“Campbell Hall is one of the more adored dormitories on campus, with spacious and charming rooms that have housed everyone from freshmen to seniors. It’s a beautiful building, but it needs some upgrades. Simple things like renovating the bathrooms have already improved the quality of life for currents residents, and the planned upgrades will reinstate Campbell as a highly sought-after living space. Moving the coffee shop and the bookstore to Campbell and improving the accessibility will allow all members of our community to take part in the fun. I am very grateful to have been a resident of Campbell, and I can’t wait to see how the new-and-improved dorm looks!”

“I remember the moments I was overwhelmed with the difficulties everyone was saying come with attending college. The one difficulty that frightened me the most was the financial pains that people said are entailed in a college education. I was, however, fortunate to come to St. John’s College, for the generosity of those involved in the college paved a way for me to continue learning. To be able to search for concealed truths in the minds and words of brilliant men and women and to have a community to do this with, such an experience would be a fairy tale without the benevolence of others. My joy is that the place I can have such wonderful experiences in is St. John’s College—and that joy continues to grow by the day.”

“Attending Summer Classics was the highlight of my summer. When I was looking for a place to read, write, and think, a colleague, who is a St. John’s alum and regular Summer Classics participant, recommended it to me. I was instantly intrigued, not to mention thrilled, when my school’s post-graduate specialist connected me with the college and secured financial support through our Southwest Scholars partnership. Since then, I have sung the praises of the Summer Classics experience and urged others to consider this wonderful opportunity.

Personally and professionally, the St. John’s program offers a rich, culturally engaging, intellectually stimulating experience I won’t ever forget.”

“Reading about a place like St. John’s is one thing, but my experiences at Summer Academy showed me firsthand what this college has to offer. Experiencing seminar for myself was pivotal because I felt exactly how electrifying and enlightening that kind of conversation could be. I was equally moved by the culture I found here. I felt so welcomed and supported by everyone I met, and I understood that, as a student, I would be truly valued and respected by my community. I came away from this program with complete confidence that St. John’s was the right place for me.”

“My coming to St. John’s was an unexpected turn in my life. I had started college elsewhere but quickly realized I was not where I was meant to be; I felt lost and without a purpose. I emailed St. John’s in a state of desperation and confusion, unsure of where to go next and grasping for a place where I could feel at home. With the support of our very accommodating administration and the Southwest Scholars program, I was able to begin my studies at St. John’s and re-route my journey.

As I embark on my second year at St. John’s, I only have a hunger for more, excited to devour the readings and lessons to come, with an eagerness and energy I didn’t possess before. Without the assistance from Southwest Scholars, I wouldn’t be at St. John’s—the place I can finally acknowledge is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“A St. John’s education is often coined as ‘an education for a lifetime’. Now more than ever, that statement rings true. In the Financial Literacy program, we don’t just plan for the present; we plan for the future. Classes like these break down systemic barriers to financial education and impart wisdom lasting a lifetime.”

“The Pritzker Bridge Program has truly changed my life. It not only helped me feel more comfortable settling into St. John’s but also gave me the opportunity to get to know other students who come from the same background as me. The friends I made during the program have become like my family, and together we have been able to assimilate into college life with the advice and guidance of our mentors.

Entering college is one of the hardest transitions a student can make. It’s often the first time they are away from home, must advocate for themselves, and balance all their responsibilities. Bridge did an amazing job preparing us to make this transition and has inspired me to volunteer with the program next year so I can share my own experience and help other new students adjust to life at St. John’s.”

“The Pritzker Bridge Program at St. John’s College has been instrumental in my journey as both a scholar and now as a mentor. As a participant, it provided me with the support and resources necessary to navigate the challenges of adapting to a new and unique environment. The program’s emphasis on community, academic readiness, and personal growth made the transition smoother and allowed me to fully embrace the opportunities at St. John’s. Now, as a mentor, I see the same transformative impact on others.

Guiding new students through their own transitions, I witness firsthand how the program fosters a sense of belonging and confidence, empowering them to thrive in this academic community.”

“They say that if you want to be happy in life, I mean roundly happy, then you have to get two things right: work and love. Many people, perhaps most in my acquaintance and travels, settle for one or the other, and they are not ungrateful. If you get both right, you are among the elect, and I call that a blessing. For me, a tutor at St. John’s, the work has always been right, and I do this work, together with others, out of love. One consideration of that love, recently expressed, is the Faculty Enhancement Fund, undertaken by President Mark Roosevelt upon his retirement from nearly nine years of strong leadership of this College, whose very possibility depends on the rare union of those two things: work and love. He now leaves the College in the good hands of faithful alumni, brave students, integral staff, and tutors grateful that he got them right.”

“Being an RA opened the door to many discussions that I didn’t know I had the strength to hold. It also required me to grow into a new understanding of care. How do I be at peace with being the person who shows and offers resources but cannot decide the ultimate health of a struggling student? How do I do my job to enforce campus rules in moments of social pressure against it? What does it mean to care for a community in a way that respects my own boundaries?

