Our current students learn about Saint John’s in a variety of ways. In the case of Kendall Fujita ’19, the connection to Collegeville follows a convoluted line from Marin County, California, to Nanakuli, Hawaii, to St. Paul, Minnesota, and finally to Collegeville.
The catalyst behind Kendall’s enrollment at Saint John’s University has been Celeste and Scott Chapman of Tiburon, California. Their son, Bobby, is a 2010 Johnnie who had a great four-year residential liberal arts experience at Saint John’s. Bobby’s positive time at Saint John’s led his parents to become some of our biggest cheerleaders on the west coast. Celeste and Scott have opened their home to host gatherings and have been wonderful supporters of Saint John’s.
Celeste is also highly involved with the music program at Saint Rita Catholic Church in Nanakuli, Hawaii, where she and Scott spend time. This is how she got to know Kendall, a talented ukulele player and musician. When the opportunity came for several youth from Saint Rita’s to travel to St. Paul to attend a summer liturgical music conference two years ago, Celeste arranged time for these young men and women to spend a few days at Saint John’s, and during their campus visit they enjoyed the lakes and woods, as well as visits with faculty, staff and admission representatives.
As you probably guessed, Kendall was one of the youth who arrived on campus with Celeste that summer. He immediately took to the beauty of the campus, and he greatly enjoyed his brief stay in Collegeville. When the time came to choose a college, his summer visit arranged by Celeste played a significant role in his decision to attend CSB/SJU.
Kendall is thriving as a first-year student, and he has enjoyed meeting so many great students and faculty who make up our community. He continues to play the ukulele, and he is enjoying both his first year of coursework and the social opportunities. One of the things he tells me he likes the most is the experience of distinct seasons here in Minnesota. As we wrapped up a lunch in February, Kendall was excited to see snowflakes out the windows of the refectory, and he moved briskly to get back outside.
Alumni, parents and friends play an important role in the recruitment of young men to Saint John’s University. As Celeste and Kendall have taught us, often times it is as simple as getting them to visit campus.