Students Speak: Nyssa & Renae

Nyssa Readio – Biology

Juggling school and work is one thing. Juggling school, work and a child is whole other matter. However, Nyssa Readio, a fifth-year biology major and a mother, has had a strategy: Work as much as possible in the summer and very little during the school year.

For Nyssa, who lives in Mendota Heights , Minn., this meant 80-hour work weeks for a security company last summer. But, she says, it is it worth it now, when she gets to spend her free time with her son, Bryce, 2. Only after Bryce goes to bed does she do homework, and only after homework does she occasionally reward herself with social time. 

Coming from a family of lawyers, engineers and chemists, Nyssa grew up valuing achievement but also wanted to forge her own path. Working as a lifeguard since age 15 inspired her interest in the medical side of life-saving and, thus, biology. She is undecided whether she will pursue medical school or a master’s degree in pathology, but she does know that she loves conducting research. She spends hours online looking up biology-related articles, and in her graduate work, she would like to research adult stem cells and developmental biology.

In her thank-you letter to a scholarship donor, Nyssa wrote: "[Bryce] is very much his own person and does not always understand why Mama has to be on the computer and not playing with him. We are doing fine, thanks in large part to an extensive strong support network that includes you."

"I am grateful to you for helping to ensure my future by providing the funds I need to stay in school. By ensuring my future with a good education at St. Thomas, you also ensure Bryce’s future. There is no way I can express in words just how much that means to me."

Renae Maslonkowski – Finance

Barely into her senior year at St. Thomas, Renae Maslonkowski already had been offered, had accepted and had started a full-time position as a financial analyst at Donaldson Company, Inc.

Growing up in Hinckley, Minn., Renae saw her parents, who are now divorced, struggle to find well-paying jobs in a town of mostly small restaurants and factories. She knew that if she were going to make a better life for herself, she would need to attend college – and that she would have to pay for it herself. 

St. Thomas appealed to her because of its smaller size and because the financial-aid offer included scholarships and grants covering 75 percent of her tuition. Renae admits that she was also influenced by the scenic campus, which she "fell in love with," as well as St. Thomas’ great reputation and prime location. 

She loves that St. Thomas students can develop relationships with professors, and she marvels that "most professors know their students by name." In addition, Renae has a great deal of respect for the university’s personal counselors who, along with her professors, were very helpful during her freshman year as she struggled to adjust to college life. Her experience with the London Business Semester, which included trips to other European cities, left Renae with a new perspective on the world and a great appreciation for the ease of study-abroad opportunities at St. Thomas.

Renae has worked hard to get where she is: She has held long-term positions at Burger King, Blockbuster, Target and in the St. Thomas’ School of Education. Now, her drive and industrious attitude have turned what began as an internship into a full-time job even before she has graduated. These qualities, she says, are a credit to her parents. "While they are not able to support me financially, they’ve always told me that I can do anything I set my mind to."