Luther College News

An interest in wildlife rehabilitation lead Luther senior Anna Ryden of Minneapolis, to an internship at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota.

Exploring her passions in art and design, Luther College senior Vanessa Mendez of San Diego, California, interned in marketing over the past few months at the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum in Escondido, California.

Mendez, daughter of Megan and Carlos Mendez, graduated from Rancho Buena Vista High School in 2014. She will graduate from Luther in spring 2018 with a major in art.

Jack Hendricks, Luther College senior from Clarksville, Iowa, completed an internship this summer in Apple Valley, Minnesota, with the bird department of the Minnesota Zoo, working with more than 200 species of birds.

Martha Hall, Luther College senior, served as the communications intern at Lanesboro Arts in Lanesboro, Minnesota, over the summer. She is the daughter of Kate Brennan Hall and John Hall of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Hall graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 2014.

Currently, there is a shortage of Registered Nurses in the United States due to changing retirement rates and an increased rate of burnout in nurses. Mariah Olson, Luther College senior of Lewiston, Minnesota, researched how shift rotation and length affect resilience and stress levels in the nursing profession for her summer research project at the college.

Abbie Hughes, Luther College senior, completed a summer internship with the aquatics department of the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Originally from Aitkin, Minnesota, Hughes graduated from Aitkin High School. She is the daughter of Don and Cathy Hughes of Aitkin, Minnesota. In her internship, Hughes was responsible for the care of harbor seals, California sea lions, polar bears, African penguins and tufted puffins. Hughes gained an appreciation of zoos and their conservation efforts through the internship opportunity. In the future, Hughes would like to help conserve animal species facing extinction or threats due to climate change.

Stemming from her interests in sustainability and the visual and performing arts, Luther College senior Alexis Hove of Decorah completed a summer internship at Urban Cottage, an occasional store.

Luther College’s music department will present a concert of vocal and instrumental music at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, as part of Luther’s Family Weekend activities.

Luther College junior Alex Sekora of Denmark, Wisconsin, served as a summer communications intern for the Iowa Senate Democrats in Des Moines. Sekora, son of Jim and Carole Sekora, graduated from Denmark High School in 2015. He plans to graduate from Luther in 2019 with majors in political science and management.

In 1685, hundreds of thousands of Huguenots were forced to flee France attempting to seek refuge in other countries. Anna Barton Luther College sophomore of Eagan, Minnesota, researched the lives of French Huguenots to create a game based in 17th and 18th century Europe for her summer research project at the college.