Archive Posts
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Sights and Sounds: 2026 Undergraduate Commencement
PhotosNearly 1,400 undergraduate students became the newest alumni of the University of St. Thomas as they walked — or danced — across the commencement stage at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on May 23. Thousands of proud family members, friends, faculty and staff cheered on the graduates at the day’s three ceremonies. Health, Education, Engineering:…
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e-Fest's 10th Year Adds Challenge From Tommie Alum's Business
University NewsThe University of St. Thomas welcomes 25 of the country’s top student startup teams to campus each spring for a three-day e-Fest, the nation’s largest cash-prize competition for undergraduates. In this year’s Innovation Challenge, students worked on a real business challenge from a company founded by a University of St. Thomas alum. “For the 10th anniversary,… -
Opus Alumni Businesses Support Locals in Need
AlumniWhen East Day Cafe co-founder Stephanie Ayala set out a small storage bin inside her South Minneapolis coffee shop for customers to donate a few items for families in need, she wasn't expecting much response. But a few hours later, dozens of food items and toiletries filled the front of the cafe. "It blew up,"… -
Schulze School of Entrepreneurship Receives USASBE Model Program Award
Professional NotesThe University of St. Thomas’s Schulze School of Entrepreneurship has been named the 2026 USASBE Model Program Award winner for Large Institutions, the highest honor presented by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The award recognizes universities that demonstrate sustained excellence in entrepreneurship education while providing students meaningful opportunities to develop entrepreneurial… -
Student Innovators Turn Ideas Into Winning Ventures at St. Thomas
St. Thomas 2030Three University of St. Thomas students began speaking at the same time, their voices overlapping until the business competition judges could no longer understand what they were saying. The confusion was intentional. Teammates Sam Mahannah ’26, Ilham Mohamud ’26 and Breanna Ranglall ’26 simulated someone experiencing a traumatic brain injury. The moment of chaos illustrated… -
Madam President: Ilham Mohamud Leads St. Thomas Undergraduates With Purpose
Humans of St. ThomasWhen Ilham Mohamud was elected president of the Undergraduate Student Government in spring 2025, the moment marked far more than a historic first for the University of St. Thomas. As the university’s first Black Muslim woman to hold the office, Mohamud’s leadership had begun long before her name appeared on a ballot. The senior from… -
A New Kind of Coffee on Campus, and the Student Behind It
People & CultureGeorge Dannecker '28 didn't come to the University of St. Thomas looking for a business opportunity. He had already found one at the finish line of a trail race on the east coast. Now, the sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship major is bringing that discovery to campus, proving that entrepreneurial thinking can thrive anywhere, even 1,500… -
First-Year Students Embrace Entrepreneurship at Innovation Immersion
People & CultureA week before classes began at the University of St. Thomas, nearly 150 first-year students filled with entrepreneurial spirit participated in Freshman Innovation Immersion, an exciting day of business ideation and creation. Now in its 11th year, the daylong Schulze School of Entrepreneurship event, which is open to first-year students from all disciplines, challenges them… -
Why a First-Gen Veteran Chose Entrepreneurship at St. Thomas
People & CultureDarcy Nguyen '26 arrived at the University of St. Thomas with a clear vision: study business at the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship so she can one day reopen her family’s restaurant, Pho Saigon. The West Side spot, which her parents ran for a decade, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Nguyen's dream of sharing authentic… -
Largest First-Year Class in St. Thomas History Marches Through the Arches
People & CultureThe skies over St. Paul had a steady drizzle on the morning of the University of St. Thomas’ annual March Through the Arches as first-year students gathered at the edge of the lower quad, adjusting purple shirts and snapping photos with family. Then, a few minutes before the ceremony began, sunlight broke through. It was…