Spotlight

Year: Junior
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Minnetonka, MN
High School: Minnetonka High School

Organizations or activities: MADD Advocate, work in undergraduate psychology lab under the direction of Dr. Roxanne Prichard, work in the restaurant industry as a server at Perkins, spread the message of Alcoholics Anonymous by doing service work and chairing a meeting in Minnetonka.

What do you like to do in your spare time? Play with my 18-month old son Benjamin, spend time with friends playing Catch Phrase, watching movies, eating out. I like to have fun in sobriety any way that I can!!! I especially love being on the lake and enjoying beautiful summer weather at the beach.

Anticipated career after college: M.D. in neurology, possibly neurosurgery or PhD in neuroscience. I will definitely be working with the brain in one way or another!!! I plan to attend graduate school in Neuroscience. I haven’t yet begun looking, but UCLA, the U of M-Twin Cities, and the U of Wisconsin-Madison all have very impressive neuroscience programs.

Why did you come to UST?
UST was a perfect fit. I attended the U of M-Twin Cities and felt lost in the ever-growing population of undergraduates and classes of over 400 students. I then enrolled at Augsburg College and felt like I was back in high school again with a population of less than 2500 students. I came to UST and found myself at home, immersed in the medium-sized student body and medium-sized campus. Also, the required general curriculum classes and upper level courses offered were extremely attractive to me. I felt the general education requirements included a broad spectrum of necessary classes for a true liberal arts education and, in reading the descriptions for the 300 level classes in both psychology and the physical sciences, I found myself anticipating the time when I would be able to enroll in them. Furthermore, I wanted to stay close to my family and friends, being a sober, single mother in need of their support.

What does it mean to you to be selected as an Aquinas Fellow?
When I received the congratulatory letter, I felt a broad array of emotions. I was happy, excited, and flattered, even slightly surprised. I felt encouraged that my struggle with alcoholism and proceeding re-acceptance of God into my life was being recognized and accepted, my situation being presumably different from most other Aquinas Fellows. I also felt encouraged that my vocation, my true calling from God as I hear and feel it, my decision to work on the human brain and better understand the mechanisms of addiction on a neuronal level, was being acknowledged. Being selected as an Aquinas Fellow reaffirms my discernment of my call and encourages me to continue on the path I am treading into the world of medicine and academia.

What has been your most valuable experience at UST?
There have been many valuable experiences with friends, professors, and course material that I have taken from my years at St. Thomas, but one course has truly resonated the most with me. I took a 200 level psychology course in the fall of 2006 entitled Alcohol, Drugs, and Behavior. I enrolled in the course because of my struggle with alcoholism and because I was curious to understand how alcohol had affected my brain and body. What I took from the class was a deeper understanding of addiction and how an addict’s brain functions differently than the brain of a normal person, as well as a remedial understanding of the brain and its operations. I found my career path through this class: I knew after I finished the course that I wanted to learn more about the human brain, specifically about how addiction manifests at the cellular and organizational level. Through my interest in this class and continuing prayer and meditation throughout the semester, I began to discern God’s call for me. This class was truly the beginning of my discernment of God’s call and resonates as my most valuable and influential experience at St. Thomas.

How will being an Aquinas Fellow help you discern and work towards your vocation?
Through spending time with other Aquinas Fellows who have worked to discern their vocational call, I will be encouraged to continue my own discernment. I will be surrounded by others who have made God the central figure in their life and their central mentor as we meet at the induction ceremony and get to know each other on our retreat, helping me to remember the importance of God in my life and His will for me. I will be influenced by their determination and strength, helping me to continue my quest for ever-lasting sobriety by being surrounded with encouragement, friendship, and God’s presence, manifested in them.

What advice would you give a student about discerning their vocation?
Try not to consume every moment of every day with searching and worrying about discerning your vocation. Go out in the world, live life, and trust that God will reveal his will for you as you grow and gain experience. Pray and meditate, asking Him to show you what your vocation for this earthly life is, and thanking Him for all of the blessings you have had, do have, and will have in the future. Be positive! You will discern God’s call and your vocation will be revealed to you through Him.

