Submitted by Barbara Sonnen
CST Class of 1960
I’ve selected two of the Sisters that had an impact on me from the fall of 1956 to graduation in June of 1960---Sister Ancina Adams and Sister Lea Schulte. My parents brought me to the college from St. Paul in early September of 1956. I’d grown up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where Dad worked. We’d been visiting my father's family in St. Paul, Minnesota. When we drove down to Winona, Sister Ancina was the first one we met. She and Dad got along very well and she continued to talk about him until I graduated. I think there was a time or two when I made some kind of mistake and she’d ask me, “What would your father say?” I didn’t want to hear that! But I knew she liked me.
I met Sister Lea in Rochester at the beginning of our hospital and nursing experience. We were all in the classroom and she was at the front of the room. She had been in the Twin Cities the day before and told us of an experience she had while walking down the street. She had seen someone whom she knew had a medical issue and she was trying to figure out what it was. She told us that we would be doing the same thing after we had more experience in nursing. Of course, none of us believed her. But she was totally correct. I’m diagnosing people lots of times now. Sister Lea also offered guidance during patient care as we wrote notes on the patient’s chart. I am so thankful that both of these women are part of our College of Saint Teresa Nursing history.
