Bringing CSB/SJU to the Philippines

It was a joyful week here in Manila.  I had the privilege of hosting a recruiter from my Alma Mater, the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.  She was only here for 5 days, so we ended up with a pretty jam-packed schedule.  It was worth it though because we made a TON of connections with potential students!

Some of the highlights for me were:

• Hosting a potential student for dinner at my house and spending the night sharing my favorite memories from my time at St. Ben’s/St. John’s.
• Returning to one of the International Schools for a presentation and seeing the kids faces light up as they recognized me from the last time I visited (5 out of the 6 that attended had already heard me talk about the school and were just coming back for more information).  It totally warmed my heart…
• Having a potential student thank us for opening their eyes to this option of study and saying it would be a dream to attend.
• Shocking potential students with the amount of scholarships they’d be eligible for (most International students are exempt from receiving scholarships at US schools)
• Visiting a Benedictine monastery in town and sharing lunch with 2 St. John’s grads who are spending 9 months here as part of the Benedictine Volunteer corps.

When all is said and done, I think we’ll have 3-4 applications being submitted from the Philippines.  I can’t tell you how delighted that number makes me, especially since I know what richness these incredible students will bring to campus.  I’m feeling really proud that I’ve found an impactful way for me to continue enriching the campus for the next 20 years, even though I’m far away!  I am never going to let distance be an excuse for why I can’t make a difference…