First and Focused - College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University

Omar Abdullahi came to Saint John’s with memories of a childhood
spent in refugee camps in Kenya.
Cody Maynus grew up in Montevideo, Minn., raised by his dad
and grandmother.
Miguel Peña traveled north from Texas, leaving behind the often
dangerous and noisy streets of inner-city Dallas.
Derek Eisenschenk, from just around the corner in Collegeville
Township, transferred to SJU after two years at Ridgewater State in
Willmar, Minn.
Dramatically different from each other in some ways, these
young men share two defining characteristics: They are the first in
their immediate families to attend college, and their families have
very limited resources.
Miguel Peña ’12
Public accounting major and E-Scholar from Dallas, Tex.
On Minnesota: It’s far away from home, but that’s a learning experience. You have
to be flexible, and I think I made a good transition. There’s a calm, good feeling here. I
live in the inner city of Dallas, and I feel safer here than I feel in Dallas. I see everyone
here as having one mission, which is to get a good education. I can focus better.
On entrepreneurship: The Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship and the
E-Scholar program at SJU are very important to me. They help you get the mindset of
an entrepreneur and figure out how to create a business. I have lots of business ideas. I
want to be CPA-certified in Minnesota, Texas and California when I graduate. Maybe
someday establish a CPA firm that will become a brand name. Maybe take it global.
I’m also interested in restaurants, and I think about writing a book about different
levels of success.
On first generation: I’m driven to achieve, and I’m proud to be a firstgeneration
college student. I’m able to be a role model for my family,
and a college degree will mean I’ll be able to earn enough money to
help out. I have a competitive streak, and I want to outdo everyone.
Because of these two characteristics, they share a third: They’re
driven to succeed. They know that a college degree is the key to a
better life for themselves and their families. They see themselves as
role models for younger family members. And they want to show
the world that they can do it.
Students like Omar, Derek, Miguel and Cody are increasingly
the future of Saint John’s.
They are also its past: Saint John’s was founded to provide a
Catholic, Benedictine education to the children of the first immigrants
to Minnesota. All were the first in their families to go to
college. This remained the case for most of Saint John's first 100
years.
But in the 1950s and 60s, the number of first-generation college