Students Speak: Jocelyn & Mike

Jocelyn McQuirter – Journalism

Jocelyn McQuirter, a sophomore journalism major, aspires to be a financial journalist for a magazine someday. As a graduate of North High School in North Minneapolis, she wants to write pieces that appeal to young adults educating them on financial freedom and its importance.

"They don’t make it a requirement in high school or college," she said, "but it is something we all need to know, especially minorities. Educating students on financial responsibility will help them get ahead in life and succeed." Already Jocelyn is in the process of composing a short book outlining necessary first steps.

Her drive comes from her father, an entrepreneur who runs his own gas station. "He has a go getter attitude and just went out there and did it," she said. "He doesn’t make any excuses. He taught me to be honest, genuine and generous to people, and it will come back two-fold."

Jocelyn was thrilled when she was offered generous aid packages from both the University of Minnesota and St. Thomas. Ultimately, she chose St. Thomas’ smaller class sizes and campus over Minnesota, despite being offered the prestigious Star Tribune Scholarship, which guarantees an internship at the newspaper.

A commuter student in her first year, Jocelyn got involved with the Black Empowerment Student Alliance, the Beverage Club, which decides how beverage funding is best used, and the Tutor-Mentor Program. This year she lives in Grace Hall.

She also keeps busy working part-time for her dad, and each summer she interns at Ryan Companies, as part of the company’s scholarship. 

"I am fortunate to be able to persevere in my education with little burden financially," Jocelyn said. "My brother was accepted at his top-choice school, the University of Chicago, but was offered virtually no aid and could not attend. Donors give students – especially minorities – an opportunity to help bridge the achievement gap and excel in education."

Mike Kieffaber – Mechanical Engineering

Mike Kieffaber is more than a mechanical-engineering major. He is an Air Force ROTC cadet with dreams of becoming an Air Force officer and of building and living on the first moon base as a civil engineer 20 years from now. 

A junior from Burnsville, Minn., he inherited his love for flying and the military from his father, himself an Air Force pilot who retired as a lieutenant colonel after 20 years of service. Mike chose St. Thomas over other schools that offer the Air Force ROTC program because of scholarships that cover nearly all of his tuition and living expenses. 

"If it were not for donors," he said, "I would not be able to attend a superior school like the University of St. Thomas. My family could not afford this on our own."

Following graduation, Mike would like to fulfill one of his life’s dreams and train to be a pilot.  Two to three years after that, he plans to earn a master’s degree in civil engineering while remaining in the Air Force.

But first, Mike must get through the rest of his rigorous ROTC, school, work and recreation schedules. On top of classes, he dedicates 20 hours a week to ROTC and works as a late-night security guard at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library. Mike stays active with rock climbing, kayaking, and motorcycle riding. In the summer, he bikes eight miles each morning to play tennis and loves "soaring" in glider aircraft because he is, he says tongue in cheek, "too cheap to pay for gas." Mike also performs volunteer service through the Arnold Air Society, Air Force ROTC’s honorary service organization. He is commander of the AAS squadron this year.

With all of this going on, still he will manage to finish a five-year degree in four and a half years, thanks in part to college credits that he earned in high school, but also because of his motivation to achieve his goal to "do something big" with his life.