Meet the Student Coordinators!

Emmett Adam

I am a Senior at St. John’s University. My majors are Political Science and History with a Pre-Law track. The upcoming academic year will be my third year involved with the McCarthy Center. As a first-year, I volunteered weekly, was a member of the Mentorship Program, and transcribed a project on Senator McCarthy. Last year, as a sophomore, I helped lead the McCarthy Center Mentorship Program with Liam Miller '23. I am currently on the Programming team. I joined the MCC to work alongside a group of peers with goals interrelated with mine. The Student Coordinators and Team are very bright, believe in the mission of the Center, and have a vested interest in improving our community. This year, I look forward to working with the Programming Team and offering dynamic opportunities to engage students with public policy and civic engagement. I look to collaborate with different campus stakeholders, seek new bold opportunities, and learn more with my peers.

On campus I am the Academic Affairs Representative on the Saint John’s Senate, an Opinion Editor for The Record, a member of the United Politics club, a Research Assistant for the CSB/SJU Political Science Department, an Orientation Leader, and part of Johnnie Brothers. Outside of school I have worked as an Appointments Intern for the Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a Campaign and Legislative Office Intern for Representative Dave Pinto, MN House (64B), and a Political Fellow for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. In my free time, I enjoy listening to podcasts, exercising, reading, spending time outside on campus, and keeping in touch with friends/family. A fun fact about me is that my birthday is 03/02/01!

Kate Fenske  

I am a Senior at the College of Saint Benedict. My major is Integrative Science with a focus on Public Health and I also have a minor in Political Science. This year I am co-leading the mentor program! Last year as a student coordinator, I was on the events team and worked mainly on planning study tours. This year, I hope to expand the mentor program out of the classroom and get the McCarthy Center back to pre-COVID productivity!

Outside of the McCarthy Center, I also work at The Record as a Managing Editor, and you can frequently find me walking around campus or standing in the back of an event with a camera. I also am a Student Coordinator of OutdoorU's Peer Resource Program (PRP). This fall, I also had the opportunity to go to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for COP27 to perform research on the intersection of public health and climate change.

Previously, I served on the Executive Board for the Global Health Affairs Club and was a member of CSB Senate for two years. I've also been a member of Summer Leadership Fellows cohorts for the past two summers, spending one of them interning for a trade organization in Washington D.C. and the other working for a social justice non-profit in Minneapolis. 

I love all things outdoors and always enjoy drinking copious amounts of coffee. A fun fact about me is that I’ve been to 23 countries!

Kate Fenske

Landon Peterson 

I am a junior at St. John's, majoring in Political Science and minoring in both Peace Studies and English. I first encountered the McCarthy Center during a campus tour as a senior in high school, and instantly knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. Every day has lived up to expectations: from volunteering as a freshman to serving as a Student Coordinator in charge of the Center's social media and external communications last year, and co-leading the McCarthy Mentor Program this year. There are so many opportunities to grow as an individual, and I'm incredibly excited to connect CSB+SJU students to passionate alumni/ae who are willing to advise students on college and beyond. 

On campus, I serve as an Editor of The Record, an Interfaith Researcher and Leader with the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning, and am also a member of the baseball team. In my free time, I enjoy playing racquetball against Professor Jeff Anderson, getting outdoors with my friends, and making pasta with sausage and Rao's sauce. A fun fact about me is that I got into a car accident in Cairo this fall (I wasn't driving). 

Landon Peterson

Meghan Weiss

I am a freshman at the College of St. Benedict. I am majoring in Political Science with minors in accounting and psychology. This is my first year as a student coordinator! I am very excited to be a member of the Center. The center puts on and creates many impressive and informative events that help encourage, inform, and engage CSB+SJU students, alum, and the public. I am looking forward to being a part of the wonderful legacy the McCarthy Center upholds. Outside of the McCarthy Center I am a member of the Jazz Band, Orchestra, Band and Viola Da Gambas. I am also a contracted player with the St. Cloud Symphony. In my free time I enjoy being outside, practicing my instruments, listening to jazz, and doing CrossFit. A fun fact about me is that I was adopted from Guatemala when I was seven months old!

Meghan Weiss