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Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Student Life Awards, Outstanding Seniors to be announced May 15
Saint Mary’s University is proud to recognize outstanding students, faculty, and staff at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15, during a virtual Student Life Awards Ceremony. Individuals who have exhibited outstanding leadership and service through co-curricular activities at Saint Mary’s are recognized annually.
As another important part of this ceremony, this year’s Outstanding Seniors will also be announced and recognized. Outstanding Seniors have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, and service to colleagues and the university community, as well as genuine concern for the needs of others.
Visit smumn.edu/studentawards2020 to view this year’s ceremony, which will also be shared on Saint Mary’s social media channels, and the 2020 Outstanding Senior Award nominees.
FGI Scholar spotlight: Biology major finds familiarity in program’s family-like atmosphere
From an early age, Margarita Lopez ’22 knew she wanted to work in the medical field. The light from this idea, though, was generated from some of her family’s darkest days.
Her mother passed away when she was 2 months old, but growing up she heard stories of how well the medical staff cared for her family during this difficult time. Her grandparents on her mother’s side adopted Lopez, but her grandmother later passed away in 2014 from a multitude of health issues.
“It made the decision clearer because we were in a hospital,” Lopez said of her grandmother’s passing. “Doctors, nurses, and everyone else there helped us through the whole process. That made me want to be in this profession to pay it forward in my own way.”
“It made the decision clearer because we were in a hospital. Doctors, nurses, and everyone else there helped us through the whole process. That made me want to be in this profession to pay it forward in my own way.”
—Margarita Lopez ’22
When Lopez graduates from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, the biology major plans to continue her schooling to be a physician assistant to exemplify the same spirit of kindness and compassion that her family was shown in both instances.
Lopez first heard about the First Generation Initiative (FGI) and Countdown to College as a student at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago.
At first, Lopez said she was reluctant to give up a couple weeks of her summer to travel to Winona, but she realized the potential for personal growth by pursuing a path outside of her comfort zone.
“I’m really a family-oriented person, so leaving my family was hard,” Lopez said. “I knew because they didn’t really have a chance to go to college, though, that I wanted to be the first one and be a role model to others in my family. I wanted to let my cousins know that anything is possible.”
‘A breath of fresh air’
As a student, Lopez is an active member of Merging Intercultural Experiences (MIX). She loves how the organization celebrates the diversity of the undergraduate student body. She can also be found at any campus event that involves dancing.
“Dancing is a really big aspect of my culture and in my family, too. I like to take time to express myself through dance,” said Lopez, whose favorite dance styles include banda and reggaeton.
When she became an FGI Scholar, she realized she could find the support she needed through the FGI family.
Margarita Lopez with members of the FGI family, from left: Angelyssa Figueroa and Destiny Walker, sophomores, and Octavia Brown ’15, Countdown to College coordinator/adviser and FGI alumna.
“They have always been there for us,” Lopez said of the FGI administrators that include Alisa Macksey, dean of Student Success and FGI, and Octavia Brown ’15, Countdown to College coordinator/adviser and FGI alumna.
“Margarita is a breath of fresh air,” Brown said. “She always has a smile on her face, and if she doesn’t, I know something is going on. She is outgoing, charismatic, and always willing to help someone else.”
Lopez said she always felt supported by her classmates and professors. During freshman orientation, she appreciated being shown around by then-senior FGI Scholar Frydha Cordova Fragozo ’19. The science professors were always available to help her navigate her class schedule.
“At times, I felt like it wasn’t going to work out, but they reassured me that it would,” Lopez said.
As has become tradition, each Countdown to College graduate is given a copy of the famous children’s book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss. Inside the book cover, the Countdown to College staff write inspirational messages, words that Brown and others will regularly reference, Lopez said.
“I generally tell the students something along the lines of this: They have come too far to give up now even when it is hard,” Brown said. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and that is simply not the case. They are here for a reason.
“No one can stop them, especially once they put their mind to something. The sky’s the limit! Get that diploma, because it’s so important, especially for us as people of color.”
Featured image: Margarita Lopez ’22 hopes to work as a physician assistant.
Spiritual offering
Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry continues to share spiritual offerings to provide much-needed perspective and a focus on faith in this time of uncertainty.
“I am with you always, until the end of the world.” — Matthew 28:20
Visit Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry on Facebook.
Undergraduate virtual online commencement planned
Thirty of our College graduate candidates joined faculty and staff last week for a Zoom meeting to gather thoughts and opinions on commencement. They and other students provided good insight and creative ideas.
As a result, Saint Mary’s is moving forward with two plans for undergraduates, the first is a virtual commencement recognition, which will be shared May 22 via email, social media, and our website. This is not a substitute for commencement, but an additional way to recognize and honor seniors. The goal is to put together a professional video, with music, speakers, and photos of as many seniors as possible.
Saint Mary’s is also planning an in-person celebration on the Winona Campus at a later date, potentially August. Clearly, there are still many unknowns in our future, as there isn’t a way to project the path of this virus, but leaders are building out a variety of different celebration scenarios.
