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Student Leaders

Lives of Commitment 2025-26 Student Leaders

The student leaders were asked to answer the following questions:
1) What do you value about LoC?
2) What are you excited about, exploring, or going to be involved in this year?
3) What is your favorite place, and why?

Amelia Worthington, Senior Coordinator

  1. I love that LoC is a community built around shared values and diverse life experiences. LoC is a place where we explore how these values show up in our everyday lives and in our community engagement.
  2. I’m so so so excited to be the Senior Coordinator this year for LoC! Beyond that, I’ll be precepting Patrick Schmidt’s first-year course and working as the Language Coordinator for the CEC.
  3. I love a good coffee shop and the Twin Cities have no shortage. My favorites are Dogwood Coffee in the summer and Nina’s on a snowy day.

Skye Raymond

  1. LOC is a unique community of students who strive to make social change a part of their lives and I love that I get to be part of a group of people who have the same passions for social change as me.
  2. I am excited that I can continue to contribute to the betterment of immigrants lives by teaching them English. I’m excited to be a sophomore leader that gets to help freshman find their voice in uplifting other voices.
  3. “Sencha” is always a great place really close to the school that is nice to hang out with and get boba with your friends and then stop by at “Pad Thai” across the street for some amazing noodles.

Jackson Powers

  1. I value the student community that LoC brings together. Everyone there has a unique perspective but at the same time are all brought together by the shared service values and a commitment to the program. Through LoC, I have met some of my closest friends. In addition, it has provided opportunities to meet important local activists on a really personal level through panels, speeches, and individual conversations.
  2. I am highly anticipating being a student leader within the program. Besides that, I will be involved in the Networking and External Relations branch of the Macalester Investment Group. Also, I am looking forward to playing club soccer, the team was just promoted to a new league so this season will be lots of fun! I am looking forward to being an SI Leader in the Economics department and further exploring the Twin Cities
  3. One of my favorite places is just a couple blocks from campus: the Mississippi River. Along it are beautiful walking/running/biking paths that give a great view of the river. There’s also hiking trails, bridges, waterfalls, campfires, and so much more. There’s a couple places where you can get a great view of the skylines. 

Megan Precopio

  1. I value the communities that LoC opens up to us, within and outside of Macalester College. LoC strengthened my connection to the cities by introducing me to important sites, community leaders, and local contexts which really helped me understand a place that was new to me. LoC also introduced me to other students that held similar values and created a space where we could discuss what is important to us in a real and meaningful way.   
  2. I am so excited to meet new people this year and take on more leadership roles around campus. I hope to explore the cities more, especially cafes, bakeries, urban farms, and community events!
  3. One of my favorite places to go in the cities has been Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis to watch the Minnesota Orchestra (they have student discounts and if you are 18 or under you can get free tickets!). It is such a privilege to live in an area with a vibrant arts scene and access to amazing performances of all sorts. Plus it is a nice opportunity to get off campus and chat with new people.

Leo Venegas

  1. LoC is a great way to make friends with like-minded people, spend time off campus, and become involved in the wider Saint Paul-Minneapolis community! If you want to get outside the small-liberal-arts-college bubble (it’s real) and get to know the city as a whole, LoC is a great jumping off point.
  2. I really want to tap into the arts scene in the Twin Cities (local music, exhibitions, film) and also get more in tune with the cool stuff Macalester students are doing. I’m also super excited to keep Bad Comedy going (please audition if you have any interest in acting/comedy, it’s a really fun and creative group), of course being a student leader for LoC, and joining some new student orgs! I will also be working at CLUES for their Youth in Action program, which I am excited for and honored to be a part of. I also want to find some good flea markets/used book stores to peruse. 
  3. I could probably spend a whole day in the MIA (plus its free!). Como Park is also wonderful.

Alara Yener

  1. The most valuable aspect of LoC for me is the community that I have gained through this program. I love that at LoC I am around peers that are similarly passionate and dedicated, but also have a wide variety of different life experiences and perspectives. I have seen myself grow a lot in LoC from my volunteer site as well as with the deep conversations that we have as a group.
  2. I am excited about the classes that I am taking this upcoming semester, they seem like they will be really interesting and fun! One of my classes has an amazing opportunity to go to the UN in New York so I am really looking forward to that. I am also excited because I am going to be the sophomore captain for our club volleyball team, so if you want to play it would be great to see you there!
  3. One of my favorite places in the Twin Cities is the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It is a great place to go and spend time with friends and it is completely free. It has some really cool art and often has new exhibitions. You can spend hours there and barely scratch the surface of what the MIA has to offer.

Azara Cunningham

  1. I really appreciated how LoC helped me get to know the Twin Cities during my first year, beyond what I would have otherwise been exposed to. Not only did our volunteering help me build relationships and connections outside of Macalester, the group trips and discussions we had about different aspects of the cities that surround Mac helped broaden my perspective. LoC also allowed me to continue consistently volunteering, which was really important to me as I entered college because I didn’t want something I view as so integral to myself to fall by the way-side.
  2. Next year I am excited to be a preceptor in the MSCS department. I really love helping people learn things and am also hoping to one day be a teacher, so I’m looking forward to getting to improve those skills this year. I have also recently gotten into biking, so I hope to use that newfound hobby to also explore the area even more, there is still so much of the Twin Cities I haven’t seen or interacted with yet and I’m excited to do that with a bike!
  3. Although it is very close to home (Mac) I love to walk down to the Mississippi and hang out, there are a lot of beautiful overlooks and I love being near the water, it is especially calming at night. I would also recommend the Walker sculpture garden, the Museum itself is also very cool and free on Thursday evenings!

Janna Murphy

  1. I value the communities that LoC creates both within and Macalester and within the Twin Cities and volunteer sites. Being able to engage with people outside of Macalester in meaningful ways has really expanded my knowledge and perspectives on the Twin Cities and Minnesota. Overall, LoC provides space on campus to gather with other students that share similar passions for volunteering and engaging with community. 
  2. I am really excited about exploring more of Minnesota this year. I plan on becoming more involved in communities off campus within the Twin Cities, and trying to incorporate more of the amazing nature of Minnesota into my life. I also am excited to be an Orientation Leader and create a space where new first years can feel comfortable and welcomed! I am also super excited to be a Sophomore Leader!
  3. One of my favorite places in the Twin Cities is the Mississippi River. I love the little hiking area down Summit that goes along the river, and the one across the river by Lake Street.

Mira Steinberg

  1. Outside of the community on campus, one of the things I’ve valued the most is the way it helped me get to know the Twin Cities. Although our campus is small, it’s easy to get stuck in my routines there, so I don’t know how long it would have taken me to explore all the different spots we visited at the LoC orientation. I’ve also really enjoyed building community at my volunteering site over the course of the year, because I was able to notice how my relationships with the kids there changed over time as they started to trust us more. It’s also great to be able to spend time with people who aren’t in college each week!
  2. I’m really involved with a local synagogue, so I’m excited to spend more time with the community there! I’m also going to be living in the Spanish House next year, so I’m looking forward to being able to cook regularly. Aside from that, I’m hoping to be able to explore more nature in Minnesota.
  3. I don’t necessarily have a favorite place in the Twin Cities because I still feel like there’s so much to explore, but I really like taking walks in different neighborhoods (like Lake Street), or even just through Tangletown and Summit late at night.