Ignite the Hill

Thank you to the 730 Oles who made a gift during Ignite the Hill! Your support of current students is heartwarming and your impact is real — directly allowing more access and affordability!

Thank you for Igniting the Hill! ⚡

Just in case you missed the main campaign video!

If you've been waiting to make your gift for Ignite the Hill... ⏰ time's up! It's officially the final few hours of St. Olaf Giving Days — now's the moment! 

What are you waiting for? Make your gift now and support current Oles!

Members of the St. Olaf Fund Board and Alumni & Family Board laid down the challenge, and Young Alumni picked it up!

Not only did the first 50 gifts get matched with $200, by completing that match you unlocked an additional $10,000! 

Thank you to our recent grads for showing up for current students and continuing the legacy of support among the Ole community!

We’ve been full throttle for three days and the Ole community has been right there with us. Thank you to everyone who has made their gift, offered a match, shared the campaign, and shown current students support!

Will you join the more than 670 folks who've given their gift? There’s still time to help propel us through the remaining few hours! 🚀

Hey Class of ’76! Many of you are showing the energy we knew you had and supporting Oles with your gift to Ignite the Hill. 

We need just FIVE more gifts to meet our initial challenge of 50 gifts, unlocking $10,000 — all of it adding to the reunion class gift total.

Spread the word and encourage your classmates (and Ole network) to join in this electric time! ⚡

P.S. If we reach 50 gifts, the 50th Reunion Co-Chairs are preapred to offer an additional match of $10,000 for 76 gifts. Are you up for the challenge?

We’ve been making great progress on our matches and challenges —several completed! 

Have you made your gift? Now’s the time to keep up the momentum and plug into one of these opportunities.

⭐ Board of Regents Match - 56% complete! the St. Olaf Board of Regents will match every gift with $100 (up to $100,000 total).

⭐ 76 for the Class of 1976 - 90% complete! The 50th Reunion Co-Chairs will give $10,000 for the first 50 gifts from the Class of '76 — and offered an additional $10,000 for 26 gifts beyond that! 

⭐ Spark Future Grads - Young Alumni Match - 72% complete! The St. Olaf Fund Board and Alumni and Family Board will match every young alumni 2025-2015 gift with $200 (up to 50 gifts)!

⭐ Sustain the Energy - Start a Monthly Gift - 36% complete! Randy and Marcy Betcher will match any new OR upgraded monthly gift with $100!

Did the song pop into your head? It’s a fitting beat because we’re still rocking Ignite the Hill!

It’s the last day of St. Olaf Giving Days and more than 470 gifts have been made in support of financial aid. There’s still time to get in on remaining matches, enjoy campaign updates, and spread the word!

Let’s charge up for the final day (☕🤸⚡) and accelerate to the end!

Tine Museba ’28 shared her story of getting involved in the CURI program and sparked an interest in continuing with research when she graduates.

“It started with a conversation with a peer mentor I was assigned during my freshman year, when we were discussing possible summer opportunities. One program that came up was CURI. I had no research experience at that point, but I was still intrigued. Wanting to know more, I attended a faculty showcase where professors presented their summer research projects. Among the various projects, the human scent analysis research caught my attention. The motivation behind the project was understanding how tracking dogs can distinguish different individuals based on their scent which I found very intriguing. I had never considered the possibility that human scent could be scientifically analysed, and how someone could do so. 

I was curious, and I decided to apply for that research project. At the time, I had only taken two chemistry courses and was still undecided about my major, and this opportunity would allow me to explore lab-based research and gain insight into what a research-focused career might look like. The aim of the project was to characterize human scent profiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) by analysing the volatile organic compounds present in human scent. Since this is a project that has been ongoing for a number of years, I got to contribute to the sample and data collection. And I had the opportunity to see analytical chemistry methods in practice and engage with chemistry content beyond the classroom . 

