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Alumni News and Notes

Jonathan Rogers ‘06
Technical Assistance Coordinator, Neighborhood Networks

Jonathan Rogers, '06, is a Technical Assistance Coordinator at Neighborhood Networks, an initiative of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Building on his experience in Americorps, he assists the staff of community centers and computer labs on HUD insured properties around the country. He has helped centers develop programming, secure funding resources, create community partnerships, and improve outreach in interesting places like Spokane, Washington; DeFuniak Springs, Florida; and Washington, D.C. He enjoys working with the communities and participants at each center, and helping to accomplish their goals. Jon can be reached at: jrogers.rogers@gmail.com.  (5-6-08)

Jessica Fishken-Harkins ‘06
Graduate student in American Studies, University of New Mexico 

Jessica will be entering a graduate program in American Studies at the University of New Mexico in Fall 2008. (4-08)

Amanda Kealey '05
Qualitative Ethnographic Researcher and Marketing Strategist, SBR Consulting

Amanda works as a research strategist, moderator, and marketer in the fields of healthcare, public policy, retail, and consumer packaged goods. Amanda uses traditional and ethnographic tactics tailored to address specific client ambitions.  Specializing in unique and actionable research solutions, her work has assisted The Boeing Corporation, General Mills, AXA Assistance, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, MoneyGram, Mentium Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Vera Bradley, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Community Pharmacists Association, among others.  (4-08)

Heather (Buessler) Burkland ‘04
Graduate Student at the University of Washington

Heather will be entering a Master's Program in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Fall 2008. (3-08)

Natalie Mettler ‘03
PhD student in African History, Boston University
nataliemettler@yahoo.com
Interviewed by Jon Rogers ‘06

Natalie is currently wrapping up her second year at Boston University, pursuing a PhD in African History. Though she was an international student, Natalie was able to work domestically in the U.S. after graduating from Macalester, and served and hostessed at the Twin City Grill in the Mall of America, and worked as an administrative assistant for the Twin Cities Children’s Hospital. This was a good way for Natalie to get to know the Twin Cities outside of the Macalester bubble and grab some life experience. 

While at Macalester during her Junior Year, Natalie studied abroad in Cameroon and began her interest in African Studies. Natalie found Professor Guneratne’s class “Anthropology of Development” to be the most provocative during her time at Macalester.

Honor Schauland  ‘03
homeralice@yahoo.com
Interviewed by Koby Hagen

From Honor’s previous experience as a cook at a local restaurant and as an organizer for the Organic Consumers Association, she has learned a lot about community involvement. Currently, she is self-employed and she finds challenges and problems in her community, organizes community projects to address them and implements the projects.  Her current research is on Methamphetamines.  She is examining how it affects rural communities in different ways and how she can plan and organize people to curb and stop the spread of this drug.

Susanna Fioratta ‘02
PhD Student in Anthropology, Yale University

After graduation Susanna spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea.  Now she is embarking on her dissertation research for her PhD in anthropology at Yale University.

Diana Cartier ‘01
International Organization for Migration, Zimbabwe
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
diana_cartier@yahoo.com
Interviewed by Brittany Lynk

Experienced with the ability to make a difference, Diana is in the right field of international development. She has worked a number of interesting jobs and internships in both the US (Land O’Lakes international development division), and abroad in South Africa (Khulisa Management Services-development consultancy firm), and Mozambique (TechnoServe-focused on community health in rural areas), and now in Zimbabwe, as well as attaining a Masters in International Development in 2005 (Institute of Political Studies in Paris, France).

While at Macalester, Diana was also involved in a number of internships, namely the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights (Refugee and Asylum Project) and two community organizations in asset-based community development one in Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis and Frogtown in St. Paul.  Her interests were broad, but all revolved around international issues and community development and being able to contribute positively to the world around her. As an Urban Studies major with minors in Anthropology and Sociology, she was able to prepare herself for how she wanted to live her life: “working within communities (in an urban setting), being able to cherish the differences in culture, understand the differences and relate to people despite those differences.”

Pamela Kriege Santoso ‘95
psantoso@cvt.org
Interviewed by Kirsten Bean ‘06

Pamela Kriege Santoso is the Manager of the International Capacity Building Project at the Center for Victims of Torture, and has been with the project since August 2001. She graduated from Macalester College with a double major in anthropology and psychology and is currently finishing a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Throughout her years in the field, Pamela has drawn on her training in anthropology and psychology in order to work with INGOs, private companies, and government officials to develop specific training programs by conducting needs assessments, designing and developing curriculum, instructing, and evaluating the training courses.

Thomas B Ibsen ‘93
Park Ranger with the National Park Service at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
ecoperson@hotmail.com
Interviewed by Ekke Soot ‘06

After his graduation, Tom worked for a few years outside of his study area with the MN Department of Human Services for a few years as a medical claims technician and Minnesota Care enrollment representative.  In 1997, Tom was contacted by his former internship supervisor and offered a 2-month position as a Park Ranger for the National Park Service.  Nearly 10 years later, Tom still enjoys the park setting where people and the environment come together.  Tom also operates his own business called GrassRoots Restoration.  Its main purpose is to plant and restore native plants in urban settings to save time and energy and help people reconnect to an important piece of our heritage.  His work can be seen on campus at the Macalester Prairie under the wind turbine south of Olin-Rice.

Karen Lundegaard ‘89
Assistant Business Editor
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
klundegaard@yahoo.com
Interviewed by Nate Oglesbee ‘06

Despite graduating from a school that didn’t offer much in the way of journalistic training, Karen Lundegaard has still been able to move into the upper echelon of newspapers, working as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal for eight and a half years before joining the Star Tribune in Minneapolis as an assistant business editor.  After graduating from Mac with a degree in Anthropology, Ms. Lundegaard went on to earn her Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University.  While she didn’t get much formal training for her future career in Mac, her Anthro degree has served her well.  “Cultural anthropology is about telling people’s stories from their perspective, without the imprint of judgment or bias.  I think that’s what good journalism is,” Ms Lundegaard says.  She graduated from Mac without knowing what would come next, but she says that she couldn’t be happier with where she ended up. 



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