Where are they going?

English Class of 2005
St. Olaf College

Lindsey Beal - "Move out to Washington or Oregon in the late summer (preferrably Portland) to live and work--for a change of pace and scenery and for oh why not? In the meantime, take a class or two and try to figure out what I want to do (write, photography, something else?) and for what do I want to go to grad school in a couple of years."

Kristin Bergsagel - "I am going to be attending the University of Denver Publishing Institute this summer, and after that I'd like to pursue a career in the publishing industry, particularly in editing."

Charlie Braman - "I am planning to move to South America (probably Uruguay) to teach English for the next year or two. When I return to the states I am hoping to have an idea of what kind of graduate studies I want to do."

April Carlson - "I'm moving back home to Omaha and will be taking a couple of writing classes this summer. I'll be trying for a job in publishing (editing or writing) or something in the non-profit sector related to editing or counseling or perhaps something completely different. We shall see shortly where life takes me!"

Kelly Christensen - "I'll be doing office work around the cities area for the next couple of years, and attending either St. Kate's for my master's in library science, or the Denver Publishing Institute. I have yet to decide a life career, but so far it's a tough call between editing/writing and library science."

Jared Cooper - "I am going to continue working with my commercial lawn care and snow removal business for at least one year while working on my creative writing portfolio. It is my dream to get my master's degree and teach creative writing, and/or conduct writing therapy workshops for troubled children. Whatever I end up doing, it will involve encouraging people and serving others. Other than that I want to travel and absorb as much as I can from different places and people to let my imagination for random things in stories run free, as free as an eagle."

Adam Copeland - "I will attend Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA to obtain a M.Div. degree and become a Presbyterian pastor."

Bridget Draxler - "I'll be studying romantic and sentimental literature at the University of York."

Laura Eckstein - "Going home, planting green beans, and playing with my dog. I'll work on the rest later."

Melinda Fechner - "I will be working at Mount Carmel Bible Camp this summer, and then I will be doing a ninth semester of student teaching at Kodaikanal International School in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. After that, who know!"

Diana Frantz - "I am going to the University of Chicago Divinity School to study the history of Christianity."

Kerry Gervais - "After graduation, I have a few science courses to take at St. Olaf over the summer and next fall as pre-requisities to apply for an Occupational Therapy masters program for fall 2006, and I will specialize in hand therapy."

Jessica Grosz - "I'm moving to Barcelona this fall to take a course on teaching English as a foreign language, and I plan to stay for the remainder of the school year to teach. After that, law school. LSAT this June. I know, right after graduation. What was I thinking?"

Lauren Hoffman - "I will be moving to New York City where I will be starting my MFA degree in Creative Writing with a nonfiction concentration at The New School University (which sounds like a pretend college, but it's not)."

James Johnson - "I plan on being an Artist/Rock Star."

Jordan Kammer - "I'm waiting to hear back from Eastern Michigan University where I hope to be accepted to their interior design graduate program for next year. This summer I plan to continue makine more pastel pictures like the ones up in the senior show right now."

Phillip Knutson - "I will be student teaching in the cities this fall."

Eliza Larson - "I will be moving to Washington DC in the fall to start my MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland."

Michael Littell - "I don't know what I'll be doing when I graduate. Right now, I am trying to find a job as an editor or working in a library."

Peter Lindberg - "My current plans for the future are unclear. I am currently looking for a job, any job."

Elin Ljung - "From June through December I will be an intern at the Mono Lake Committee, a non-profit environmental organization in the Eastern Sierras of California. I'll be working closely with publications leaving the Committee, leading interpretive tours, and staffing the bookstore for my job.... For fun I'll be hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, biking, skiing, and reading all the books my friends and profs have been recommending to me. I hope to stay on at the Committee long after December, but if that doesn't work out I might head up to Holden Village for a while."

Rebecca Lofft - "After the orchestra tour to Norway, I will spend the summer in my hometown San Diego. Beginning in August, I will be studying hardanger fiddle and Norwegian folk music at Rauland Akademiet in Telemark, Norway on a Fulbright Scholarship for one year. I will probably stay there for a second year to fulfill the two year Masters Program in Traditional Arts. Who knows from there?"

Ben MacKenzie - "I will be student teaching in the Twin Cities during the fall and then I'll begin the epic job hunt that will take me to a magical place where teachers are well paid, respected and given total classroom control. Then I'll wake up and look for a real teaching job."

