Word of mouth originally brought Glenview, Illinois, native Thomas O’Gara ’25 to Minnesota’s largest private university. O’Gara knew some people from the Chicago area who attended the University of St. Thomas, including a cousin, Jacqueline Jung. The draw of the university, as well as the city of St. Paul, made all the difference.
“They had the greatest things to say about St. Thomas. In addition, the Opus College of Business was a big incentive for me to come here because it had a great reputation in the Twin Cities area,” O’Gara said.
Jung, who graduated from St. Thomas with a psychology degree in 2015 and a master’s degree in counseling psychology in 2020, said that she was “ecstatic” when she found out that O’Gara was considering attending St. Thomas.
“I had such a positive experience during undergrad and graduate school – and I had a strong feeling he would love it too. I was hopeful that a member of my family would choose to go to St. Thomas because I know how much it has to offer,” Jung said. “I left St. Thomas with a great education, amazing group of friends, and memories I'll cherish for the rest of my life.”
“I grew up in a suburb outside of a city (Chicago) and I like that feel,” O’Gara said. “The St. Paul campus has an encapsulating feel where you’re in a smaller area, but you’re also in the middle of two big cities.”
After his first year at St. Thomas, O’Gara started working as a tour guide for the university. The most frequent topic brought up by parents and students on his tours was residence life, from what the halls are like to how the students will make friends.
“I loved being a tour guide. I’m a very talkative person and love meeting new people. I enjoyed playing an impact on people’s college decisions, whether they decided on St. Thomas,” O’Gara said. “Having the chance to offer a little help and guidance, maybe soothe some anxiety, meant a lot to me.”
The campus tour that O’Gara received when visiting St. Thomas was a deciding factor for him. Now he gets to use his tour guide experience in his internship at the Office of Admissions. O’Gara facilitates informational sessions on topics ranging from academics to athletics to education and financial aid. He spoke about his St. Thomas experience to students who visited as part of Minnesota Private Colleges Week. He’s also starting to work as a backup admissions counselor.
“Thomas has been a wonderful representative of St. Thomas. His ability to connect and share his story with prospective students and their families has helped many students see themselves at St. Thomas and ultimately join our community,” Office of Admissions Senior Manager of Events and Visits Caitlyn Schulz said. “Additionally, his leadership on our Tommie Ambassador team has been important in ensuring that students going through the admissions process are having a positive experience when they are visiting campus.”
Beyond his work with the Office of Admissions, O’Gara had the opportunity to travel outside of the U.S. for the first time when he studied in Ireland earlier this year.
“I had only been outside of the Midwest a few times. This was a huge shock, but I was super excited for it. It was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life. Words cannot encapsulate the experience,” O’Gara said. “I got to take life lessons and education that I learned at St. Thomas and travel the world with that.”
As O’Gara enters his senior year, he envisions himself working after graduation in either financial wealth management (he’s currently studying for the Series 65 securities licensing exam) or at St. Thomas in the Office of Admissions.
Looking back on the start of his St. Thomas experience, O’Gara credited Welcome Week as the factor that soothed his anxiety about the transition to college.
His advice to incoming first-year students? “Just breathe. Everything works out,” he said.