I also had no prior experience with GC/MS instrumentation and methods beyond the theoretical information I had learnt in class. Throughout the duration of this project I learnt how to operate the instrumentation, interpret the data from the experiments and understand real world applications of analytical methods.

I also had the opportunity to present this research at the CURI Annual Symposium, where I got to share my work and experience on the project with a wider audience. Later this semester, I will attend the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon), where I will both present the research I did and explore various ongoing projects in analytical chemistry. 

Although I chose to pursue a different major (Biology), this experience helped me explore what research looks like in practice and  it helped broaden my perspective about potential academic and career paths. I plan to continue engaging in research beyond St. Olaf through graduate school and a future career in (biomedical) research.”

As we come to the end of day two of Ignite the Hill, we’re both celebrating and charging up. ⚡Thank you to everyone who has given a gift so far — your commitment to current Oles is tremendous! 

We can’t wait to see how the St. Olaf community shows up for our final day. There are still match opportunities, updates, and excitement, so continue to spread the word and make your gift tomorrow!

Natalie Mogren P ’27, ’28 shares why a gift through the St. Olaf Fund for financial aid matters. Thank you to all our Ole parents — current, past, and future! — for everything you do to support your and all students.

While on the Hill, students find their place in so many ways. Ana Sofia Remolina ’26 shares some of her experience of taking her spark into the classroom as a student teacher.

“My biggest spark while at St. Olaf has been spending time in schools through field experience and now student teaching — which has already been an amazing whirlwind. By Friday of my first week, I was teaching full lessons for all sections, K–5, while building relationships and learning classroom management in real time. That immediate trust pushed me to jump in, take risks, and grow quickly.

Each of my field placements helped prepare me for this moment in different ways. My first placement was in an elementary setting, where I learned how deeply a school’s environment shapes student learning. I worked with students who experienced a different style of education, adapting my teaching and truly listening to what students needed in order to stay engaged and regulated. During a January-term elementary course, I helped students create parts of an opera. They wrote lyrics and shared ideas for choreography and melody while we helped arrange and guide the process. Watching students take ownership of their creativity showed me how powerful it is when kids feel heard.

Most recently, my elementary placements have focused on K–5 general music and kindergarten literacy support. I worked on breaking tasks into manageable steps, setting clear expectations, creating smooth transitions, and using small groups to meet students where they are. 

Across all of my experiences, I learned how to improvise when plans change, try different lesson sequences, and adjust based on how students respond. I began to see teaching not as delivering content, but as building relationships, supporting regulation, and creating meaningful learning moments.

Beyond the Hill, I plan to take this spark into my own elementary music classroom. I want to create a space where students feel safe, valued, and excited to learn. I hope to blend high expectations with creativity, structure with flexibility, and always center the needs of my students. These experiences confirmed that teaching is where I belong, and I am excited to continue growing into an educator who helps students find joy, confidence, and connection through music.”

You want to make a big impact as a young alum? We got you!

We know it can be challenging in your first few years after graduating. That’s why the St. Olaf Fund Board and Alumni and Family Board are partnering to offer a match designed just for you.

The boards will match every gift with $200 for the first 50 gifts! This is on top of the Board of Regents match of $100 per gift. So, you’ll get a $300 match for your gift.

Keep doing what you’re doing out in the world — and encourage current students as they find their way — by making your gift and sharing the campaign with your Ole network!

Ole the Lion joined our Advancement Fellows to celebrate hitting the halfway point of Ignite the Hill! Let's keep the momentum and power through to the end! ⚡

🚨 NEW new match alert! 🚨 

Oles... you sure know how to show up! Since announcing Match Made in MN just last night, it’s been fulfilled! 

An alum has stepped up with a special match for gifts made to financial aid because a potential MN State Grant funding shortfall is affecting more than 400 students and impacting their ability to afford St. Olaf. 

So now an additional match of $6,000 is available from the same donor. It’s Match Made in MN part two!