At times I still struggle with these questions; and yet, thanks to many discussions with my supervisors, who are very open to discussing these issues and sensitive in their responses, I am learning to grow in empathy and care while keeping my own reserves full. And I am happy and grateful to move into my junior year as a continuing RA.”

“As a Resident Advisor, one of the most important resources I have both for myself and my residents is the Health and Wellness Center.

St. John’s College is a truly exceptional place offering an education like no other, but for those same reasons it can also become very stressful. Between trying to learn Greek, chord intervals, calculus, or relativity, there is always some looming mountain of a task at hand. In such a context, free counseling and other resources make all the difference. So, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all our donors for the way their generous giving has enabled the Health and Wellness Center to be there for us. Through your gifts, you allow this college to be the place I and so many others love.”

“This summer, I worked for Breakthrough Collaborative, teaching civics to rising seventh graders. We studied at least a dozen Supreme Court cases, held mock trials and elections, and turned our classroom into a civil rights museum. Because we covered issues my students were experiencing firsthand, I made whole class discussions a pivotal part of the learning experience. Following in the St. John’s tradition, we read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights straight from the documents, and my students were surprised by their ability to make sense of difficult texts.

I’m not certain I want to pursue teaching straight out of St. John’s, but this summer has helped me realize this is a field I could thrive in.”

“Over summer break, I successfully made my first documentary film—ironically, on the concept of failure. During five intensive weeks at the International Film Institution in New York, I learned about different types of shots and angles, had the chance to manage a budget and direct a crew, and was surprised to see the difference a director’s choices can make. I learned the basic components of screenwriting, a very different kind of writing from what we do at St. John’s, and the process of actualizing that script into film. It was not easy: I struggled with writer’s block, felt frustrated by my footage, and found it hard to choose all the right details.

But it also deepened my appreciation for documentary filmmaking as a kind of lifelong education—and I feel I’m getting closer to what I want to do after St. John’s.”

“The Career Development office helped me enormously—in fact, it is only by attending an online information session offered by alumna Cookie Chang that I began to realize teaching is a good career option, particularly for international students. A couple of months later, I joined the Odyssey program, and Cookie became my mentor. She was welcoming and helpful, and we regularly talked about what a teaching career is like, where to look for jobs, how to negotiate green card sponsorship, and what salary to expect.

I now work as a full-time math teacher in Houston, Texas. My plan is to teach for a few years then do a PhD in mathematics—a decision that was also inspired by the Career Development office and by another wonderful Johnnie speaker.”

“My internship award allowed me to spend my summer working in the Kay Lab at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Mind and Biology, under the mentorship of St. John’s alumna Dr. Leslie Kay. About halfway through the internship, which involved research on olfaction and sensation, I was offered a permanent position as lab manager.

As someone who hopes to follow a path in STEM, specifically medicine, having the opportunity to work in such a prestigious lab is invaluable. Without my internship, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to test whether research was truly a path of interest for me.

I’m extremely grateful to have been granted this award and can now proclaim employment directly out of St. John’s.”

“I went to Costa Rica this summer with a craving—a need to know how this developing economy became a global sustainability steward. I came back with a scorching desire to learn more.

The Costa Rican people taught me that not all energy sources are created equally. A solar panel farm may not produce the same amount of energy as a dam per cubic meter occupied, but if a dam creates more environmental degradation, what is the best choice? How can we ensure that even our ‘green’ energy resources are efficient, reliable, and humanitarian? These questions broke down the binary lens I was using to view sustainable development, but from those ashes arose new questions and greater understanding. I am grateful for both.”

“I’m so glad to see St. John’s being among the first to set the trend of solar-powered institutions in New Mexico. Despite our nearly constant sunny days, states like Massachusetts far outrank our state's solar production. This is unacceptable. I’m saddened that “Big Oil” in this state has chosen to look out for its own profits over the health and wellness of this oft-overlooked state. To be a at St. John’s makes me proud to be a part of that change.”

“The student center is the heart of our community. Here, we think and read together, eat together, and share our ideas with one another. The improvements that are in store will make this space safer, more comfortable, and more inviting. I know I speak for my peers when I say that we are especially excited, and thankful, for the coming updates to the Cave, which is our much-frequented, student-run space. Improvements to the Cave are, to us, a demonstration of the support for student initiatives. And since the Cave is student-run, it is an opportunity for students to become more accountable for the kind of campus culture we create.”

“Most who come to St. John’s College, come seeking the beautiful. Those who come to the Santa Fe campus come seeking the beautiful in nature as well as the Great Books. The sustainability efforts of St. John’s College help to preserve and enhance that beauty. They provide evidence that St. John’s College really does practice what it preaches. The garden is a place where students can take a break from turning pages to stick their hands in dirt, looking for the potatoes that have been secretly growing in the dark. There’s a metaphor there.”