Aquinas Fellowship Recipients
VIEW OTHER SPOTLIGHTS	Leah Streitman Aquinas Fellow
	Year: Junior Major: Neuroscience Hometown: Minnetonka, MN High School: Minnetonka High School Organizations or activities: MADD Advocate, work in undergraduate psychology lab under the direction of Dr. Roxanne Prichard, work in the restaurant industry as a server at Perkins, spread the message of Alcoholics Anonymous by doing service work and chairing a meeting in Minnetonka. What do you like to do in your spare time? Play with my 18-month old son Benjamin, spend time with friends playing Catch Phrase, watching movies, eating out. I like to have fun in sobriety any way that I can!!! I especially love being on the lake and enjoying beautiful summer weather at the beach. Anticipated career after college: M.D. in neurology, possibly neurosurgery or PhD in neuroscience. I will definitely be working with the brain in one way or another!!! I plan to attend graduate school in Neuroscience. I haven’t yet begun looking, but UCLA, the U of M-Twin Cities, and the U of Wisconsin-Madison all have very impressive neuroscience programs. Why did you come to UST? UST was a perfect fit. I attended the U of M-Twin Cities and felt lost in the ever-growing population of undergraduates and classes of over 400 students. I then enrolled at Augsburg College and felt like I was back in high school again with a population of less than 2500 students. I came to UST and found myself at home, immersed in the medium-sized student body and medium-sized campus. Also, the required general curriculum classes and upper level courses offered were extremely attractive to me. I felt the general education requirements included a broad spectrum of necessary classes for a true liberal arts education and, in reading the descriptions for the 300 level classes in both psychology and the physical sciences, I found myself anticipating the time when I would be able to enroll in them. Furthermore, I wanted to stay close to my family and friends, being a sober, single mother in need of their support. What does it mean to you to be selected as an Aquinas Fellow? When I received the congratulatory letter, I felt a broad array of emotions. I was happy, excited, and flattered, even slightly surprised. I felt encouraged that my struggle with alcoholism and proceeding re-acceptance of God into my life was being recognized and accepted, my situation being presumably different from most other Aquinas Fellows. I also felt encouraged that my vocation, my true calling from God as I hear and feel it, my decision to work on the human brain and better understand the mechanisms of addiction on a neuronal level, was being acknowledged. Being selected as an Aquinas Fellow reaffirms my discernment of my call and encourages me to continue on the path I am treading into the world of medicine and academia. What has been your most valuable experience at UST? There have been many valuable experiences with friends, professors, and course material that I have taken from my years at St. Thomas, but one course has truly resonated the most with me. I took a 200 level psychology course in the fall of 2006 entitled Alcohol, Drugs, and Behavior. I enrolled in the course because of my struggle with alcoholism and because I was curious to understand how alcohol had affected my brain and body. What I took from the class was a deeper understanding of addiction and how an addict’s brain functions differently than the brain of a normal person, as well as a remedial understanding of the brain and its operations. I found my career path through this class: I knew after I finished the course that I wanted to learn more about the human brain, specifically about how addiction manifests at the cellular and organizational level. Through my interest in this class and continuing prayer and meditation throughout the semester, I began to discern God’s call for me. This class was truly the beginning of my discernment of God’s call and resonates as my most valuable and influential experience at St. Thomas. How will being an Aquinas Fellow help you discern and work towards your vocation? Through spending time with other Aquinas Fellows who have worked to discern their vocational call, I will be encouraged to continue my own discernment. I will be surrounded by others who have made God the central figure in their life and their central mentor as we meet at the induction ceremony and get to know each other on our retreat, helping me to remember the importance of God in my life and His will for me. I will be influenced by their determination and strength, helping me to continue my quest for ever-lasting sobriety by being surrounded with encouragement, friendship, and God’s presence, manifested in them. What advice would you give a student about discerning their vocation? Try not to consume every moment of every day with searching and worrying about discerning your vocation. Go out in the world, live life, and trust that God will reveal his will for you as you grow and gain experience. Pray and meditate, asking Him to show you what your vocation for this earthly life is, and thanking Him for all of the blessings you have had, do have, and will have in the future. Be positive! You will discern God’s call and your vocation will be revealed to you through Him.