For Beth Sietsema Kadlec ’96, the College of Saint Benedict has always felt like home. Her aunt, Sister Janelle Sietsema, is a member of the monastery, and Beth grew up visiting campus often. She remembers the warmth and hospitality of the sisters from her earliest visits—how they treated guests like royalty, making her feel welcome and special. That spirit of Benedictine hospitality would become a guiding thread throughout her life.
At Saint Ben’s, Beth majored in natural science and immersed herself in campus life. She worked for intramural sports, played broomball in the old Horse Barn, and cherished simple joys like sledding with friends on shower curtains down the snowbanks of St. Joseph. Though she entered college as a shy, studious first-year, she left four years later with confidence, lifelong friendships, and a deepened sense of faith and purpose. “Senior year was my favorite year,” she reflects. “I felt like I was coming into my own person.”
Professors and mentors at CSB nurtured her love of learning and broadened her perspective. A four-week summer field course, The Biology of the Pacific Northwest, with Professor Emeritus Dr. James Poff, took students camping across national parks in eight states. Each student completed a research project rooted in natural science—an experience that stretched Beth well beyond her comfort zone. She also credits History Professor Emeritus Annette Atkins, whose creative teaching methods brought history to life. Atkins’ research on sibling relationships during the grasshopper plagues of the late 1800s left a lasting impression, and Beth has gone on to read several of her books.
Her Benedictine Friend was Sister Jeanne Lust, also known as Dr. Jeanne Marie Lust, a respected, longtime Biology Professor at the college. This relationship, along with so many formative experiences, fostered Beth’s enduring commitment to community, balance, and the Benedictine values of awareness of God, hospitality, and service.
After graduation, Beth pursued pharmacy, eventually specializing in oncology. Her career was shaped not only by her academic foundation but also by deeply personal challenges, including a season of illness and chemotherapy treatment. During that time, she clung to God’s faithfulness in the midst of darkness. “There were moments when my own strength and faith wavered,” she shares. “But it was in those moments that God’s tremendous love transformed me. Only by His grace…this is where the credit is due—and what joy it yields!” These experiences gave her profound empathy for her patients. Today, as a clinical pharmacist in oncology, she walks alongside individuals and families in some of life’s most difficult moments. “It’s about giving people time,” she explains—time to connect, to heal, and to create meaningful memories.
Beth’s service extends beyond her professional role. Locally, she has been active in Relay for Life and Walk in the Park events, raising money for cancer research and patient support. She also volunteers in her parish and at her children’s schools. Perhaps her most transformative work, however, has been her participation as part of the pharmacy team on medical mission trips to Guatemala with the nonprofit HELPS International.
Each year, Beth joins more than 90 volunteers—including surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, and translators—to provide surgeries, clinical care, and community support in rural Guatemala. Their efforts range from repairing cleft palates and hernias to installing water purification systems and
clean stoves that improve daily life and health. Beth helps ensure the safe and effective management of medications—a complex but vital piece of the mission.
The work is humbling and deeply rewarding. She recalls patients who waited hours—sometimes days—for care, yet responded with overwhelming gratitude. One woman in her forties, who had lived her entire life with a cleft lip and palate, received life-changing surgery. Beth remembers her husband—a blind man—gently touching his wife’s repaired face, weeping with gratitude. Another time, a young girl with severe burns regained the use of her arm thanks to surgery and follow-up therapy. “It changes you,” Beth reflects. “The people you think you’re going to help—their gratitude and their strength—end up changing you the most.”
Beth credits her desire to serve to her upbringing, her parents and grandparents’ example, her faith, and her time at Saint Ben’s. “The sisters taught me that you can make a difference right where you are,” she says. “The mission work is incredible, but you don’t have to travel far to change lives—you can do that in your own community.”
Today, Beth and her husband are raising four children, ages 10 to 19. She continues to balance professional life, volunteer work, and family while praying for the strength and wisdom to follow God’s call. She gives her “rebel heart” over to Him again and again, trusting in His faithfulness and grace.
Beth Sietsema Kadlec’s journey is a powerful example of what it means to think critically, lead courageously, and advocate passionately. Grounded in faith and fueled by her Saint Ben’s education, she has built a life of service, resilience, and compassion—one that touches lives both near and far.