Featured Alumni
Alumna Directs Leadership School in Rwanda
Monique Schmidt, class of 1998, is the program director for The Akilah Institute, a vocational training and leadership institute for a diverse group of motivated young women located in Bugesera, Rwanda.
Schmidt grew up in South Dakota. She majored in French and Communications at Augustana and graduated magna cum laude. She served two years in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa, then returned to the United States and earned a master's degree in creative writing at Syracuse University.
She has taught in universities in the United States and abroad and spent several years volunteering as a poetry professor in prisons and directing community service programs in the West Indies and the Blackfeet Indian Reservations for Visions Service Adventures.
In 2005, Schmidt received Augustana's Horizon Award, an honor given to young alumni who have quickly excelled in their career, who exemplify Augustana's fie fundamental values, and are involved in their community and/or church. Because she speaks French fluently, she was the first Peace Corps volunteer in Glazoue, Benin.
Her first book about Africa, Last Moon Dancing, was published in 2005. For 2007-2008 she was awarded a Fulbright to teach at the University of Lome in Togo, and to conduct women's empowerment workshops in high schools.
Dr. Jarret Brachman '00 - "Alumnus is Noted Expert on Terrorism"
Kevin Nyberg '79 - "Alumnus Receives South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award"
Alyssa Nance '08 - "Alumna Wins Metropolitan Opera Award"
Dale Peterson '60 - "Alumnus Assists in Treatment of Haiti Earthquake"
Alumni for a Lifetime!
The Augustana Alumni Association is here to help you maintain a lasting relationship with your alma mater. Through class notes, we help you stay in touch with your classmates. By planning alumni events, we give you the opportunity to gather with your Augie friends and to meet new ones. In sharing news, we keep you updated on how Augustana continues to impact the world.
You are always an Augustana Viking. Let your Viking Pride show—stay connected, keep in touch, and come home often!