We know this isn’t the spring anyone anticipated, but Saint Mary’s wants graduates to know how proud we are of all their accomplishments and to celebrate them at any opportunity we can. It’s our greatest hope that we are all able to gather together again soon.
Retrieval process FAQs
As you prepare to return to campus and retrieve your belongings from your residence halls, we’ve put together some FAQs to help. If you have additional questions not addressed here, contact Student Life by emailing studentlife@smumn.edu.
What do I do if I didn’t receive an assigned time?
Please check your spam first. If it’s not there, email studentlife@smumn.edu to receive an assignment.
What if I received an assigned time but have already moved out?
Please email studentlife@smumn.edu and mail your room key to:
Dr. Marisa Quinn
Office of Student Life
700 Terrace Heights, #50
Winona, MN 55987
May I bring two cars?
Yes! Students may bring two cars to campus for move out. It is recommended that the student’s car enters first, followed by their guest, for sign-in purposes.
When should I arrive?
It is strongly encouraged students arrive at least 5-10 minutes before their time slot to check in at the guard booth and arrive promptly at their residence hall to move out.
Will Heffron gates be open?
Yes. Please park all cars on one side of the road to allow other cars to leave and pass.
What if I need access to the academic buildings to return books I borrowed from faculty for my thesis?
The academic buildings will be closed during this time. Each book or item borrowed from faculty should be labeled with the faculty person’s name to whom they belong. Please do not adhere anything to the books; instead, place a note inside the cover. There will be a drop-off location in the Hall of Fame Room to return them.
If you live in residence halls connected to academic buildings, you are not permitted to visit the attached buildings.
What if I need to talk with financial aid, the registrar, etc.?
All university business is being conducted remotely. Please contact the office you need to talk with by phone or email. Offices are closed, and university personnel will not be present to assist.
What if I still have my to-go container Chartwells plates or items from the Wellness Center?
There will drop-off locations in the Hall of Fame Room for you to return these items.
What if I’m a music student and have to return instruments, music folders, robes, etc.?
Items to be returned to the Music Department can be dropped off in the Toner Student Center Lounge.
Departments hold 47th annual Research Symposium in the Sciences
The Departments of Biology and Chemistry held the 47th annual Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Sciences virtually on April 24 via Zoom.
Four virtual rooms were simultaneously active with 38 senior students presenting their research theses. Throughout the day, there were 100-120 people in attendance celebrating the outstanding research that our students do.
International Center hosts celebration
You may know that 19 international students remained on the Winona Campus after all other students returned home or left campus in March. That number is now at 13, as some students have been able to leave the country amid canceled flights, closed borders, and extremely costly travel. Others are now making plans to hopefully return home after final exams, or to go to graduate school, and others cannot get home so are making plans to stay for the summer.
On-campus graduating international students honored last week include, from left: Yi Tao, Tianbo Zhang, and Aaron Kibirige.
Student Life and International Center staff have worked with these students throughout these challenging times to reassure them; help them with travel; store their property on campus as they departed; get them to the airport as the shuttle was canceled; move into Alverna (with much help from maintenance staff); advise them on health, safety, immigration and visa implications; take them to get groceries and supplies, etc.
These students have shown great determination in the midst of these challenges, and the International Center held a special celebration and stress relief break on Study Day. We also honored the three remaining students who are graduating. Students enjoyed graduation cupcakes and ice cream treats and were given homemade masks.
Update on commencement
A committee has been formed to address recognizing Saint Mary’s graduates from the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs. Details will be shared in the coming weeks.
We know this isn’t the spring anyone anticipated, but Saint Mary’s wants graduates to know how proud we are of all their accomplishments and to celebrate them at any opportunity we can. It’s our greatest hope that we are all able to gather together again soon.
Day of Prayer to be held May 14
Taken from America, The Jesuit Review, May 2020, “Pope Francis joins Muslim leaders in calling for world day of prayer to end the coronavirus” by Gerard O’Connell.
Pope Francis has endorsed the call to the believers of all the religious traditions to unite together spiritually on Thursday, May 14, in a day of prayer and fasting, to implore God to help humanity overcome this coronavirus pandemic.
The appeal calls on believers in God worldwide to hold “a day for fasting, prayer and supplications” on May 14. It continues that “each one acording to the teachings of (his or her) religion, faith or sect, should implore God to lift this pandemic off us and the entire world, to rescue us all from this adversity, to inspire scientists to find a cure that can turn back this disease, and to save the whole world from the health, economic, and human repercussions of this serious pandemic.
Pope Francis also emphasized this call while addressing a virtual global audience by Vatican media on Sunday, May 3. He said, “Remember, May 14, all believers together, believers of the different (religious) traditions, to pray, to fast, and to do works of charity.”
In whatever way possible, please join our brothers and sisters from all over the world on May 14 in prayer, fasting, and doing works of charity.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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