By Rev. Peter Carlson Schattauer ’08

As Peace Kayitesi ‘25 was finishing her sophomore year at St. Olaf, she knew she was building a solid foundation for her final two years in college. Academically, she had declared a Social Work major, and was enjoying her classes and what she was learning. She was gaining important skills working her two jobs: at the front desk of the President’s Office and at the front desk of Buntrock Commons. Extracurricularly, she was involved in KARIBU, the student organization dedicated to creating community for African and Caribbean students on campus  and celebrating the culture of the people of Africa and the Caribbean. 

However, she was unsure of what type of opportunity she should take advantage of during the summer before her junior year. Knowing she was interested in building skills for her social work major, Peace spoke with her friend Mary Maker ‘23, who had interned at the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement (CLNE) in summer 2021, knowing that she could provide some good advice on what she should do. As Peace heard more about CLNE, she thought it seemed like a really good fit for her. “She told me that I would be working in the community, and I’m majoring in Social Work so my work has to be with people!”

Her academic work from St. Olaf even helped her in some of the work she did at CLNE. As part of a project in building capacity among the young in the neighborhood she worked in, Peace created a video on socialization, writing a script based on a series of articles that cartoons were laid over. Through this work she got to see the ways in which her academic learning can have an impact on people’s lives.

Relating to the people in the neighborhood in which she lived and worked was a theme that ran through all of the work that Peace did this summer. Even when she worked on administrative tasks, like processing donations and managing grants, she saw the ways in which she was engaging with people who support the work of the organization. 

But much of the work that Peace did was directly related to the stories of people in North Minneapolis. As CLNE worked to collect information about the lives of people living on the northside, Peace participated in two projects that sought out conversations with people in the community. The first project, run by CLNE and led by the summer interns, including Peace, interviewed members of the community to find out about the stories that shaped their lives. The second project was a partnership between CLNE and A Peace of My Mind. For this project Peace worked with John Noltner of A Peace of My Mind to photograph people in the neighborhood  and ask them one question, “Where do you find strength in the midst of struggle?” Peace then worked to invite people in the community to an exhibition of their photographs. 

At the beginning it was tough for me to be sure as it was mostly us that were looking for people to interview. I’m not from Minneapolis! I barely know anybody! Getting out of that box and figuring out how to get connected was not easy, but you have to get out of your comfort zone.

Peace Kayitesi ’25

These people oriented projects were places that Peace especially saw growth in herself. At the beginning of the summer, she didn’t feel a lot of confidence in reaching out to people she didn’t know to interview them. She didn’t know how to find people or how she would engage with them when she did find them. But she learned that she needed to get out of her comfort zone and talk to people. “At the beginning it was tough for me to be sure as it was mostly us that were looking for people to interview. I’m not from Minneapolis! I barely know anybody! Getting out of that box and figuring out how to get connected was not easy, but you have to get out of your comfort zone.” 

As she gained more confidence, she experienced the ways that stepping outside her comfort zone and just talking to people could lead to deeper and lasting relationships in a diverse community. Reflecting on the lasting relationships that she developed working at CLNE, Peace sees connections between the work of CLNE and the Lutheran Center. “They’re working with a large community with different backgrounds and I think it aligns with the Lutheran Center here. They’re trying to uplift the community in different ways that they can.”

Who knows what skills I got from my internship that might be required for my next job, but all I know is that I gained some skills and experiences that I hopefully will use and need in the future. It was a great opportunity not only for career purposes, but for general life. I learned how to be responsible, how to communicate with people, to get out of that comfort zone, and just put myself out there

Peace Kayitesi ’25

Returning to campus for this academic year, Peace doesn’t know exactly how the skills and relationships she developed this summer will be useful in this next part of her journey, but she knows they will be helpful! “Who knows what skills I got from my internship that might be required for my next job, but all I know is that I gained some skills and experiences that I hopefully will use and need in the future. It was a great opportunity not only for career purposes, but for general life. I learned how to be responsible, how to communicate with people, to get out of that comfort zone, and just put myself out there.”