July 2016

Greetings Class of 2008! I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying your summer. It has been so fun to receive all of the class updates and to read about everyone’s news; can you believe it has been 8 years since graduation? Not only have there been many changes in our lives, but Concordia has had a busy year of changes too! Some of these updates include: •

New Science Facilities Renovation of the Jones and Ivers science buildings continues. This year, facilities staff and contractors began the process of cleaning out and stripping the interior of the buildings while our science students spread out all over campus for their labs and classes. On April 22nd, a ceremonial demolition was held to mark the beginning of the construction phase of the project. Follow the progress at Cord.edu/science.

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The total project cost is $45 million with a scheduled finish date of July 2017.

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The project includes totally gutting Ivers and extensively remodeling Jones.

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Features include updated mechanical systems, flexible classrooms, t-search labs (teaching/research labs), larger faculty offices, and social and informal learning spaces.

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These buildings will have lots of light and open space like the Offutt School of Business.

Music •

The Concordia Choir will travel to the Southwest for its spring tour from Feb. 25 – March 12, 2017. Concordia College has commissioned Dr. René Clausen to compose a major choral orchestral work in observation of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. All choirs and The Concordia Orchestra will perform the world premier of “The Passion of Jesus Christ” in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis and Memorial Auditorium, Moorhead on April 8 and 9th, 2017. The choir will also tour Germany from May 8-22, 2017.

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The Concordia Orchestra is headed to Minot and Devil’s Lake, ND, as well as various MN locations for their fall tour October 29 - November 6, 2016. Check online at Cord.edu/music for the final locations later in the summer.

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The Concordia band will tour from February 5 –12, 2017 at locations yet to be determined. Check online for the final locations later in the summer.

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Athletics •

The NFL has come calling for recent Cobber football players Griffin Neal ’15 and Brandon Zylstra ’16. Neal, a record setting quarterback who played last year in Europe, was signed to a contract by the New Orleans Saints, while Zylstra, also a record setter as receiver, was invited to the Minnesota Vikings mini-camp after this spring’s draft.

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Jordan Bolger ’16 capped a fantastic Concordia career with an amazing senior season in basketball. Bolger finished with 1,268 points and 679 rebounds, ranking fifth on the school's all-time scoring list and second in program history, respectively. In his final season, Bolger averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and was named the MIAC most valuable player. In addition, Bolger was the first in school history to be NABC West All-District player of the year and the first in program history to be added to the D3hoops.com All-West Region first team. He was invited to play in the DIII All Star game in March and awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the 10th Cobber to receive this prestigious scholarship.

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NCAA All-American Cherae Reeves won the Division III Indoor and Outdoor shot put championship. In addition to two national championships, Reeves is a five-time All-American.

Concordia Language Villages ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org th • This year marks the 50 anniversary of the purchase of the Turtle River Lake property, home to seven permanent culturally-authentic villages. It is also the 40th anniversary of Lac du Bois Hackensack, CLV’s longest-running French program. This year’s International Days are July 8th and August 12th at the German village in Bemidji and, as always, the public is welcome.

The Concordia Annual Fund allows the college to meet emerging needs, explore new opportunities and respond to unexpected challenges. The gift you give today supports work of the college immediately, funding areas of scholarships and financial aid, academic programs, institutional operations and student services. (Cord.edu/classgift) This past year, our class had 7.94% participation and gave $2,857.68. Since graduation, our class has given $17,870.56 in outright gifts. THANK YOU!

