Pictured: From left, Director Dr. Alex Giltner, Grace Warner, Olivia Rutkowski, Jose Solis, Grace Hein, Grace Morris, Brenden Harrigan, Paul Rivera, Ana Wiegmann, Addi Krebs, Siddha Hall, Grace Sauter, Esmé Kenney, Denise Jacome, Veronica Loeffler, Annamarie Williamson and Assistant Director Megan Quigley.
FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The University of Saint Francis welcomed 10 students into the Assisi Program for Discipleship and Leadership for 2023-24, marking the first full cohort for the program.
The Assisi Program opened with a five-student pilot group in the fall of 2022 before the full launch this fall. The program prepares students to live their Catholic faith authentically and joyfully through mentorship, community, academic study and co-curricular activity.
“We are overjoyed to see students returning to the program as well as joining anew as the semester gets underway. It will be very exciting to discover what God has in store for us as the year progresses,” Director of the Assisi Program Dr. Alex Giltner said.
The 10 first-year Assisi Program students are Siddha Hall (Seymour, Indiana), Brenden Harrigan (New Haven, Indiana), Grace Hein (Fort Wayne), Esmé Kenney (Culver, Indiana), Olivia Rutkowski (Van Wert, Ohio), Grace Sauter (Crown Point, Indiana), Jose Solis (Fort Wayne), Grace Warner (Hamilton, Ohio), Ana Wiegmann (Huntington, Indiana) and Annamarie Williamson (Anchorage, Alaska).
The five students returning from the 2022-23 pilot group are Denise Jacome (West Lafayette, Indiana), Veronica Loeffler (Columbia City, Indiana), Addi Krebs (Fort Wayne), Grace Morris (Fort Wayne) and Paul Rivera (Columbus, Ohio).
Students in the Assisi program receive scholarships which cover half the cost of room and board. Applicants must submit their high school transcripts (typically 3.25 GPA or greater), recommendations from a teacher and a parish leader, a personal narrative essay, and participate in an interview.
Details about the Assisi Program are available at go.sf.edu/assisiprogram. For more information, contact Assisi Program Director Dr. Alex Giltner at tgiltner@sf.edu or Assisi Program Assistant Director Megan Quigley at mquigley@sf.edu.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 18 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.