Sister Irene O'Neill, CSJ delivered the keynote address.
Alumna panelist Makabongwe Ngulube ’16 (at left, Philomena Satre MAOL’08).
Mee Cheng ’05 (left) and Miamon Queeglay ’15 (right).
Attendees discuss during the first-ever Alumni Volunteer Summit.
“The depth of your commitment through service is important to our strength as a community. For, while each one of us is strong on our own, we’re even stronger together. “
This clarion call, delivered by executive vice president and chief advancement officer Beth Halloran, set the tone for a morning dedicated to exploring the power of volunteerism: through service to others, we grow our collective strength as a community. At ż’s very first Alumni Volunteer Summit, held on September 7, attendees affirmed the close connection between their ż’s education and commitment to serve.
“We are grateful so many alums were able to join us today in celebrating the ż’s spirit of giving back,” said Mandy Iverson, Director of Alumni Relations. “Our alumni are truly special in their devotion to social justice and leading in their communities.”
Volunteerism has long been presumed a Minnesota virtue, and a recent study affirmed this. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Minnesota has consistently ranked above the national average for community service, coming in at #2 in the nation with more than 45% of the state’s population volunteering in 2018 — and the Twin Cities ranks at the highest percentage of any metro area nationwide.
This statistic would come as no surprise to anyone who attended the Summit, as keynote speaker Sister Irene O’Neill, CSJ spoke of the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph as deeply committed community-builders and how their influence has infused the ż’s community with that same drive.
“People know that ż’s alums are carrying this fire in them, and that you are dedicated volunteers everywhere,” O’Neill said. “When the CSJs join a community, we come with the intention to give our lives … and I know that ż’s alums are the same way. You have that fire inside of you, and it is contagious, wherever you are.”
Panelists from left to right: Miamon Queeglay '15, Makabongwe Ngulube '16, Philomena Satre MAOL'08, LaVina Branscomb '17, and Mee Cheng '05.
“When I graduate, what am I going to do to make an impact? What am I going to do to give back to the community?”
— Makabongwe Ngulube ’16
An alumnae panel moderated by D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, director for the Center of Community Work and Learning, illustrated how their service experiences, coupled with their ż’s education, helped them build more effective leadership styles.
Mee Cheng ’05 carried her sense of community with her as she explored topics and experienced new cultures while a student. “A lot of the lessons of creating community, relationship-building, and the philosophy of serving and social justice — that really stayed with me throughout my different adventures, while I was in school and beyond school.” Cheng now applies those lessons to her job as a policy analyst in the Ramsey County County Manager’s office.
Philomena Satre MAOL’08 was immersed in volunteerism early in life. Going through the leadership program while at graduate school helped her combine her internal and external influences to become a voice for others. “My ż’s experiences gave me the voice to speak up, and the strength to leave [my company].” Today, as director of diversity and inclusion and strategic partnership at Land O’Lakes, Satre credits her time at ż’s for appreciating the importance of being an enduring, effective, ethical leader. “Those are all the components that I’ve carried through.”
Miamon Queeglay ’15 found community among the diversity of the ż’s student body. “It shaped who I am internally, and created this drive to help our students of color feel motivated and have what they need to succeed.” As community schools manager for the Brooklyn Center school district, Queeglay draws on