Make your gift, get it matched, bridge this gap — because Oles Can, Oles Will!

We’re starting day two of Ignite the Hill and there’s a current in the air... 

Join the Ole community today by making a gift, sharing the campaign, and checking out our ongoing updates! 

What a day! The Ole community response has been wonderful! More than 280 gifts have been made — powering a fantastic start! 💪

Thank you to everyone who has made their gift and come alongside the Oles so far. Keep spreading the word! 

We’ll see you tomorrow!

How can an Ignite the Hill gift spark inspiration in students? Here is a story from Anna Kolesnyk ’28, who found a fascinating way to use her love of culture to impact Minnesotans! 

"I was born in Zhytomyr, a town in Northern Ukraine known for its large Polish diaspora. Since a very young age, I was attending Polish classes and singing in a Polish choir, while also being raised as a patriot of Ukraine. This duality of my early cultural exposure a long time ago made me passionate about Eastern Europe and Slavic people today, and St. Olaf gave me a unique opportunity to explore this passion while also giving back to the Minnesota community.

One day, during a long break between classes, Professor Lippmann approached me and asked me about the languages I speak and if I would be willing to help with the translation of church records from Orthodox churches in northern Minnesota. At that moment, I did not realise the impact my work might have, but it sparked an interest in those records: who were those believers speaking Slavic languages in cold Minnesotan North?

I got to know that Minnesota became home to a large diaspora of Carpatho-Rusyn people - a small ethnic group living in the Carpathian mountains between the borders of multiple Slavic nations. A lot of children and grandchildren of those migrants are only proficient in English and cannot access the key information about their ancestors that is encoded in handwritten church records. Professor Lippmann's idea of helping this community made me feel warm inside: I will have a chance to help my people understand their roots better. 

As a part of this CURI project, I also got to know the people who gave us access to the records, and this spring we will be able to visit the actual church where those records are taken from. I find this to be another beautiful feature of this project - we are helping real people, and by building this personal connection, we turn casual translation and transcription into a community service. 

By building a connection with Carpatho-Rusyns in Minnesota, I keep a connection with my ethnic background. As a person who wants to work in diplomacy, helping the diaspora is one of the key elements any embassy is working on, so this project is not only sparking my passion for Slavic cultures even deeper, but also helps me get the skills needed for my future career."

Your gift might qualify for more than one match or challenge! They won’t last forever, so be sure to take advantage of opportunities to maximize your impact.

⭐ Board of Regents Match - The St. Olaf Board of Regents will match every gift with $100 (up to $100,000 total).

⭐ Charge up Financial Aid - Louis and Mary Kay Smith will match every gift with $100 (up to $20,000 total).

⭐ 76 for the Class of 1976 - The 50th Reunion Co-Chairs will give $10,000 if 50 people from the Class of '76 make their gift — your gift counts toward your reunion class gift total. 

⭐ Spark Future Grads - Young Alumni Match - the St. Olaf Fund Board will match every young alumni 2025-2016 gift with $200 (up to 50 gifts).

⭐ Sustain the Energy - Start a Monthly Gift - Randy and Marcy Betcher will match any new OR upgraded monthly gift with $100.

Want to offer a match? Contact the St. Olaf Fund at 800-733-6523 / fund@stolaf.edu and we’ll get you set up.

We’re charged up for the first day of Ignite the Hill — Giving Days for St. Olaf! It’s going to be an exciting 72 hours, and we hope you will be inspired to support Oles and spread the word about the campaign. Thank you to everyone who made an early gift!

What’s up first?

✔️ View the matches and challenges above — there are numerous opportunities to amplify your gift!

🗣️ Share the emails you receive, become an advocate, direct others to our campaign, repost socials, etc!

👀 Check back here throughout the three days for fun updates and content.

We’re here for you if you have questions! St. Olaf Fund — 800-733-6523 / fund@stolaf.edu.