Incoming CSB and SJU students discover outdoor adventure through Collegebound

When Lauren Sitzman and Brady McElroy arrived at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University as first-year students, they were each new to not only the campuses, but the state.

Which is why they found Collegebound, a multi-day outdoor pre-orientation program, so valuable when it came to getting an early start on making new friends and exploring their passion for the outdoors.

Just before the start of each school year, groups of first-year or transfer students are paired with trip leaders specially trained in outdoor leadership skills and group connection on trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota.

The program has been in operation since 1987.

“Collegebound was one of the reasons I chose Saint Ben’s,” said Sitzman, an Omaha (Nebraska) North High School graduate about to enter her senior year at CSB.

“It was such a unique way to connect with people on campus and outside of campus as well. You take away the phones and distractions and get to know each other. It’s a great way to build connections. I really believe in the mission.”

Sitzman and McElroy were again leaders on the Boundary Waters expedition this year. A group of two SJU leaders and seven new Johnnies, as well as two CSB leaders and five new Bennies, departed Friday (Aug. 15) and returned to campus Tuesday (Aug. 19).

But this year, Outdoor U – the organization that provides environmental and outdoor education at CSB and SJU – has added a second option, one designed to take advantage of the numerous outdoor adventure options that exist on the two campuses and the surrounding area.

Collegebound Basecampus began Thursday (Aug. 14) and ran through Tuesday.

A group of 13 Bennies and Johnnies took part in rock climbing at the indoor climbing wall in the Warner Palaestra. They also swam and hiked at Quarry Park Nature Preserve in Waite Park and canoed on both Lake Sagatagan at SJU and the nearby Sauk River. In addition, they biked the Lake Wobegon Trail (which runs close by both CSB and SJU) and camped on Watab Island on the SJU campus.

“It provides a great opportunity to branch out a little bit more,” said McElroy, a Maryland native who is entering his junior year at SJU. “It’s nice that they are all in one group, which will help strengthen the bonds between Johnnies and Bennies.”

“It’s an exciting way to introduce the campus and the opportunities we have here to new students,” Sitzman added.

Sitzman, who is also a member of the swimming and diving team at CSB, is a biology major and an environmental studies minor. She hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in wildlife biology focusing on insects in preparation for a career as a researcher.

But through her experiences with Collegebound, she’s also discovered a passion for being a guide.

“I wasn’t really into trip-leading before coming to college,” she said. “But now it’s definitely an option I’d like to explore as a hobby or maybe even as a seasonal job.”

McElroy is part of the Fighting Saint Battalion ROTC program at CSB and SJU. But the history major would like to one day become a professor after his military service has concluded.

He said his passion for outdoor life comes from his father.

“My dad was a great outdoorsman and he instilled a love of nature and an appreciation for the outdoors from the cradle,” he said. “Like Lauren, I came to Saint John’s because I appreciated the opportunities that exist here for outdoor adventures. I wanted to go somewhere that was a little more tucked away. A little more peaceful.

“Collegebound, and the other chances to explore that Outdoor U provides for students, is a really unique resource that a lot of colleges just aren’t able to provide.”

Sitzman, too, said her passion for the outdoors – and the Boundary Waters especially – comes from her upbringing.

“My dad was a Johnnie and I made my first trip to Minnesota when I was in fifth grade,” she said. “We went to the Boundary Waters and it’s become a special place for our family.

“We were just there last summer to help my grandma celebrate her 80^th birthday.”

Both Sitzman and McElroy see serving as guides as a way to ensure other incoming students receive the same opportunities they benefitted from when they were new to CSB and SJU.

“It’s such a great way to help incoming freshmen transition to college,” McElroy said. “It can be a big jump and getting a head start on meeting new people and forming bonds over a shared love of the outdoors is really helpful.”

“Collegebound is my favorite part about CSB,” Sitzman added. “I just love being part of it.”