Adrian St. Francis ’13 (Sonoma, Calif.), an English and philosophy major, is immersed in helping design a poetry class. 

Working with English professor Teresa Krier, St. Francis is doing research for a senior seminar Krier will teach this fall on temporality in poetry. He approached her about the possibility of working together and applied for a summer research grant so he could be paid for the experience. 

Krier was a logical choice for St. Francis to work with since she was the first English professor he studied with at Macalester. He has since taken three more of her classes. “She knows I have a strong interest in philosophy as well as an English background,” he says. “This project meshes my two interests together; I’m the perfect person to do it.” 

St. Francis, who attended a small high school, was seeking a similarly intimate experience in college. “Going to a school where I’d be with 500 other kids in a lecture hall didn’t interest me,” he says. “I wanted a small liberal arts school where I could connect with faculty.” 

Attending a small college has also allowed St. Francis to combine his academic passions with his athletic interests. A longtime competitive swimmer, he switched to track at Macalester, then back to swimming when he developed some knee problems. “Competing at the Division III level allows your athletics to not consume your entire life. It’s a very positive aspect of my experience here.”

August 8 2011

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