Have you been looking for a way to still be connected to campus? Consider connecting, engaging, supporting, and sharing through the Loyal Cobber program: Loyal Cobber, a program of the National Alumni Board ConcordiaCollege.edu/loyalcobber What does a lifelong Cobber look like? Being a part of the Cobber Alumni Network is about staying involved and giving back to future students, feeling connected and proudly sharing it with those around you. When you do something in all four of these categories, let us know and we’ll send you an exclusive Loyal Cobber gift! CONNECT: Stay Informed (Cord.edu/classnotes or 218.299.3743) Update your information online or by phone to know what’s happening among alumni and with the college. ENGAGE: Get Involved (Cord.edu/engage) Provide meaningful experiences for students and participate in alumni events, programs and teams. SUPPORT: Make an Impact (Cord.edu/give or Cobbersgive.org) Give to student scholarships and campus projects to ensure educational enrichment for current and future Cobbers. SHARE: Show Your Cobber Pride (Cord.edu/social and Cord.edu/refer) Interact on social media using #cordmn, show off your alma mater swag and tell future Cobbers about your Concordia experience. And now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for…individual class updates! Hannah Anderson: I am living in Evansville, MN and this past February I accepted a position with Lutheran Brethren Homes in Fergus Falls as their Confidential Secretary/Receptionist. Sarah Anderson: I am living in Williston, ND and work as a supervisor for PATH, Inc. working with children in foster care. I've worked for PATH since graduating from Concordia. I also do part-time private practice mental health counseling. Whitney (Frahm) Anderson: My husband Brice ('08) and I welcomed our son, Drew, on December 13th, 2015. He is a happy, squirmy, and active baby - a perfect addition to our family! It was an extremely busy year because after a decade of higher education, I finally earned my Ph.D in Communication from NDSU in May 2016! Sending happy thoughts to all members of the 2008 class - hope you are doing well! Patrick Baker: After working in Washington, D.C. for nearly five years with the National Governors Association, I returned to my hometown of Mankato, MN in 2012 to take the position of Director of Government and Institutional Affairs for Greater Mankato Growth, the regional chamber of commerce. I currently reside in Mankato with my fiancée, Claire. We are planning a 2017 wedding.

Dustin Brandenburg: I live and work in Washington, D.C. I just joined Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ office in May. Prior to that, I worked for Congressman Keith Ellison. Kay (Guy) Bredvik: Currently I am living in Mead, CO and working for Banner Health as a Provider Relations Rep. I finished my MBA in December 2014. I am enjoying the Colorado lifestaying busy snowmobiling, 4-wheeling and enjoying the mountains as much as I can. Dan Cahoon: I am currently the Latin teacher at Mandan High School. I'll be getting married in October in Bismarck. Emma (Morvay) Chiles: Ben Chiles (’08) and I are living in Plymouth but we are buying our first home in Maple Grove. We close at the end of June. Ben works for Allina health and I work at Wells Fargo. Our daughter, Charlotte, is doing wonderful and walking and running like crazy. Getting 3 (or maybe more) teeth right now. Has ten already! Corinne Cozort: I currently live in the Chicago area (suburbs) and am working as an attorney at Giamanco & Ooink. I work primarily as a litigator and have been here since 2013. Emily Shannon Dodd: I live with my husband, Ryan, in Fargo. I am an occupational therapist at Sanford Hospital and Ryan is a realtor at Hatch Realty. We had our sweet baby girl, Louise, in December. Laurel (Roby) Dreckman: My husband Steven and I just built a house and now live in Lindstrom, MN. We had a daughter last year so now we have our son Mason (3 1/2) and our daughter Emerson (1). I work at DJO Global as a Regional Manager of Patient Care. Berit (Christensen) Dockter: Berit currently works at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a Health Policy Analyst. Dani (Kuismi) Eaton: Nate (‘09) and I are still living in Moorhead. In March we added to our family, Emma Joy. She is a beautiful baby, and we couldn't be happier. Jodi (DeWitt) Flach: I'm in my 4th year of teaching beauty school at the Salon Professional Academy in Onalaska, WI. My husband Chris and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in May and our daughter Ella will be 2 at the end of October. On June 25th I'll be competing in a beauty pageant for the title of Mrs. Wisconsin, so we're excited to see where that adventure takes us! Latoya (Gruys) Garrahan: Shane Garrahan ('08) and I have been married for 5 years. Shane is a senior strategic planning analyst for Fairview Health Services and I am a school social worker in School District 622. We welcomed our daughter Hayden Mae in Oct. 2015, and we are so in love with her. Jonathan Harper: My wife Elizabeth Bendix Harper ('09) and I will be transferring this summer from Kapolei, Hawaii to Kodiak, Alaska, where I will continue my service with the U.S. Coast Guard. Christy Hert: I earned my Masters in Counseling and Student Affairs from MSUM and I'm currently a School Counselor in Moorhead. Gabriel Hertler: Asha (Saari) Hertler (’09) and I are coming up to our 7th year of marriage. We continue to live in Brookings, SD where Asha recently completed her master's degree and recently began working at South Dakota State University as a student support specialist where she advises, teaches and recruits students for the SDSU Pharmacy Program. I also work at SDSU where for the past three years I've held the position of staff counselor where I help attend

