“I often give thanks for St. Olaf being a place where the child of teenage parents could thrive academically with a triple major in political science, religion, and American studies. Through St. Olaf’s nurturing discipleship community, my relationship with God was strengthened. Because of my experience at St. Olaf, I am a multi-vocational entrepreneurial business person, earned a doctorate, and continue to serve a loving United Methodist congregation. I am abundantly blessed due to St. Olaf College — and singing in the Viking Chorus and Chapel Choir in the Christmas Festival was splendid icing on my academic cake.”The Rev. Dr. Randall “Randy” Cirksena Jr. ’83

“A number of my family members have graduated from St. Olaf, including my father, Phillip Hauge, who graduated from the St. Olaf Academy in 1912. He was the fourth of seven children who graduated from St. Olaf. Their father was a pastor who served three rural churches, earning $600 a year. My father started working in the bank in Dennison, eventually purchasing it and working there for 80 years until his death in 1993 at age 101. I graduated from St. Olaf in 1954. I attended the University of Chicago Law School and practiced law in the Twin Cities for about 50 years. One of our three children graduated from St. Olaf in 1980 and then went on to law school.”Paul H Hauge ’54