Hands-On Learning, Real-World Results: Class of 2025 Steps Into Dream Jobs

When Johnathan Halva ’25 walks across the commencement stage at the University of St. Thomas to collect his diploma, the civil engineering major will skip the traditional post-grad job search. That’s because Halva landed his dream job well before his senior year even began.

Passionate about renewable energy, Halva began an internship as a sophomore on the Wind Site Design Team at Westwood Professional Services. For the past two years, he’s helped design wind farms across the nation. When Westwood management asked if Halva would consider a full-time position after graduation, it was an easy choice.

“Working with wind farms, collaborating with the solar team – renewables have become my passion,” Halva said. “The culture there and my team are incredible. I don’t think I’d go anywhere else.”

Halva is just one of many soon-to-be St. Thomas grads who already have thrilling new positions secured. From becoming Air Force engineers to clerking at the Minnesota Supreme Court, Tommies are leveraging their time on campus to kick-start careers in dream roles.

Halva credits the School of Engineering’s hands-on, experiential learning with jump-starting his career. His senior design project – a two-semester capstone course – was focused on renewables and wind energy.

“It’s clear as I graduate that I already know how to talk to clients,” Halva said. “I know what they're looking for and what they're asking for.”

Helping Tommies launch and explore careers is the St. Thomas Career Development Center. The center offers a variety of resources to support students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

Arianna Sanchez ’25 found her first professional job, a medical assistant position at Genesis Orthopedics in Chicago, through the university’s online job portal, Handshake. The portal connects Tommies with potential employers and allows students to chat with alumni.

“Handshake allowed me to find opportunities that were not available to other job seekers,” Sanchez said. “It was nice to use a portal that was tailored to St. Thomas students and our unique experiences.”

Sanchez, a neuroscience and psychology double major at the College of Arts and Sciences, eventually plans to pursue medical school, but was drawn to Genesis Orthopedics, a clinic known for its ethical pricing model.

“Not only will I get to expand my skills as a medical professional, but I will also get the chance to help make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone,” Sanchez said.

With the help of the Career Development Center, 71% of Tommie undergrads complete at least one internship while enrolled. Often, those internships turn into permanent roles.

Alec Boland ’25 spent two summers interning as an actuarial analyst at Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions. Before wrapping up work last summer, the incoming senior was offered a full-time role he could return to after graduation.

“It’s definitely been a gift already having this position,” Boland said. “I’ve been able to really focus on my senior year and enjoy my time with professors and friends and not have a job search looming over me.”

The actuarial science and business leadership and management double major is also a member of the GHR Fellows Program at the Opus College of Business, a highly competitive experience for students pursuing careers in business. Boland credits his fellow GHR Fellows for widening his horizons.

“An actuary is really in the weeds a lot of times – it's very statistical and focused on data,” Boland said. “My experiences with my GHR cohort and all my business classes helped me get a broader perspective, and I think that's positioned me well for leadership opportunities in the future.”

At the Morrison Family College of Health, strong relationships with clinical partners offer a window of opportunity. Nursing student Hannah Hittesdorf ’25 MSN will walk across the commencement stage this May with 570 clinical practice hours under her belt. She’s also walking across the stage with her first nursing job already lined up.

“The clinical experience really drives home what you’re learning in the classroom,” Hittesdorf said. “You also have an opportunity on site to look at different situations … and think about what you’d like to specialize in.”

After completing several placements in neurology units, Hittesdorf was hooked. She recently accepted a full-time position in a neuro and spine unit at United Hospital in St. Paul.

“St. Thomas staff and faculty were always so invested in helping me grow and become a better nurse,” Hittesdorf. “A big part of that was finding such great clinical placements, providing safe environments for us to learn.”

Maggie Chen ’25 J.D. is graduating from the St. Thomas School of Law with not one, but two jobs. Before she begins as an employment attorney at Ogletree Deakins, Chen will clerk for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Sarah Hennesy.

The highly competitive one-year clerkship hardly happened by chance. Before applying to Minnesota’s highest court, Chen learned how to write briefs and defend arguments through a St. Thomas judicial externship at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

“St. Thomas provides so many real-world opportunities, like externships and clinics, for you to test the waters, see what area of law you’re interested in, and find your passion,” Chen said.

The former public school teacher credits her professors, who regularly questioned her arguments in class, for preparing her to consider a multitude of viewpoints.

“I really appreciated at St. Thomas that I could learn from professors who didn’t necessarily have the same view as me on a lot of geopolitical issues,” Chen said. “We agreed to disagree all the time, and they challenged me to think critically about different perspectives.”

Elementary education major Mya Schroeder ’25 is a few days from moving the tassel on her graduation cap, but this fall she'll be teaching in a classroom she knows well.

Schroeder accepted a full-time position at Centerview Elementary in Blaine, the same school where she is completing her student teaching.

“At Centerview, we work really hard to build community every day, between students and teachers,” Schroeder said. “I considered other schools, but in the end, I knew Centerview was the place for me.”

Eventually, Schroeder – who will graduate with minors in entrepreneurship and sustainability – hopes to own and operate a nature-based preschool. A placement in an elementary classroom during her first semester at the School of Education confirmed that she was on the right track.

“The entire elementary ed department really knows that getting hands-on experience is key,” Schroeder said. “I was in a classroom with kids right away, and I just built on that experience over the next four years.”