University of St. Thomas

Tiffany Orth, Class of 2009

The academic reputation of the University of St. Thomas is what drew me to the school. I wanted the opportunity to receive an excellent liberal arts education that would help to ensure success in my future career. Additionally, the gorgeous campus, small class sizes, and warm professors were all factors that combined to form my ideal college experience.

Being a woman at St. Thomas has been a remarkably rewarding experience. I have found encouragement and support for my ideas and goals as well as opportunities to be involved with on-campus leadership roles. Not once have I ever been made to feel like I can’t do something because I am a woman. One funny thing to me is that chivalry is not dead at St. Thomas. Male members of the student body still go out of their way to open doors for you and let you go first. It’s funny how that remnant of old-fashioned values carries on into this modern age.

Aside from my gender experiences, one thing that stands out to me is the hardship in having differing religious views on campus. While it is a Catholic university, I still assumed that an academic institution would be tolerant and aware of different religions and perspectives. This has not always been the case. Whether it be in classes where opinions are received with sighs and annoyed expressions, or in the dorms where you are made to feel out of place if you don’t follow the norm, diversity in religion is something that is met with subtle opposition at St. Thomas.

My time at St. Thomas is opening me up to so many new ideas and perspectives. I find that my beliefs are constantly being tested and adjusted to take into account the myriad of viewpoints that exist. People are more complex than I could have ever imagined and this is showing me how to understand people’s actions in a deeper way.

Classes, students, professors, and organizations are helping me to form a strong sense of self that will aid me in future endeavors. This is teaching me to approach the world with a more mature and careful air while still giving me the confidence to express my own beliefs. I most identify with the University’s mission to promote diversity. While not always accomplished here at St. Thomas, I feel it is the single most important tenet in higher education. It is through experiencing diverse people, interests, ideas, and lifestyles that we truly learn how to appreciate the similarities and differences that connect us all in the human race. I hope to carry this with me always.

My one wish for future women is that they are always able to pursue whatever their heart desires and to not feel trapped into what society is dictating to them at that point in time. The only time we truly live our lives and fulfill our potential is when we become everything that we are.