the ground,my worldview changed forever. I learnedmore during our bus ride from theairport to our destination for the nightthan I have ever found in a book orclassroom.”

Guinea is one of the poorest countriesin the world, she explained, as shestruggled to describe the leap she madefrom knowing intellectually that povertyexists to seeing its grinding realism upclose.

The bus ride became a metaphor ofsorts, representing the division betweenhaves and have-nots, while also deliveringher from her comfortable world to theunknown.

“I was riding in a spacious, air-

Julie Berglund ’04 took a different path to graduate school, via a small, impoverished village in West

Africa. Along the way, she learned to speak French, discovered unfathomable dimensions of poverty

and the human spirit, and fell in love. Mainly, she learned about herself.

A Journey to the Other Sideof the World and Back

By Glenda Isaacs Burgeson

conditioned bus, looking out at dirty,crowded streets and seeing 30 faceslooking back at me,” she said.

“Seeing extreme poverty for the firsttime wiped all of the rational words andexplanations from my head. I still do nothave the words to explain how it felt. Itwas like feeling my soul cry out andrealizing its voice is not just my own.”

In time, as she recovered from theshock, she began to appreciate theresiliency of the human spirit. While shehad gone to Guinea to teach others, shediscovered the people of Guinea hadmuch to teach her.

“Where at first I saw only suffering, Isoon recognized the everyday beauty andjoy in the lives of those around me.”

She was able to see beyond the barriersbetween privileged and underprivilegedand recognize a bond of commonhumanity.

“All too often, in pleas for charity, wesee images of sad, suffering people. WhileI think it’s important to point out howunfortunate their circumstances are,poverty becomes a lot more moving

when we realize it afflicts people just likeus rather than some different sort of sad,miserable people. They laugh just ashard, they love just as deeply, and theyshare the same hopes and dreams as thoseof us living in more developed countries.In a word, they are normal.”

In her first three months in Guinea,Berglund faced the challenge as aforeigner of learning to live a normal life;in the process, she learned the lesson ofthe Benedictine value of humility. Whileundergoing training, she lived with a hostfamily and had to depend on the verypeople she had come to help.

“My host family cooked for me,carried heavy buckets of pump water forme and taught me how to wash myclothes by hand. Without them, espe-cially one of my little brothers, I would

have been completely helpless —especially since I was just beginning tolearn French. It was a very humblingexperience and an important element ofmy training,” she said.

After training, she was assigned toBissikrima, a village about eight hoursupcountry from the capital of Conakry.There, she taught physics six hours aweek to 60 ninth graders and 80 10th

graders. She also opted to teach anEnglish club for an extra two to threehours each week.

“I was a little nervous at first, but Isoon became comfortable. As my Frenchimproved, I was able to communicatebetter and made more friends in thecommunity.”

She biked to friends’ nearby villages tomeet their families, went to dances,celebrated births, and mourned deaths.

“Basically, I lived. Some days I wasprofoundly happy, others I was lonelyand scared. But I always knew that I hadmade the right decision in signing up forthe Peace Corps.”

After a year, however, her restlessnessreturned. She missed the challenge andstimulation of school, and, after muchsoul searching, decided to return to theUnited States and attend graduate school.

“Life gets complicated after college,but I think my time at CSB played amonumental role in preparing me for it,”Berglund said. “Classes like ‘GreatBooks,’ ‘Reading for Life,’ and ‘WhyWar?’ that I managed to sneak in besideall of my physics and math coursestaught me that there are rarely clear

CSB 6 SJU

answers to life’s biggest questions.Looking back, I do not even remembermany of the naive conclusions I reachedduring our heated class discussions. But Isure do remember the feeling of fullyengaging my heart and mind in the questfor understanding and struggling withthe meaning of it all.

“In the end, the most important thingI learned at CSB is not a thing at all. It isnot a fact or an opinion but rather howto uncover facts for myself and form myown opinions.”

Berglund credits the CSB/SJU facultyfor helping her gain the self-confidenceto create her own path in life. Theirinfluence extended far beyond theclassroom and helped her to developpersonally as well as professionally, shesaid.

