While some parts of the college experience are more academically focused鈥攍ike majors, class schedules, internships, and deadlines鈥攚e can鈥檛 forget about the friendships made along the way. These relationships tend to last far beyond graduation. We asked the Augsburg community to share photos of their friend groups across social media and . Here are some of their responses:


Pictured above: Cynthia Lindsay 鈥24, Sarah Runck 鈥24, and Sarah Freedland 鈥23
鈥淢y friend group has provided me a sense of belonging, a support system, and they helped me discover who I am while at college. While being away from home, I was able to connect with others similar to me and formed bonds that will continue after college. They provided me a home away from home and helped create stories I still hold on to today. They will forever be my family.鈥 鈥Sarah Runck 鈥24

Pictured above: Cece 鈥29, Carly 鈥30, Haylee 鈥30, and Brilee 鈥30聽
鈥淚 love my friends because they鈥檙e always there to support me no matter what the circumstances are.鈥 鈥Brilee Nelson 鈥30



Pictured above: Julissa Nieto 鈥28, Gabriela Acosta 鈥28, Jazmin Ortiz 鈥28, Johanna Alvarado 鈥27, Brenda Jachero 鈥28, Marvin Guamanquispe 鈥28, and Domenica Taco Proano 鈥27聽
鈥淥ne thing I love most about my friends is that we share the same culture, and that they are supportive, genuine, and always encourage me to keep going, even during difficult times.鈥 鈥Domenica Taco Proano 鈥27

Pictured above: Aidan Wippich ’27, Faye Kelley ’28, Hannah Rust ’28, Emmie Sandifer-Stech ’26, Avery Cheeseman ’26, Paul Ellertson ’26, Diego Perez ’28, and Maxwell Danzel-Lage ’27
鈥淚 love that my friends are kind and amusing!鈥 鈥Faye Kelley 鈥28聽

Pictured above: members
Top row: Dejchia Lor 鈥27 and Naw Blu 鈥26
Middle row: Yan Urrizalqui 鈥27, Jennifer Vo 鈥26, and Rachelle Cha 鈥26
Bottom row: Tommy Lee 鈥26
“It means support from people who are passionate about the same things. It means having a team who’s excited about building and creating projects/events that are for the community.” 鈥Yan Urrizalqui 鈥26

Pictured above: members Goldy Moua 鈥27, GaoNou Vang 鈥26, and Eli Yang 鈥27
“It means honesty, teamwork, communication, and having each other’s back. It’s knowing how to have a good time and when to take things seriously” 鈥GaoNou Vang 鈥26

Pictured above: members Cecelia Dauphine 鈥28, Maya Miller 鈥26, Camille Hunte ’26, and Ajulu Otong 鈥26
“Unity, Black sisterhood” 鈥Camille Hunte 鈥26


Pictured above: Andrea Hansen 鈥81, Laura Kasdorf 鈥81, Julie Moinicken 鈥81, Maureen (Webster) Hoeffler 鈥81, Linda (Roop) Svendsen 鈥81, Janna (Wallin) Haug 鈥81, Mary Lou (Schlosser) Suss 鈥81, Susan (Dahlgren) Sackrison 鈥81, and Mary Beamish 鈥81
鈥淥ur group of friends from the Augsburg Class of 1981鈥攍oosely known as 鈥榯he Sigma women,鈥 named for the Sigma house many of us lived in during our senior year at Augsburg鈥攈as stuck together through thick and thin since graduating from Augsburg. We have gathered for weekends in the woods as well as lunches in the city. We鈥檝e pursued varying paths personally and professionally, but have always drawn strength from the support we鈥檝e found by gathering regularly to share our stories.
鈥淛anna (Wallin) Haug says, 鈥業 think it is a rare and valuable opportunity to have a friend group that has met for several decades after college. I treasure the annual weekend trips to the cabin in Wisconsin as well as the occasional meet-ups in between where we can talk about books, food, politics, religion, old friends we have in common, kids, grandkids, and even emerging health concerns as we grow older. We have discovered new restaurants together, museums, libraries, gift shops, gone hiking, and geo-caching. We’ve crafted together, watched movies, baked apple pies, shared recipes, and played games. The value of a group like this is the ability to share memories from the past, experience and learn new things together, and talk about our future.鈥
鈥淥ur community at the Sigma house had a mission of global concerns鈥攐rganizing programming around world issues on campus鈥攕o we learned then to work together on our projects. That group togetherness has endured over the years.
鈥淎s Susan (Dahlgren) Sackrison puts it: 鈥楲iving together in a house as opposed to apartments in our senior year is what makes for our large group of friends. We may not be 鈥榖esties鈥 but we have an enduring friendship over 40 years. I think this is because of the values of 海角社区 and urban living.鈥欌 鈥Mary Beamish 鈥81
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