Looking back on this year, I don’t think anybody’s 2020 turned out the way they had planned, to say the least. As someone whose job it is to document the events, happenings, stories and daily life of our St. Thomas community, the Coronavirus pandemic certainly threw a wrench in my plans. Exciting and visual events I look forward to photographing annually; the March Through the Arches, Homecoming, the Tommie-Johnnie football game and Graduation, all rendered impossible to do in-person.
The photographs I made this year, instead, tell a story nobody could have predicted. A story of uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Of hand sanitizer, masks and social distancing. But when I look back at the photos I made at St. Thomas this year, there is another narrative present. A story of resilience, adaptability, and of care. A story of determined students, resourceful faculty, and hard-working staff. A story of community. It has been inspiring to document the University of St. Thomas this year and help in telling that story and creating a visual record of our community during this historic time.
Brynne Rolland runs onto the court in January in Schoenecker Arena. The University of St. Thomas women’s basketball team defeated Macalester with a final score of 63-38. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
The St. Thomas swim and dive team cheers together during the men’s and women’s MIAC swimming and diving championship at the U of M Aquatic Center in February. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Special guest speaker Tarana Burke, founder of the “Me Too” movement and civil rights activist, is introduced in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium in March. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students and their families move their belongings into Dowling Hall in August. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students attend the School of Law’s new student orientation program in the Schulze Grand Atrium in August. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students play Spike Ball outside on the lower quad of the St. Paul campus. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students attend a political science class in McNeely Hall in September. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Director of Choral Activities Dr. Albert “Bert” Pinsonneault, center, conducts his concert choir class outside of Loras Hall in September. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Senior Rachel Dethlefs prepares coffee drinks at The Loft in the Anderson Student Center in September. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Members of the University of St. Thomas football team gather in the Field House to attend a full team meeting via Zoom. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Student musicians practice during Professor Matthew George’s Orchestra class while maintaining a social distance in the Brady Education Center Auditorium. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students in Dr. Deborah Besser’s Civil Engineering class wear masks and gloves while working together in groups and using surveying equipment alongside Mississippi River Boulevard. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students attend Major Mitchell D. Johnson’s Heritages and Values Aerospace Studies class in the John Roach Center Auditorium. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students sit on the steps of the O’Shaughness-Frey Library during a communications class. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students in Dr. Travis Welt’s Soil Mechanics and Foundations lab wear masks while working together. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Masked and socially distanced, Angela Mitchell conducts the Donne Unite women’s chorus during a rehearsal inside of the Aquinas Chapel. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Students line up to take a COVID-19 test as a part of the expanded testing resources that were made available university to community members inside the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
Sophomore Brooke Catton sanitizes a surface while helping administer COVID-19 during mass testing in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
The statue of Archbishop John Ireland stands adorned with a purple shirt, mask and care packet that was available to all students on the St. Paul campus. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
North campus was transformed with new landscaping and the addition of the Iversen Center for Faith and two new residence halls. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