“After spending a year teaching inGuinea, I have a much greater under-standing and appreciation of everythingthey did for me and am truly grateful andhumbled before them.”

In retrospect, Berglund said the pasttwo years have been remarkably rich andrewarding.

“I have literally been to the other sideof the world and back.”

Her admission to graduate school isnot the only change in her life, however.Among the life-changing experiences sheencountered in Guinea was one she leastexpected. She met and fell in love withher fiancè, Edil Raffi, a graphic designerfrom Guinea. He has left his homelandto join her in Madison. The couple plansto marry this spring.

Julie’s first hut in Bissikrima.

CSB 7 SJU

Idiatou Barry (a 9th grade student),Edil Raffi (Julie’s fiancé), Julie Berglund,Mr. Condé and the boy in front is Baïlo

Camara, a 6th grade student whohelped Julie with her garden.

Professor Brings Civilby Mike Killeen

Growing up in the 1980s, MattLindstrom heard a message from the Irishrock band U2.

“Their music has – in part – influ-enced my decision to care about politicsand political life,” said Lindstrom, anassociate professor of political science atthe College of Saint Benedict and SaintJohn’s University. “They write songsabout political issues and political events,and why it’s important to care.

“The idea that you can care, beinvolved and have fun all at the sametime strikes me as a pretty good deal,”said Lindstrom, laughing.

That reasoning is also the idea behindthe Public Policy Learning Community(PPLC), which Lindstrom serves asdirector.

“The Public Policy Learning Commu-nity is rooted in the Benedictine values ofthe common good and communityservice,” Lindstrom said. “We believethat civic engagement can be enjoyableand reinvigorating, and sometimes thebest learning takes place outside of theclassroom.”

methods of communication. Much ofthe political discourse (today) is quitebombastic. It’s what I call bumper stickerpolitics. It’s slogans, sound bites and adhominem attacks and personal insults.”

The PPLC brings the students whoattend the conferences and workshopsinto a “debriefing” session calledpolitical dialogues. It’s adinner, followed by adiscussion about whatthe students learnedand how they canapply that to theirown lives.

“Students had tolisten, or had theopportunity tolisten, to folks fromdifferent politicalviews talk about

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The PPLC, which involves faculty andstudents from economics, sociology,political science and several otherdisciplines, seeks to create opportunitiesinvolving scholarship and experientiallearning activities such as internships,study tours, speakers and conferences.The PPLC supported over 100 CSB/SJUstudents going to different conferences,workshops and political activities duringthe fall 2005 semester, including CampusCamp Wellstone in October, sendingfour students in November to the ReaganRanch in Santa Barbara, Calif., sendingtwo students to the United StatesMilitary Academy and leading 10students on a study tour of the IronRange in December.

“One of the things I’m really trying toencourage among students on the twocampuses is political and communityinvolvement,” said Lindstrom, a 1992graduate of Saint John’s. “It strikes me asvery important today that students learnhow they can participate beyond voting;but they also need to learn various

Civility to Civics Classby Mike Killeen

what they learned at these conferences.Perhaps most importantly, we wereshowcasing active citizenship across thepolitical spectrum,” Lindstrom said.

“I thought (the PPLC) was a greatidea,” said Peter Polga-Hecimovich, ajunior from Burnsville, Minn., who is

majoring in political science. He saidthe PPLC provides students the

forum to engage in politicaldialogue.

Lindstrom said thefaculty-student trip to

the Iron Rangeprovided a venue tolearn more aboutglobal markets as wellas the importance ofpolitical subcultures onthe Range. VanessaWilliams, a sophomore

CSB 9 SJU

from Maplewood, Minn., said sheappreciated the chance to visit the IronRange. During the tour, the studentsdubbed themselves the “Power Rangers.”

“It really provided an opportunity tolearn about things I would have neverexperienced. I got to experience a lot oflearning opportunities,” Williams said.

