This weekend 50 students will have the opportunity to reflect on the concept of vocation during the Quo Vadis Sophomore Retreat, a program developed by Lilly Vocational Intern Marija Crosson '09. Quo Vadis is Latin for "Where are you going?" — a question the students will examine with the help of peer leaders, faculty members, and St. Olaf alumni.

A group of 35 St. Olaf students who spent their spring break volunteering in Kansas City, Kansas, had their work documented in a series of photos in the Kansas City Star.

Two St. Olaf students and an alumna are highlighted in a New York Times story for having been chosen from among 400 applicants to fill internship slots offered by the Campbell Mithun advertising agency after participating in a Twitter-based competition.

Molly Moon '12 had no idea what kind of work she'd be doing for a new website idea by award-winning entrepreneur Genevieve Thiers. "The website was a complete and utter secret," Moon says.

How does a St. Olaf education prepare you to lead an organization through the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression? Ole economists and business leaders from across the nation will return to campus April 15 to share what they've learned from the recession as part of the 2011 St. Olaf Economic Summit.

St. Olaf students competing in the national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest wore pajamas to match the theme of their contraption. But apparel is not what Associate Professor of Physics Jason Engbrecht thought made the team stand out from the others.

Christopher Leslie '11, who recently won a $1,000 instrumental scholarship from Thursday Musical, will solo on a premiere performance with the St. Olaf Band.

Northfield native Peter Agre, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will receive an honorary doctorate of science from St. Olaf College March 31.

After a 12-year absence on campus, the St. Olaf Debate Team is back in a big way. Led by Christophe Porot '13 and Akshar Rambachan '12 (pictured), members won top honors at a statewide competition and hope to use that as a starting point for future success.

For his story about efforts by St. Paul schools to reconfigure their junior high model, St. Paul Pioneer Press Reporter Doug Beldon spoke with Eric McDonald, instructor in the Education Department.

Sam Dunn '11 says research is a focus at St. Olaf, and he helped prove that point last summer by studying soil in the Arctic for the Polaris Project. This year he's heading back — quite a leap for a kid who hated science in elementary school.

Local NBC TV affiliate KARE 11 visited campus Friday to interview Mami Yamamura, an exchange student who is attending St. Olaf from Japan. Reporter Kyle Porter asked Yamamura how her family is faring after the recent disaster.

St. Olaf juniors Laurel Ohm and Sarah Morrison are each working with an organization to blog about their experiences abroad this semester. Morrison (pictured) hopes her journal inspires readers to "learn about people, nature, places, and cultures outside their own backyard."

Faculty members Mike and Ann Leming recently helped forge a project that teaches creative expression to artists with disabilities in Thailand.

"The numerous service organizations and opportunities here on campus make it easy to find a way to do something you're passionate about," says Tracie Dahl '11, who chose to come to St. Olaf largely because there were so many outlets for volunteering.

It took nearly a decade after leaving the Hill for Heather Johnson '94 to find success as a professional opera singer, but now she's making a living by performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall.

"It's how we articulate the teaching of design not only in the context of fine art, but in the context of product design," says faculty member Wendell Arneson about a new student-built "green" structure that's a cross between an ice house and a Japanese tea house.

As part of the Private College Scholars at the Capitol event, St. Olaf TRiO McNair scholars Aaron Harcus '11 and Quyen Duong '11 presented their research at the Minnesota State Capitol last week.