Stories with Impact

John Wagner, PhD '02

We caught up with Dr. John Wagner ’02 during the recent Tommies On the Road event in Washington, D.C. and invited him to share some insights.

Where has your career journey taken you since graduating from St. Thomas?

My professional journey has included service as an intelligence officer, a management consultant at Deloitte and a senior civilian within the national security community. I currently am a senior staffer at the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance and at the Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations.

How did St. Thomas help prepare you to be career-ready for your professional journey?

My time as an undergraduate provided skills necessary to flourish in my career. While at St. Thomas, I developed research, writing and oral communication skills that I now use daily in my work.I also gained interpersonal skills that I have used to lead a variety of professionals. Perhaps more importantly, though, I learned how to think critically and creatively at St. Thomas. Being able to approach problems from multiple perspectives and identify novel solutions is vital to success in my field. St. Thomas also instilled a sense of purpose that continues to motivate me.

What advice do you have for students who are about to graduate?

I think it’s crucial for graduates to continue to develop leadership skills that will help them succeed in their chosen fields. Graduates should strive to excel in whatever they do and embrace the ideal of lifelong learning, as it’s difficult to navigate around potential career pitfalls without new knowledge in a rapidly evolving job market. Perseverance is part of effective leadership, especially when things don’t seem to be going as planned. Things rarely go as planned, but that’s okay because often what are perceived as failures can present new opportunities.

Nancy Liu '23

Nancy graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering with a master’s degree in technology management and is now working as a quality engineer for customer technical engagement division at Seagate Technologies. Nancy enjoyed her experience at St. Thomas so much during her MBA that she decided to take classes at the School of Engineering for a Technology Leadership Certificate. This ultimately led to her decision to pursue a full master’s degree after completing courses for her certificate.

St. Thomas prepared Nancy for her career by helping her become more comfortable with not always having the right answers. The different experiences she had during her time at the University helped her learn and understand the importance of self-awareness and how to communicate in difficult or demanding situations that arise in her current role.

“Never stop learning. Be open to the viewpoints and experiences of other people. Try to understand different perspectives by acknowledging the similarities we all share while also knowing that multiple conflicting truths can still co-exist. In fact, this is where true innovation and improvement occurs,” she said.

Dan Hildebrandt '16 MBA

As students come back to campus following J-Term, many will be participating in the on-campus Spring Job Fair, polishing resumes and focusing on the job search. St. Thomas alumni may also be considering a change in jobs or industries as the new year begins. Alumnus Dan Hildebrandt '16 MBA shares his story and advice to those who may be job seeking for the first time or figuring out next steps: 

As Dan began his job search, he notes that he was anxious and excited. He networked with professional colleagues, St. Thomas alumni, organizations such as the Crossroads Career Network, and leveraged LinkedIn. St. Thomas helped him feel career-ready through the relationships he built with faculty and fellow students. Thanks to these connections, Dan was able to begin his career journey after graduation.

When asked what advice he has for those beginning the job search process or ready to move into a new role, Dan says: "Build and leverage your network. Talk to people who are doing the job you want and learn from them. Take advantage of every opportunity to engage with recruiters and hiring leaders in the organizations and career field you're pursuing."

Jared Britton '22

Jared graduated from St. Thomas with a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering and is currently working as a New Product Development Engineering Manager at Integer. He chose St. Thomas, because as one of the few schools in Minnesota that offers a master's degree in mechanical engineering, St Thomas also offered numerous different options for evening, weekend, and online classes that made it easy for him to accommodate with his schedule.

Jared’s time at St. Thomas assisted in preparing him for his career by giving him additional skills to approach engineering with new perspectives on problem solving and getting results using data driven decisions. Jared felt the M.S. program offered the classes that built a solid foundation around the fundamentals of manufacturing, which included quality systems and processes, product development, supply chain, process improvement, project management and leadership.

“The St. Thomas graduate program advanced my engineering learning and gave me a competitive advantage in my professional career,” said Jared.

Robert Bruton '87



Father George Welzbacher taught Greek and Roman history at St. Thomas when I was a student there in the mid-1980s. He was a great teacher, always inspiring his students with a love for the classical world, a longing to understand why it fell, and an eagerness to detect signs of our own civilizational decline.



Fr. Welzbacher's classes were full of great stories about the heroes of ancient Rome — among them General Belisarius. I was always captivated by this story even as I wondered why Rome fell despite Emperor Justinian's impressive efforts to revive it.



The intellectual curiosity that Fr. Welzbacher triggered inspired me to continue my studies in Roman history, and I eventually obtained a Master's degree in history from Norwich University. My thesis explored the role that climate change played in the decline of the Roman Empire. After that, I wrote a trilogy on the subject, and "Empire in Apocalypse" was just published. I dedicated the book to my favorite St. Thomas professor who played a critical role in teaching me how to write history well.

Lauren Vallez '17

Lauren graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is now working as a senior mechanical engineer at Fourier Earth. She chose St. Thomas not only because of the scholarship she received, but for its small class sizes to build close relationships and be able to work on research with professors. The hands-on skills she learned in labs helped her with rapid prototyping skills that she now uses in her current position at Fourier Earth.

“Work hard to fully understand the concepts being taught to you. Don’t just memorize for a final exam. Study to learn and absorb the information. The real test as to whether you truly learned the material will occur after you graduate and you start your first job or go onto graduate school.”