Our StoriesEvery Ambrosian has a unique story to tell, and collectively, they represent our great university. Meet some of the people that make St. Ambrose, well, St. Ambrose.
Colin Green ’10One of Colin’s requirements while searching for colleges was a great football program.
Nick is a student of the entire person—from the inner workings of the brain to the tiny bones in the big toe. He knew he wanted to practice occupational therapy when he worked alongside many OTs at a camp for kids with disabilities.
Meredith McAfoos ’12Meredith is one in a long line of Ambrosians with the last name McAfoos: her mom and dad, an aunt and even her grandmother attended Ambrose.
Munir likes a good challenge. He works in the Admissions Office, tutors his peers in French and participates in Bible study.
Nick Steinbach ’11When Nick searched for the right college, he knew he wanted somewhere close to home so he could stay in touch with his four siblings and parents (Nick’s father ran track as a Fighting Bee, too).
Kate Winkler ’11When she came to Ambrose, Kate broke out of her shell.
John Menard ’04 MBAJohn Menard always strives for growth. Following graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, he served honorably as an Army officer for six years. After earning a BS in engineering from USMA, John wanted to attend a private university to see how he could perform academically.
Mark Digney ’98, ’10 MBAMark researched the MBA program and consulted with one of his undergraduate professors at Ambrose. He was told, “No matter what you do, the MBA will make you better. It will open a door you can’t even see.” He enrolled.
Carol Haywood ’08, ’09 MOTWhen Carol entered the program, one of her primary objectives was to understand the different practice areas of OT and find her one niche.
Kathleen Lemburg ’08 MSWKatherine wanted the knowledge and the skills to make a difference. As supervisor at Rock Island Health Department, she helped pregnant women and infants every day. But she knew she could do even more.
Meredith Chance ’09 MSWMeredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology so going for an MSW seemed like the logical next step. Her classes at Ambrose helped her to consider the bigger picture.
Nick Richardson ’06, ’09 MCJAn alumnus with an undergraduate degree in forensic psychology and a Master of Criminal Justice degree, Nick Richardson is currently teaching Intro to Law Enforcement for the MCJ program.
Janis Ang ’10 MACCAfter earning her business degree from Singapore Management University in 2007, Janis Ang made her way halfway around the world to attend St. Ambrose.
John Hammar ’08, ’09 MACCAs an undergraduate accounting major at St. Ambrose, John Hammar found the individualized instruction from his professors to be a key factor to his academic success. It’s one of the reasons he continued on at Ambrose to earn his master’s degree in accounting.
Tom Bowman ’11 MSLPNow in the MSLP program, Tom is already changing young lives doing speech therapy at a pre-school for his clinical.
Lori Sundberg ’03 DBASeven years later, Lori was appointed the sixth president of Carl Sandburg.
Mike ThomeOne of Mike's beliefs is that "learning is a lifelong process." Having earned his bachelor's in business and a master's in business administrative sciences from Iowa State University, a DBA seemed like the next logical progression for his education.
Michelle Schneden ’07 MEdTNot only has becoming an NBCT improved her classroom technique, the credential has also opened up new professional opportunities.
René Robinson ’10 MSITMAfter nine years of programming for the Army, René enrolled in the MSITM program to transition to the management side of information technology.
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Kelly Kersten ’05 DPTAfter earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa State University and a master’s in sport psychology and athletic training from the University of Kansas, Kelly became an athletic trainer for Rock Valley Physical Therapy.
Michael and Francine Perry believe in life-long learning.
Always an affable guy, Eric found Ambrose’s safe and friendly atmosphere to be a great fit.
Alison Winkler ’11Alison and her twin sister, Kate, chose St. Ambrose because they knew it was a place where they would both feel comfortable.
When Sanjuana came to St. Ambrose, she expected to find students who shared her interests.
Meghan Schoen ’12Meghan is committed to service at Ambrose. She grew up working with children at her church.
Lindsey Rostan ’10When Lindsey voyaged to Australia in her junior year, she put her communications skills to work making friends and expanding her network around the world.
Kelly Dalton ’08 MOLWith a bachelor’s degree in business administration already under his belt, Kelly enrolled in St. Ambrose’s Master of Organizational Leadership program in Cedar Rapids to further his career at Rockwell Collins.
Gayle Roberts ’91 MBAAs a graduate of the MBA program, Gayle found the value of the degree was in the skills she gained and the relationships she made.
Joe Ulloa ’01, ’02 MOTAs a home care occupational therapist, Joe works with people in their real-life settings, at home and at their jobs.
Julie Theill ’92, ’07 MBAHThe preparation for my current position at Hammond-Henry Hospital is a culmination of all my prior professional experiences. I’ve worked in both large and small healthcare facilities as a clinician and in management roles.
Jabari Woods ’02, ’05 MSWAs an undergrad at Ambrose, Jabari majored in business management and organization. When he wasn’t studying, he spent his time taking service trips, deepening his faith and learning about biblical history. By the time Jabari earned his degree, he’d realized “it’s not all about making money and profit.”
Maricela Guzman ’06, ’11 MCJMaricela Guzman earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in Spanish at Ambrose before enrolling in the Master of Criminal Justice program to gain a deeper understanding, and advance in the field.
Tracy Dietsch ’08 MCJTracy enrolled in the St. Ambrose MCJ program in Cedar Rapids to move even farther up the ranks. After earning her MCJ, Tracy was promoted to associate warden of treatment, where she oversees a staff of 40, including caseworkers and counselors.
Kaitlyn Ward ’07, ’08 MACCAfter Kaitlyn Ward earned her undergraduate degree in accounting at St. Ambrose, going for her master’s degree seemed like the next natural step in her career. But what started as simply taking classes to prepare for the CPA exam quickly turned into so much more: a tour of career possibilities to explore in the accounting world.
Krista Helling ’09, ’11 MSLPWhen Krista Helling took the Intro to Speech Pathology class as an undergraduate at Ambrose, she didn’t have a deep background in the subject, but she knew the field could help her make an impact on people’s lives. Now a graduate student in the MSLP program, Krista feels like she’s found the perfect program for her—with classes she enjoys and is inspired by.
Laura Nickerson ’11 MSLPWhile working in schools, Laura learned from SLPs how to incorporate speech-language activities in the classroom to help students meet their speech-language therapy goals. This experience confirmed and strengthened Laura’s desire to become an SLP, and she knew it was time to go to grad school.
Paul Rouse ’04 DBAIn 1995, he started Rouse Consulting Group, Inc., to provide managed services and IT solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Katie Choate ’10 MEdTWith a degree in elementary education from the University of Iowa and eight years of teaching preschool already under her belt, Katie enrolled in the St. Ambrose Master of Education in Teaching program to grow as an educator and a role model to her students.
Beth Tinsman ’12 MSITMAfter spending 28 years in the information systems world, Beth enrolled in the MSITM program to stay current on technology and best practices, which help her to keep her customers’ businesses running smoothly.
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Katie Swanson ’10 DPTAs a third-year student of the St. Ambrose DPT program, Katie’s learning to treat a variety of patients, from those recovering from sprained ankles to those with brain injuries.
Tara DeWolfe ’05 DPTTara has always known she wanted to work with children. And after speaking with the Ambrose physical therapy department, she learned how she could have a positive impact on the health of many children.
