Um! Yah! Yah! With a View
Student Perspective

Bryan Hinck '06
April 27, 2006

St. Olaf senior Bryan Hinck grew up in Bloomington, MN and attended the Minnehaha Academy where his mother taught English for many years. Bryan started both soccer and cello lessons at age 6. As a St. Olaf student, Bryan has played with the St. Olaf Orchestra for four years, is serving as the orchestra president and has traveled to Ethiopia and India on medical missions. Bryan will graduate this spring with a B.A. in Music and a concentration in Biomedical Studies. Attending medical school is next on his horizon with dreams to follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor.

Zenabo was fetching water from a stream when a bolder rolled down the hill from above, fracturing her small 6-year-old tibia so badly that it broke through her fragile skin. Her parents carried her 20Km to Gimbie Adventist Hospital in Gimbie Ethiopia, where days later I would arrive with fellow Ole Pete Stiles to begin our 6 weeks of medical volunteering. The surgeon, Dr. Jack, was waiting for enough granular tissue to build up on Zenabo's leg so that a skin graft could be performed. After two weeks, she was ready. We had gotten to know Zenabo enough during those weeks that Dr. Jack thought it'd be a good idea for us to assist him on the operation. So, as Zenabo drifted into an induced sleep, I scrubbed in for my very first surgery. The surgery was successful, but since she lived so far away, she had to stay at the hospital while her leg healed. My friend and I were put in charge of changing her dressings regularly, and though our approach meant she would feel pain as she wasn't on any sort of pain killer, she always greeted us with shinning brown eyes and the brightest smile I've seen. This story is just one of the many which St. Olaf has provided me, strengthening my resolve to pursue a career in medicine.

When I began my college search, I didn't want to go to St. Olaf. I thought it was too close to home. I didn't open any letter from a college that was closer than Chicago. But, what I did want was a school where I could major in music, performing at the highest possible level, while pursuing a pre-med track. Schools like that are hard to find, in fact I couldn't find any other schools like St. Olaf, which has both renowned departments of music and the sciences. I had to realize that everything I wanted was just out my back door. And my mom reminds me every time she and my dad are able to make it down for an orchestra concert, they haven’t missed any by the way, of the scarcity of their possible attendance had I gone to a school on the East Coast. However, there is more to St. Olaf than it's music and sciences.

The mission of the college is to "provide an education committed to the liberal arts, rooted in the Christian Gospel, which incorporates a global perspective." Reflecting on my time at Olaf I see that all three are true. I have been able to participate in The St. Olaf Orchestra for four years, which has allowed me to make music at 16 Christmasfests, 4 domestic tours, and an international tour to Norway. This past year I was elected president of the orchestra, which has afforded me the opportunity to work even more closely with Mr. Amundson and participate in the behind-the-scenes work of the orchestra. Through this work I have realized the magnitude of support from Alumni and friends of the college. As I've heard Dr. Armstrong say time and again, "No one does music quite like we do at St. Olaf," and I believe that is in large part do to the tremendous support provided by Alumni to ensembles on the road from New York to Great Falls Montana.

During my sophomore year I went on the Interim trip entitled "Historical geography and the Bible." We were supposed to go to Turkey, Greece and Rome, but some bombs went off in Istanbul and the college didn't think it would be a very good idea to let 30 Oles run around Istanbul at the time, so we had to spend more time in Greece and Rome… rough life. It was an enlightening experience to read the letters of Paul in the cities that they were written for. Not only did this experience expand my faith though a month of intense focus on questioning and contextualizing the scripture, it was also my first, of what would be many study abroad opportunities at St. Olaf.

The next came just months after returning from Athens and Rome when an idea of medical mission volunteering became a reality with a connection in Ethiopia. Pete and I applied for and received the Kloeke-Jenson Peace and Justice Scholarship that fully funded our travel expenses. This scholarship, along with other scholarships and donations allowed us to bring 150 pounds of medical equipment with us. Not only did Ethiopia provide more hands on experience than I could have ever dreamed, but it also connected me with another volunteer opportunity. Through a Rotary Group that donated money for medical gear, I met Abul Shara who founded a clinic in rural Northeast India five years ago. So, after some planning and many discussions with Ted Johnson I set up an interim trip this January for another Ole and myself. We were able to live and work directly with the Indian staff of the clinic in the impoverished countryside of India. All these experiences have been eye opening and life directing.

After graduation this May, I hope to attend medical school in the fall at either the University of Minnesota or Creighton University with the potential to live with my four best friends from St. Olaf. I had hoped to know by now, but I guess this is just a good practice in patience. From my experience in Ethiopia, I know my dream job is to be general surgeon who can yearly incorporate medical mission work for 2-3 months into my practice. Also, knowing how valuable my experience was in both Ethiopia and India, I think it was would be great to set up a partnership with St. Olaf so a couple pre-med students could venture with me and learn hands on as I did. But, that is a few years down the road.

I would like to take this opportunity, as the representative St. Olaf student to say thank you. As students, we always dread the day in spring when we receive letters in our p.o. boxes informing us the amount of tuition increase for the next year. However, we also know that without your generous support not only would tuition be significantly higher, we wouldn't have the amazing faculty we do, the beautiful facilities available to us and none of the study abroad opportunities that were available to me. So, Thank you. And as one soon to graduate I'm happy to say I've joined you in my own small way. So far 58% of my graduating class has made a commitment to the senior pledge. Granted, I'm starting small, but some day I hope to be sitting where you are, being thanked for my contribution ensuring that generations of Oles to come can enjoy the unbelievable opportunities I've had.

I should also finish my story about Zenabo. For the weeks after her surgery, she remained bed ridden with only the occasional trip around the grounds in her wheel chair. Through this time her spirits remained high, her smile remained huge and her voice remained hopeful and she called to us, "pete, pete, bry, bry." The day before we left to return home, she too left on crutches to return home. She gave me one last smile and hug and then she hobbled down the dirt road and into my memory forever. I can only hope to use this memory and the many others St. Olaf provided to truly use my education to be a peace maker in this world.

Thank you.