St. Joan Antida High School

Written by Kristen Wagner, 2009 SJA alumnae

Coming from a grade school in a predominately white neighborhood, I came to SJA unexposed to other cultures, religions, and beliefs.  I remember being fearful of my future as thoughts of college were already alive in my head.  I remember walking through the green doors my first day saying that high school was not a time for fun, it was a time to be prepared for college and if I want to get into a good college, I have to work hard and concentrate on school only.  While working hard did help me get into the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, it was the experiences and the environment that I had at SJA is really what impacted me the most.

The most important experience that I had during my time spent at SJA was Project Lead the Way.  It introduced me to a possible career that I had never even really understood before.  It was taught by amazing teachers who were also learning with us as we were the “guinea pig” class.  It was an interesting environment and allowed for a lot of student-teacher interaction that I had never been exposed to before.  My mind was challenged and forced to start thinking as an engineer does.  I was introduced to new concepts that I knew I would not be learning if not for this course.  These courses have helped prepare me the most for my classes today.

                During my time spent at SJA, I was able to learn as much as possible in a classroom environment where I did not feel judged.  The teachers’ care for their students shined predominantly as well as their love for teaching.  Every class I took has helped me prepare for some aspect of my life in college.  Whether it is utilizing the knowledge gained in the engineering as well as math classes for all my current courses, speaking eloquently, making a budget, or utilizing a computer to prepare graphs and charts of my research data- every class has helped me in some way.

At SJA, my eyes were opened to other cultures, religions, and beliefs.  I was able to join clubs and sports teams and was even able to be the president of GOMAD and the Forensics team.  I was introduced to my future career of engineering.  I made life-long friends who I know I can still depend on even though we now live states away.  I matured and grew scholastically, mentally, and religiously.  I became a young woman that felt ready and prepared to face life’s challenges whether they arise from school or personal life.  That is what SJA did for me.  It taught me to concentrate on the most important goals in life and just go forward achieving as much as possible, no matter what negativity is thrust at me or what challenges I face.

In the end, SJA provided me with the knowledge, the experiences, the friends, and the leadership that helped me to where I am today.

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Kristen is currently studying Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

She is also currently conducting research on Hydrogel Decomposition and working on a paper that will be published on Nanoparticles as Solid Phase Supports in PCR Based Diagnostics.