Sitting down at the same table of apolitical opponent can be sometimesfrustrating to the students, Lindstromsaid. “I wouldn’t say by the end of thesegatherings we’re singing ‘Kum Ba Yah,’but that’s not the purpose,” he said.“Ideally, there’s an increased level oftolerance. That doesn’t mean agreementnecessarily. That just means I’m going tolisten to you. And, I’m going to respondwith a reasoned response, with my owncounter evidence. I’m not going to callyou an idiot, a moron or whatever. I’mjust not sure how far that gets us at theend of the day.”

Initially, Saint John’s sophomore ChrisVan Guilder from Delano, Minn., wasn’tsure what to expect from the PPLC andthe dialogue sessions. But listening to

opposing points of view in a civil mannerhelped solidify his political beliefs.

“To completely understand yourposition and beliefs, you have to listen tothe opposing viewpoints,” Van Guildersaid. “You have a chance to self-reflect onyour own beliefs, and why you believe inthat. You have the opportunity to solidifyyour views.”

“I’m not necessarily trying to force anethic of compromise or an ethic ofmoderate politics per se,” Lindstrom said.“I want to encourage students to becivically involved, to be excited aboutpolitics, and if their own politics is PaulWellstone style, or Tim Pawlenty’s style,or Newt Gingrich’s style, that’s up tothem. But we want students to gobeyond the bumper sticker rhetoric andhave an appreciation for the complexityinvolved in political, social and economicissues.”

“He (Lindstrom) cares a lot aboutwhat happens in the public sector, andthat’s why this is so great,” Van Guildersaid.

(Left) Matt Lindstrom; studentsin the background: VanessaWilliams (left) and Chris Van Guilder.

CSB 10 SJU

It wasn’t exactly a kick in the head that launched Captain Dan Kersten’s ’99 career path. Rather, itwas an exploding potato cannon. The homemade contraption blew up near his face, leading to a tripto the emergency room for the high school senior, and subsequent visits to specialists for extensivedental reconstruction.

Explosion Sets CareerPath in Motion

By Glenda Isaacs Burgeson

CSB 11 SJU

That experience inspired him topursue a career in dentistry, which, inturn, influenced him to attend SJU,where, incidentally, he met a CSBstudent who is now his fiancèe. Thedecision to attend SJU also led toanother life-changing choice. He joinedROTC to help finance his education, amove that has taken him, since receivinghis doctor of dental surgery degree fromthe University of Minnesota School ofDentistry, to a military assignment inGermany, where he used every sparemoment to explore much of westernEurope, and, later, to a heart-thumpingnighttime flight in a Blackhawk helicop-ter skimming above the rooftops ofBaghdad.

Kersten said the dental professionappealed to him because, through theexamples of the practitioners whorepaired his dental damage, he realized hecould achieve a number of objectives. “Icould give back to others, improve lives

and someday own my own business.”He chose SJU primarily because of its

academic excellence and reputation forpreparing future health professionals.Still, as an undergraduate with the nexteight years neatly scheduled, he worried.Would he be prepared for the rigors ofdental school? Where would he attenddental school? Where would the Armyassign him? And, after the Army, whatthen?

He needn’t have worried. Afteradmission to the U of M, Kerstendiscovered he was well prepared for theacademic demands ahead. He alsorealized that SJU had prepared him, notjust academically.

“SJU left me with an invigoratingdesire to get as much out of life aspossible,” he said, and he realized that toexperience life to its fullest meant takingsome risks and challenging himself. Healso recognized the value of communityhe had experienced at SJU.

“I quickly realized that SJU was a trulyunique experience and that the sense ofcommunity is not as easy to experience ata large university.”

He began to exercise the leadershipskills he had honed during ROTC tocreate community. In the process, hebegan to accomplish the first two of hiscareer goals, to give back to others and toimprove lives. One of 12 energetic dentalfraternity roommates living in the sameold house for four years, he and hisroommates adopted the motto “WorkHard, Play Hard.” Together, theyorganized philanthropic events, helpingfamilies during the holidays, serving atthe local Ronald McDonald House, andraising funds for charity. During dentalschool, his classmates elected him asfraternity president, class president andstudent council president. The greatesthonor, he said, was their vote of confi-dence for him to deliver the DDS class of2003 graduation speech.

