We have exciting updates from two St. Joseph Workers – both are currently working as nurses.
Amanda Burgdorf
Just one year ago I was living in Boston, completing an accelerated Registered Nurse degree program, and planning a much-anticipated trip to Berlin to visit another SJW, Rachel! As can be imagined, the trip sadly didn’t happen, but this year certainly delivered adventure. My husband Ben and I decided to move to Stillwater, MN in June and have since found joy through canoe rides on the St Croix River, beaver watching at William O’Brien State Park, and being a quick drive away from family and friends. I’ve been working as a home care nurse for Lakeview Hospital for the past 7 months, serving patients in the St Croix River Valley. It’s been a wild and fulfilling role. My greatest challenge in this work, as it has been for most people living through this pandemic, has been to remain pliable yet decisive amidst a steady flow of new experiences. I continue to feel grateful for the many opportunities for reflection and change over the past year as well as the people who hold me accountable for intentional actions. Looking forward, I’m eager to root deeper into my communities, work on not falling down hills on cross country skis, and dive into a new hobby of beekeeping!
Meg (Kenknight) Grzesiak
I was an SJW ‘09-‘10 at the Joseph house at Franklin and Portland in Minneapolis. Following my SJW year I eventually went to nursing school and now I serve as a public health nurse for the local public health department in Madison, Wisconsin for about the last 5 years. I provide tuberculosis nursing care and immunizations to the public (though not the Covid vaccine yet!) All of us in public health are working very hard to provide much needed health services as well as get control of the covid pandemic locally. My colleagues are busy contact tracing and vaccinating at mass clinic sites to end one of the newest diseases, while my team and I continue forward in our fight against centuries-old TB.
Personally, I have a small update: my son William was born into a weary world June 2020. He’s a sign of hope though, and I look forward to a more healthy and equitable world.
February 8th, 2021