Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes

Saint Mary’s Alumni Association is offering numerous online programming options. Course options cover a variety of topics, including professional development, meditation, managing stress, parenting during this challenging time, being creative, and more.

The online events are free and open to the entire Saint Mary’s community. See all available events and register at connect.smumn.edu/events.

Saint Mary’s University has partnered with Chartwells for more than a decade to provide student food and catering services on the Winona Campus. During that time, Chartwells has proven to be innovative, responsive, and collaborative in meeting the needs of the Saint Mary’s community.

Chartwells hired a full-time nutritionist to promote wellness and host events, such as teaching kitchens, to introduce healthy meal concepts. Further, Chartwells has implemented practices to foster environmental sustainability in sourcing its food and limiting waste.

Over the past year, Chartwells has worked with the university to develop plans for a new 10-year contract. These plans include significant investments in the Toner Student Center, specifically the renovation of the Cardinal Club, including a market and new food concept (summer 2020) and a refresh of the Dining Hall (summer 2021). Based on student input, meal plan options will also be expanded to provide greater flexibility.

“It was important for us to include our key stakeholders, specifically our students, in the process,” said Marisa Quinn, Ed.D., assistant vice president for student life. “It began with a campus survey, which garnered more than 500 responses — our best response ever for a Chartwells survey.”

Using this data, Chartwells presented the proposed renovations and meal plans to the campus community the week of March 9. Engagement sessions were held for students, faculty, and staff, and resulted in approximately 30 stakeholders in attendance and engaging individually in the process.

Feedback from those sessions was incorporated into the plan, which will be finalized in the coming weeks. Renovation of the Cardinal Club is anticipated to begin in mid-May.

“We are excited to roll out the new meal plans this summer, which offer more flexible options to students. The updates to the Cardinal Club will create an inviting community space and the much desired market,” said Dr. Quinn.

Each year, Lasallians honor Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and patron saint of teachers, on May 15, known as the Solemnity of Saint John Baptist de La Salle or Founder’s Day.

This is a day to reflect on the rich history of the Lasallian mission and celebrate the man whose vision of and dedication to providing a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, launched the worldwide Lasallian network. The celebration is also an opportunity to honor the ministries, Brothers, and lay partners and the work they do to continue the Lasallian mission.

Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, has released a special message in honor of Founder’s Day. Read his message.

The District of Eastern North America is hosting a Founder’s Day prayer at 11 a.m. (CT) on Friday, May 15, via Zoom. You’re invited to join Lasallians for a prayer service around the theme, Our Lasallian Mission in the Time of the Coronavirus. Join the prayer service with the Zoom Meeting ID: 933 7434 9257.

Learn more about Founder’s Day and find additional resources

Watch this Founder’s Day video from the Midwest District:

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.