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After graduation, the doubt heexperienced as an undergrad about hisArmy assignment also proved un-founded. The Army Dental Corpsoffered a few one-year dental residenciesacross the country and one dentalresidency that was a bit different. Kerstenapplied for and was accepted into a one-year residency in Kaiserlautern, Germany.It was a perfect fit for the adventurousyoung man from Kimball, Minn. He wasoff to see the world.

Into that one-year residency he packedas much adventure and travel acrossEurope as possible, often driving his ownChevy Cavalier that the Army shippedover from Minnesota.

“On a Friday night, I would occasion-ally make the four-hour drive to Parisand spend a weekend in the shadows ofthe Eiffel Tower,” he said.

European adventures includedweekends with local friends in theirthousand-year-old family castles, sittingside by side with locals at traditionalrestaurants, and touring nearly everymajor city in Europe.

After a wonderful year in the Army’sdental residency and gallivanting acrossEurope, Kersten received an assignmentfor an adventure of a different sort, onewith decidedly less appeal, a one-yeartour in Iraq. The news “knocked thewind out of my free-spirited sail. For afew days, it hit me like a ton of bricks,”he recalled.

After the initial shock, however,Kersten’s positive attitude took hold. “Ilooked at it as yet another travel adven-ture involving some risk and uncertainty.I looked for the positive angle in that Icould save money because there would benothing to spend it on.”

The first month in Iraq was a hugeadjustment, he said, with no more

gallivanting to Paris on the weekend orflying to Rome for a few days.

“Instead, I was making the best ofcarrying a weapon and ammo every-where, getting accustomed to explosionsand living in hot, dusty conditions. Theweekends were like any ordinary day.Except for attending services on Sundaymorning, there was really nothing thatdistinguished one day of the week fromany other,” he said.

As he adjusted to his new surround-ings, he began to enjoy aspects ofdentistry in a combat zone. Located 12miles northwest of Baghdad on a largebase called Camp Taji, his small one-room dental practice was staffed with adental hygienist and dental assistant,furnished with two dental chairs andadorned with Saint John’s posters on thewalls.

Because of an overwhelming workloadand lack of specialized equipment,Kersten said he was somewhat limited inthe advanced dental procedures he couldperform. His biggest accomplishmentresulted from his lobbying his superiorsto designate and fund a building devotedto dentistry.

“During the last month of my tour, thenew dental clinic saw its first patient.This dental clinic brought together allthree dentists working on Camp Tajiand, in our last month, we helped over1,000 dental patients.” Approximately 75percent of their patients were U.S.military members, of whom 50 percentwere active duty, 25 percent reserve; theother 25 percent were a combination offoreign military, detainees and U.S.contractors.

Practice in a war zone, with its multi-language barriers, presented challenges.Sometimes the non-English speakingpatients were accompanied by an

interpreter. “Occasionally the interpreteractually spoke English,” he said. “Othertimes, I would explain a procedure, theinterpreter would say ‘yes’ to anything Isaid, and the patient clearly had no ideathey were going to get teeth extracted. Iwould do my best to make a handgesture of a tooth coming out of theirmouth and for the most part I think theygot the idea.”

During his year in Iraq, Kersten said hehad the pleasure of meeting up with afew other Johnnies. Captain Steve Heinz’98, serves as an engineer companycommander.

Kersten also ran into Captain BenSelzer ’00, a Blackhawk helicopter pilot,and later accompanied him on a helicop-ter ride over Baghdad.

Now back in Germany, Kersten is onceagain filling his travel schedule. Withtrips to Frankfurt, London, Budapest,Bratislava, Swiss Alps, Venice and Romeon his immediate itinerary, he said he istrying to experience every culture inEurope at least once. He also is lookingahead to changes in his life.

Before he left for Iraq, Kersten said hewas not entirely ready to get married.During his first five months, however,something changed and he spent a lot oftime thinking about life, relationshipsand love.

“The one thing that rang out in mymind was the importance of Benedictinevalues. I came back to the fact that thestudents at Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s areable to share a common set of values thatis not as easy to find in the real world.”

During this time, he became engagedto a Bennie, Gna Albury ’01, a womanhe had been dating for a majority of thetime since graduation from SJU. Thecouple has planned a wedding this springnear where she grew up in the Bahamas.