Lauren McClain - "I am planning on getting a teaching job (English--high school or middle school) somewhere in the Twin Cities area. Eventually get my Masters."

Brigit McGuire - "I'll be going to graduate school in English at Columbia in NYC."

Ryan Myers - "I'll be staying in the Twin Cities and attending the University of Minnesota School of Law."

Jeff Neidt - "I will be working for a small marketing company called Blackwatch. After working for a bit I plan on going to get my MFA in Creative Non-Fiction at UNC Willmington."

Matt Nienow - "First and most exciting: I am getting married in September to a former Ole! We are looking for jobs and places to live between the Twin Cities and Northfield. I have applied for an internship at Milkweed Editions in Minneapolis and plan to take writing classes at the Loft. My bride-to-be and I are both looking forward to grad school in the next year or two - she would like to teach and I hope to start an MFA in creative non-fiction or poetry."

Jessica Overbeck - "I will be substitute teaching this summer while I continue the daunting task of finding a middle school or high school English teaching position in the Minneapolis area. In a couple of years, I plan on getting my masters degree in education."

Sonja Paulson - "I'm serving overseas for a year through the ELCA Division for Global Mission-Young Adults Program. I'm going to Slovakia to teach English in an elementary school. The program includes a four-week intensive language study."

Josh Peterson - "This summer I plan to be home in St. Paul working at a seasonal job until September when I will hopefully attend Discipleship Training School (DTS) at the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) base in Lake View Terrace, CA (30 minutes from USC). DTS at YWAM is a three-month-long Bible school education followed by two months of outreach abroad."

Diana Richards - "After graduation, the future will be taking me by the reins and will eventually lead me to where I need to be. Where is that place? Only the future knows..."

Malcolm Richards - "I am living in Minneapolis this summer and working for the Minneapolis Park Board, in a summer playground program for inner-city children. My plans after this summer remain murky, I could wind up very far away or very close depending on circumstances and my mindset at the time."

Annie Rzepecki - "I will be starting grad school at St. Thomas this summer, taking night classes to earn my M.A. in English. I'm going to work full time at my Dad's dental office while doing that, and hopefully when I'm done I will have a nice editing or writing job waiting for mr. I'm also getting married next summer."

Anne Samuelson - "For the next two years, I will be attending the University of Minnesota School of Public Health for a masters degree in Community Health Education."

Kimberly Schuh - "I will be studying law at the University of Iowa."

Dan Sinykin - "I plan on spending the next year in the Boundary Waters working first at a family camp, then as an environmental educator. First priority, though, is pursuing a career in fiction writing, wherever that might take me."

Jacqueline Spielmann - "I'll be student teaching at an elementary school in Minneapolis this fall. After that, I'll be job hunting and most likely moving out east."

Peter Stiles - "After a summer of relaxing and traveling, I start medical school this fall on August 8th at the University of Minnesota...so the next 7-10 years of my life are pretty well mapped out: 2 years in classrooom, 2 years in medical rotations and 3-5 years of residency. Long term, I hope to stay in the Midwest and practice medicine, leaving enough time each year to travel abroad and stay involved in missionary medicine."

Sasha TerMaat - "This summer I'll be copyediting in the editorial department of a trade publisher in Chicago. In the fall I'll be returning to the Twin Cities area to student teach, and after that I will be searching for a middle school or high school teaching position back in the Chicago area."

Janet Toews - "I'll be working for Securian Financial in St. Paul, living in Eden Prairie, and am getting married to David Cowan on January 7. I plan to attend either law school or English grad school in a couple of years."

Stephanie Walker - "My immediate plans currently involve purchasing a monkey and starting my own circus. Further in the future I hope to get into publishing, attend some writing workshops/classes and eventually obtain my MFA in creative writing."

Vanessa Wheeler - "I am traveling in Thailand for a month and a half after graduation. After that, I'm not really sure. I am planning on taking the LSAT in October and then deciding from there whether or not I want to go to law school. I have no job as of yet."

Aaron Willliamson - "I am planning on attending law schools after a couple of years of academic down-time! I am currently looking for legal secretary positions in the Twin Cities and will be living at home in Hudson, WI, until I can support myself... Not too exciting but I am excited to move on to the next chapter in my life with great memories of St. Olaf, especially of my dearest English profs!"

Kelly Wolfe - "I, Kelly Wolfe, will be attending Denver Seminary in the Fall with hopes of obtaining a license in Christian Counseling!"