to the mental health needs of SDSU students. I, as of last year obtained licensure (LPC) in the state of South Dakota and am working towards my terminal licensure (LPC - MH). I have recently become involved with the South Dakota Counseling Association (SDCA) and am president elect for its Interlakes Chapter. I also recently completed tenure as a government relations committee co-chair for the South Dakota Mental Health Counselors Association (SDMHCA). Otherwise, Asha and I are doing well and recently added Baxter, a West Highland Terrier to our family. Our cat Boots is not amused. No human children as of yet but we hope to become homeowners and human parents in the future. We otherwise spend our time travelling, having recently completed a trip to Europe, and spending time working or with friends and family. Amanda (Halverson) Johnson: We had our second child, a son named Brayden, in April. He joined big sister Ava (2). I started a new position at Sanford Children's hospital in January as a Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner on the Inpatient Pediatric unit. Brooke (Haugrud) Johnson: I just graduated from UND with a master’s in occupational therapy. I am currently living in GF until I take my certification exam, then I can start applying for jobs. Chad Johnson: Chad and his wife Jaclyn welcomed baby William to the family on March 6, 2016. They also have a daughter, Sophie, born December 10, 2013. Chad started a new job as SMART Kids Coordinator at the The Salvation Army in St. Cloud that same month, March 2016. Rachel Koski: I graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2014 and am now entering my 3rd and last year of my pediatric residency program at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. Stephanie (Wolfe) Lechman: My husband and I have had an exciting year - we welcomed our 3rd daughter, Caroline, on March 19th. Our older two daughters (ages 3 and 4) love spending time with their baby sister. I am enjoying working as the Director of Ministries at West Immanuel in Osceola, WI Heather (Langseth) Marcella: I had our second baby, Luke, in October. We moved from Brooklyn Park, MN back home to Fargo when he was only 10 days old! We bought a new house here and I started a new job in Fargo at Sanford health as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesist (CRNA) and am loving it! It's very nice to be back near my family. Kyle Maxwell-Doherty: This June marks the end of my 3rd full year in New York City and my first year of marriage - YAHOO! I am continuing work as a freelance musician around NYC and have been thrilled to perform with the Radio City Orchestra as well as the cast and crew of Hamilton at the Richard Rogers Theatre. This fall I will wrap up my Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Arizona and will never ever have to take an academic class ever again. I really don't know what I am going to do with all the time I'll have once this dissertation is over....but whatever it is I can't wait! Tyler Moe-Slepica: I celebrated 3 years at Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Lake, MN this May serving as the Director of Middle School Ministry and continue to love my vocation. My wife Laura and I enjoy living in the Lynnhurst Neighborhood of South Minneapolis and stay busy in the garden, enjoying the lakes, and creating thoroughly amateur home brews. 2 cats, no babies, Go Cobbers. Myra (Redford) Owens: I am still currently living in Helsinki, Finland. I just recently went on maternity leave from my job where I was a manager at an international kindergarten. We are