CSB 13 SJU

They will settle in North Carolina,where Kersten will begin a two-year rootcanal program at Fort Bragg. Upongraduation from the program, he willserve an additional three years in theArmy Dental Corps as an endodontist.

“It looks like I once again fell into thecomfort zone of having the next five

years of my life fairly well planned. I willnow be eligible to get out of the Army in2011, and start a private endodonticpractice.”

He still marvels that his worldwideadventures, career and pending marriageall began with a misfired potato in asmall Minnesota town.

(Above) Dan and members of the Iraqi AmericanMedical Association.

Matt Hawn has an ongoing battle withprocrastination. But unlike many, heactually wins the battle.

The Saint John’s University senior is atwo-sport athlete who maintains a 4.0grade point average in his biology/pre-dentistry major while involved incommunity work.

Busy? It’s almost Hawn’s middle name.But in October, Hawn’s dedication tosuccess helped him receive an $18,000post-graduate scholarship from theNational Football Foundation andCollege Hall of Fame. He was one of 16college football players from all divisionsnamed to the National Scholar-AthleteClass.

“The only tough part is allotting time

to actually do (work),” Hawn said.“Although it is hard to give in to procras-tination, getting things done immedi-ately is much more satisfying andbeneficial in the long run. If you stay ontop of your work, social life is noproblem whatsoever and you find moretime to mingle with friends than youwould imagine.”

You might wonder when he finds time.Hawn was a two-year starter at

linebacker and was a member of theJohnnies’ 2003 national championshipfootball team, and he plans to compete intrack and field as a pole vaulter thisspring.

He has earned Dean’s List recognitionevery semester of his college career, and

was a member of the 2004 and 2005ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Football team. Hawn waspresident of the Pre-Dentistry Club, anda member of the Biology Club. He is alsoinvolved in the community with SpecialOlympics, Salvation Army, Saint FrancisFood Pantry and the House HomelessShelter and Community Table, and is acommunion distributor for SJU CampusMinistry.

Hawn said he will use his post-graduate scholarship at the University ofMinnesota School of Dentistry next year.He’ll follow in the footsteps of his olderbrother Mark (who graduated from SaintJohn’s in 2005), who also hopes tobecome a dentist.

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Student AthleteEarns National

HonorBy Mike Killeen

CSB 15 SJU

“I am open to the idea of specializing,but the plan right now is just to be ageneral dentist so I can see a broaderrange of patients,” Matt Hawn said.“Dentistry is interesting because itprovides an opportunity for me to helpothers in need of a particular service.Providing for others is a requirement formy future job. It also includes manychallenges that I look forward to.”

Hawn said he has been helped bothacademically and socially as a student atSaint John’s and the College of SaintBenedict.

“They have taught me not onlynumerous ideas from a wide variety ofsubjects, but also to think and approachthings in a whole different manner. They

have broadened the way I view nearlyevery aspect of my life,” Hawn said.“Socially, it has been incredible. Thepeople from CSB/SJU are extremely highcaliber. I have met a large amount ofgood friends that will remain close for alifetime. It is the people that truly makethe experience, and needless to say I havehad an incredibly amazing experiencewith the (schools) and the people thatmake up the institutions.”

You could almost have a Hawn familyreunion on campus. His dad, Bill (classof ’73), his Uncle Bob (class of ’68) andhis brother Mark have all graduated fromSaint John’s; his younger sister, Christina,is a first-year outside hitter for the SaintBenedict volleyball team.

“Family has always been one of themost important aspects of my life. Ibelieve family can be the best teacher andactually forms who we are and who wewill become,” Matt Hawn said. “We havesupported each other in everything wedo” — especially academics.

“Going to school with Mark andChristina has been very important to me.They are some of my best friends,whether we are just hanging out having agood time or helping each other out intimes of need. The family support I haveexperienced while at CSB/SJU has —without a doubt –– made my experiencebetter,” Hawn said.

And busier.

Matt enjoys family time on campus with his sister, Christina.

CSB 15 SJU

Dan Paur ’01 watched some of the firstimages emitted to the outside world.