“As a student representative to the Board of Visitors and Governors, I have seen how integral the alumni community has been in setting a firm foundation upon which the future of our beloved college can be built. Philanthropy has been the backbone in moving St. John’s into a new era of financial sustainability, sometimes in ways that are unseen by students, but always in ways that are immediately impactful.

We students do not often peer into the inner workings of the college to understand the enormous amount of work, care, and generosity that is required to keep us thriving and growing. But it seems to me that our alumni, who have stepped into the wider world, are in the best position to see clearly what it takes to support a place like St. John’s—and to provide those great acts of care and generosity that carry us forward.”

“I have always been an avid reader, and as soon as I discovered St. John’s College, I knew this was where I wanted to engage myself in higher education. Receiving the wax-sealed acceptance letter in the mail was quite honestly one of the highlights of my senior year in high school. Finances were, of course, a major consideration during the application and admission process, but I was overjoyed and relieved at how attainable an education at St. John’s College was. As I begin my sophomore year studies, I can honestly say that I cannot imagine myself anywhere else, and I am so grateful to be here.”

“I discovered St. John’s College over two decades ago, and since then, it has been my dream to study the Great Books here. Unable to attend then due to financial realities and eventually taking my bachelor’s elsewhere, the possibility of pursuing the Graduate Institute refreshed my earlier ambitions. However, as a father of five and a full-time teacher, the impossibility of relocation was another reality imposed on my aspiration to study at the college. As a result of the low residency program in the GI, I can now attend seminars virtually and discuss Plato, Aquinas, and Nietzsche with excellent tutors and colleagues through the convenience of remote study.

The low residency program has made the impossible possible for me.”

“As a tutor since 1974, I have been privileged to witness the development of the college as it has grown and matured in Santa Fe, Annapolis, and on our expanded global campus. We continue to steadily improve as we work, quoting Frederick Douglass, ‘to be true to our past, true to our present, and bind ourselves to be true to our future.’

We tutors are grateful to you who love this college and who came together to support the Freeing Minds campaign. Together we are having a revolutionary effect on the future of education, of the survival of republican values, of human rights, and of ideas with powerful consequences for the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Our world needs these gifts as we steer a course through changing times.”

“Theatre and music have prospered since the reopening of Mellon Hall. As archon of the King William Players, I have greatly enjoyed both performing in and directing shows in the FSK auditorium, and the new studio theater was an ideal rehearsal space throughout the process of putting those shows together. While the various make-do performances spaces we used during the renovation (Great Hall, Boathouse, Mellon courtyard) afforded a certain amount of creative inspiration, the experience of watching performances (and performing) in a real theater with real lights is magical.

I am looking forward to our growing artistic endeavors in these updated spaces.”

“As a writer, I find the most important element of St. John’s College to be dialogue, whether between faculty and students or the authors in the Program. A trickier step is extending that dialogue outside the Program and applying it to life after St. John’s.

The Santa Fe Office of Personal and Professional Development has been essential to my attempts to do that as a screenwriter. I’ve remained in dialogue with Senior Career Advisor Charlie Bergman since graduating from the Graduate Institute in 2017, working on everything from job applications to networking opportunities. Thanks to this help, I’ve returned to Santa Fe after teaching and acting in Miami, and I am now pursuing my dream of making my own films.”

“Unable to speak in Seminar, I asked Mr. David Carl to help cure me of my excruciating muteness. His initial suggestions were standard, but I returned, pleading for a more radical treatment. He jokingly suggested I try magic, and out of that humor a fruitful mentor-mentee relationship was born. Fueled by our mutual admiration for Joan Didion, shared interest in Velvet Underground-adjacent music, and thwarted attempts to learn the bongos, we met consistently during my freshman year to discuss everything from Program-specific questions to our feelings about humanity. My experience of St. John’s would have lacked complexity and relevance if I didn’t have a tutor I could talk to outside the classroom, someone who could openly relate to my confusions and concerns. I’m grateful to have been paired with Mr. Carl, and trust I’ll return with requests for guidance in the years to come.”

“During the school year, I strive to be a model learner for my students; but in the summer, I benefit from the investment you make in the faculty’s learning.

Over the last few years, I have studied Archimedes’ New Method, Madame de Lafayette’s ‘La Princesse de Clèves,’ Frederick Douglass’s ‘My Bondage and My Freedom,’ Boscovich’s ‘A Theory of Natural Philosophy,’ and Hannah Arendt’s ‘The Human Condition.’ At the conclusion of these study groups, which are difficult, stimulating, and deeply rewarding, we will often talk about how a work might be approached in class. Regardless of the direct instructional outcome, the study groups are essential for the audacious project that is the New Program.”

“As a Resident Advisor, I have seen how important orientation is for new students, and how far it has come since my own freshman year, when I was given little guidance.

Given that St. John’s is such a unique space, adjusting can be tough, with many new concepts, practices, and people. Orientation now gives incoming students the opportunity to connect with their peers and the space to ask questions. On top of that, I was actually given a budget to buy matching mugs and tea for my residents to share with their roommates. This kind of relationship-building really benefits new students, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of those who understand why these relationships matter.”