expecting our second child in the next few days! So things are about to get very crazy! (Note that congratulations should be due since Myra submitted this update!) We enjoy living in Finland and try to make it back to the US at least once a year to visit family and friends! Corey Partin: I'm currently living in Hopkins, MN and I help run the Burnsville H&M. I'm also the co-author of an upcoming travel blog called Where To Next, which has me currently planning a trip to Iceland, Scotland, Easter Island and the Yucatán Peninsula. Emily Paskewitz: In August 2015, Emily received her Doctorate of Philosophy at North Dakota State University and started her new role as Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Jessica Porath: Hello fellow Cobbers! I just completed my fourth year working for Minneapolis Public Schools in the Special Education department where I work as a cultural facilitator. I love my job serving as a Spanish interpreter and coordinating translation requests for the department. Also, in December I earned my Certificate in Interpreting from the U of M. I'm currently living in the Seward neighborhood of South Minneapolis and I enjoy taking advantage of my summers off to travel abroad for a month or two each year. Life is good! Hannah Rollwitz: I am currently working as a first grade Spanish immersion teacher at Lakes International Language Academy in Forest Lake, MN. Allison Schmidt: I just finished my PhD in history at the University of Kansas and will now be on a postdoc at the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C. Katie (Albrecht) Soderberg: Hi everyone! My husband, our two sons (ages 1 and 3), and I live in Moorhead, MN where family life and our jobs keep us quite busy. My husband is a teacher and football coach at DGF High School, and since graduating from Concordia, I've stayed in the Microsoft world. I currently work for eOne Solutions as our CRM Channel Manager, which I very much enjoy. Hope all is well for the Cobber class of 2008! Amanda (Emery) Specht: My husband Shane and I continue to live in Glenwood, Minnesota where I work at American Solutions for Business. We recently entered into the wonderful world of parenthood in September when our daughter, Lydia was born. Tom and Amanda (Johnson) Suchanek: This past year we have seen big changes both in our family and work lives. In October we welcomed our daughter Grace, who always seems to keep us busy and laughing, particularly with her anecdotes at the dinner table. Amanda left her payroll job at the Mosaic Company to stay home after Grace was born, and Tom recently accepted a new position as an HR Analyst at US Bank. Kyle and Ånna Meier Svennungsen: We live in Prairie du Chien, WI. Kyle took his first call as Associate Pastor at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in March 2015. Ånna works as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a family practice clinic in Guttenberg, Iowa. We welcomed our first baby into the world on July 13, 2015; Odin Kyle Svennungsen. Our world revolves around him now and we couldn't be happier. Dan Tinquist: Danielle (Allmaras, '09) and I are living in North Moorhead with our two boys Jayken (4) and Kai (1.5) and expecting our third child around the beginning of August. I continue to work as the Director of Worship Arts at Triumph in Fargo/Moorhead. In December I graduated from the 10,000 Fathers Worship School and am pursuing my Master of Arts in Worship through Northern Seminary in Chicago. Life is busy, but good! Soli Deo Gloria.

Jonathan Varns: Hey! My wife Lindsay ('09) and I have a few big updates. I graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in May of 2015, and I was ordained and installed as pastor at First Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) in Ely, MN in June of 2015. My wife and I also just welcomed our second child, Madeline in May 2016. Our oldest, Abigail, was born in November of 2014. Cheers to a good year! Kayla Sánchez Wendorff: I live in the Twin Cities with my husband and our puppy, and work as an Engagement Manager at Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). We miss living in Mexico City, but feel like Minnesota is slowly but surely becoming our "home", and that's a really nice feeling. Nicole Wesley: I am currently living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I have worked for the past 2 years as a Career Counselor/Placement Coordinator at Coastal Carolina University. I also teach Career Exploration courses to college students who have yet to declare a major/career. I enjoy the job and living the beach life, but am hoping to move back to the southwest within the next year. Rachael Wieland: I'm currently teaching middle school social studies in Kuwait. It's been an adventure learning about the culture here. I love it! Leigh (Bonemeyer) Wilder: In 2013 I graduated from the U of M CVM, and have been practicing as a small animal veterinarian for the past few years. I live in Blaine, MN with my husband Dan and our crazy pug mix, Hershey. We enjoy spending time at my family cabin in Detroit Lakes, and I like to sneak up to Moorhead to eat at Grand Junction every chance I get! William Wischer: The last couple years have flown by. I got married and bought a house two years ago. Last year we welcomed a new member to our family...a Goldendoodle dog named Rory. I have been an attorney for almost five years and have worked at Gjesdahl Law in Fargo for over three years. Jenna Zirbel: Hey friends! I'm in the middle of a fun life transition after finishing up a year of teaching preschool...and looking ahead to starting a new job as a site supervisor at a before & after school childcare center in Richfield, MN. I've recently confirmed that I am 100% confident that kids are my people. :) I'm planning to move to a new place here in Eagan, MN later this summer...after spending a week chaperoning a youth group mission trip to Mexico. Life is great...but I do find myself missing the campus lifestyle! I hope y'all are doing well. God Bless! Christa (Nymlos) Zirbes: My husband James and I are still living in New Brighton, and we're both still at the same jobs; I work as a Human Resources Specialist for the Spring Lake Park school district, and James is a business analyst for UnitedHealth Group. 2015 was a big year for us - we got two kittens (Sophie and Zelda) at the beginning of the year, and I gave birth to our first child (Andrew) on December 7th. I can't believe he's almost 6 months old.

Thank you again for all of your wonderful updates. It’s been so much fun to read what our class is up to and all of the different paths we have taken. I am confident that we are positively influencing the affairs of the world! I hope you all have a fabulous rest of the summer, and remember to stay in touch— just request to join our Concordia College Class of 2008 Updates group on Facebook. Wishing you all the best! Soli deo Gloria! Amanda Suchanek [email protected]