It was late August and Katrina had justfinished ripping through the heart of theSouth. The chilling sights that flashedacross the TV screen hit a nerve with theSJU graduate. Paur was home in BirdIsland, Minn., seemingly half a worldaway from the devastation, but he knewhe was needed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, about 1,500 miles away,Beth Heinzen ’05 was safe and soundafter seeking refuge in NorthwestLouisiana.

“I did not see much more than a littlerain and some wind,” she said.

The Category 5 hurricane forcedthousands of evacuees to Baton Rouge, amajority from New Orleans. Heinzen, ateacher for Teach For America in BatonRouge, would return to the state’s capitalcity as well, her life about to changeforever.

Although their stories differ, the twograduates of CSB/SJU found themselves200 miles apart, in the immediateaftermath of the catastrophe.

Feeling a need to act, Paur contactedhis local American Red Cross. Withindays, he joined a health services unit inBirmingham, Ala. The group left by busto Biloxi, Miss., a city on the Gulf Coastleft in ruins by Katrina.

“Something I found unbelievable wasthe devastation down there,” said Paur,who works as an emergency medicaltechnician at the Glencoe and Bird IslandAmbulance Department. “The pictureson the news and in magazines do nojustice to just how bad the storm had hit.

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Two Alums Join Effort to Help V“Along the coastline there was nothing

left but miles of debris. Homes wereleveled. Casino boats were across four-lane highways. It was almost impossibleto tell where a certain home or businesswas due to all the damage. I could notimagine living down there and having astorm take everything. It was a very sadand humbling sight to see.”

Paur spent the next three weeksproviding emergency aid at a first aidstation, treating victims of heart attacks,strokes and heat exhaustion.

In Louisiana, Heinzen returned to herhome — the only one on the street stillwith electricity — but didn’t stay long.Rather, she spent most of her timevolunteering at various relief centers. Forone day, she sorted clothes and handedout bedding at a Red Cross shelter. Forthe next five, she volunteered under theinstruction of the Department of Healthand Human Services on the campus ofLouisiana State University.

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elp Victims of Hurricane KatrinaOrleans,” she said. “I also had to dealwith emotionally upset students.”

Paur, who spent his week handing outaid and helping those who remainedhomeless, also felt the effects of Hurri-cane Rita.

“Although it did not hit as hard asexpected,” Paur said, “the winds, rain andlightening were more powerful thananything I’ve ever experienced.”

Since last fall, the lives of Paur andHeinzen have returned to normal. Well,as normal as can be after going through alife-changing experience.

Heinzen says she’s more patient andunderstanding, a trait she learned fromher students.

“I have also become far more acceptingof things that I cannot have control overor for that matter a say in,” said Heinzen,who is currently in the middle of the firstyear of her two-year commitment. “A lotof that has come from 12- to 15-year-olds moving through middle school in a

“I did everything from bathe theelderly, to change bedding, to guardpillows and blankets, to pray with thosewho have lost everything,” she said.

A week into September, Heinzenretrieved some sense of normalcy, as the22-year-old returned to teaching atSoutheast Middle School in BatonRouge. Sharing a classroom with anotherteacher, Heinzen had a class of evacueestudents. However, another hurricanebrewing in the Atlantic Ocean wouldultimately shut down the school for asecond time.

Although the storm’s impact was lessthan anticipated, the school closed fortwo days when an air conditioner failurecaused a mold infestation. By Sept. 30,Heinzen was once again back in theclassroom, facing a growing set ofpersonal challenges.

“Students were coming and going dueto their families moving to other statesand attempting to go back to New

time when their worlds were literallydestroyed.”

Paur, who still follows the news on therelief effort, has returned home to hisposition with the ambulance service.

“I think the Katrina experience has ledme to a life of service to others,” he said.“I learned many good things from mytime at SJU, but the ones that stick outare being a hard worker, giving to othersand developing a sense of self-confidence.These values helped me to give care tothe people in Hurricane Katrina and Ritaand people in general.”

And once acquired, those values arelived over a lifetime.

“God forbid if tragedy ever strikesagain,” Paur said, “I’d be there to help ina heartbeat.”

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