Alexa Unser ’08 was attracted to St. Lawrence by athletics, but became an artist instead. Her initial interest in the University revolved around the Nordic ski team, as well as her desire for “a small liberal arts school,  where I could study independently and closely with faculty.”

Unser never joined the ski team. She instead became active in the arts. “I work at the Brush Gallery monitoring and installing, and am also a teaching assistant for the printmaking classes,” explains the fine arts major from Bozeman, MT.  “I enjoy both of these very much because I get to work with art work, the arts faculty and other students.”

Unser, a graduate of Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, also volunteered with SLU Buddies, a program that pairs college students with at-risk local children. “I feel that SLU students have a responsibility to the community that they call home for four years,” she says. For her dedication she received an award for Most Promising Junior last year.

But it’s been travel for study purposes that has stood out in her college experience. She has done independent study in Japan and Northern Ireland, and she teamed up with one of her professors, Melissa Schulenberg of Art and Art History, to go to Guatemala to volunteer with the organization Safe Passage, which works to provide poor children with educational opportunities. The two collaborated on a set 10 prints based on their experiences, which they offered for sale as a fund-raiser for the organization. “I fell in love with the kids there, and as hard as that experience was it changed my heart right down to the core,” she says.

Best of all, though, has been the “amazing faculty who have devoted time to work with me on my independent studies multiple times. My experience here has been extremely rewarding...I am so lucky!”