Just about six years ago to the day, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, my parents and I embarked on I-94, bound for St. Paul, Minn. 

It felt like a big leap for a girl who lived in a village of 2,000 and whose graduating class consisted of 14 people. 

I swapped views of hills covered with cornfields for city intersections, and a house full of siblings for a single dorm room all to myself. 

Reflecting on that decision now, I’ll admit it was bold, but I could not have anticipated the fruit it would bear.

At the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities, I found a lively community that brought me closer to Christ. 

I learned to thrive in the close-knit Catholic community affectionately known as “St. Small” by locals and earned a bachelor of science degree in public health. 

I was inspired in part by my Religion IV class, which I took as a junior at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison. 

The call to serve the common good, as articulated in Catholic social teaching, fostered in me a desire to help as many people as I can.

Living out the Faith

After graduating from college in 2024, I taught 10th grade religion at Cretin-Derham Hall and worked as the registrar for Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul. 

While there, I began my graduate studies in theology as an Ireland Scholar. 

Still in the program, I am continuing to learn how to articulate my love for the Faith and use my gifts to reach others.

Thinking about where I am now, I realize that I have once again taken on a challenge and started a new chapter. 

Last spring, I felt it was time to come back home to Wisconsin. I had spent my summers during college in the Diocese of Madison, working on the Core Team for Love Begins Here (LBH), and it became harder each year to return to Minnesota. Summers in Wisconsin are something special.

In God’s glorious plan, I had the privilege of beginning my current role this past spring as the coordinator of youth apostolates and young adult formation for the Diocese of Madison. 

Helping others

This summer, I threw myself into the beautiful, fun, and chaotic mission of Love Begins Here. Along with a joyful Core Team, we traveled to seven pastorates and parishes to serve our neighbors throughout the area. 

We made more than a thousand sandwiches and prayed countless Rosaries for nearly 500 missionaries we served alongside. 

Together, we became the hands and feet of Jesus from Glen Haven to Princeton and many places in between, through “Match Games,” waterslides, and weeding.

The entire summer of Love Begins Here felt like a love letter to Jesus; a sweet homecoming, if you will. 

One of my favorite parts of the summer was driving through the rolling countryside of southwest Wisconsin, which I had missed so much while living in the Twin Cities. 

In those moments, I encountered Jesus, whose Sacred Heart is the desire of the everlasting hills. 

He always calls us back home to His Sacred Heart.

Here in Wisconsin, I look forward to working with the teen leadership team to plan Frassati Fest, a weekend retreat for high schoolers in February, as well as engaging with young adult communities across the diocese. 

When I’m not at the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis or in the LBH truck, you can find me at the movies, reading, or crafting. 

My other hobby is laughing with my friends, family, and strangers. I am incredibly grateful to be part of the mission of the Diocese of Madison and look forward to all the joy still to come!