2023 Wesley Award Winners
Students
Anika Besst (she/they) is from Coon Rapids, Minnesota and will graduate this spring from the College of Liberal Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts and journalism (with an emphasis in social justice), and an English minor. Anika has been involved in theatre, undergraduate research, and the Dance Ensemble. She’s served as a Student Ambassador, New Student Mentor, and fulfilled various roles within the Oracle, most notably as the editor-in-chief this year.
Aram Wedatalla (she/her) is from Woodbury, Minnesota and will graduate this spring from the Hamline School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration and management concentration and a psychology minor. Aram has been involved with the Muslim Student Association (currently serving as president) and Women Boss Up; she has served as a Catalyst service trip site leader, a Food Resource Center program management intern, a student leader for Pathways, an Interfaith America Trainee and an event leader for the career mentor program.
Caleb Lueders (he/him) is a Junior studying Business Management. He is scheduled to graduate from Hamline in spring of 2024. During his time at Hamline, Caleb has been on the football team and held several leadership positions, including New Student Mentor, Camp Counselor, and Piper IMPACT Executive. He has volunteered in his community as a YoungLife Ambassador, Habitat for Humanity, and assisting children with homework.
Staff
Gwenn Sherburne (she/her) has been at Hamline University for over 25 years and for the past nine years has served as the University Registrar. She was originally hired in the Graduate School registrar's office. One of her nominators said, “she has not only stayed with Hamline through many challenging times, but she has provided leadership for the institution at many critical points. Gwenn has given countless hours of her time to service that supports all Hamline students through her many committee and service responsibilities.”
Summer Seeger (she/her) has been at Hamline for over eight years and serves the community as the medical administrative assistant in the Counseling and Health Services Office. Summer has been invaluable in navigating the challenges concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. She helped organize testing for students and developed new procedures for students to access Health and Counseling services. When the director of Health Services left Hamline, Summer was part of a lean staff that worked hard to continue to serve students. She has attended weekly meetings about how to respond to the pandemic on a college campus
Faculty
Dr. Kris Norman - Kris is an alum of Hamline University with degrees in business administration and political science. She then went to the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs to complete a master’s, and finally to Vanderbilt University to study American and comparative politics. Kris combined this coursework when returning to Hamline in 2001, focusing on developing and growing the public administration degrees in what was then the Graduate School of Management. She was then tenured in 2008 and promoted to full professor in 2013. Kris is an involved faculty member. She is available to serve as a sounding board for other faculty and is very active in the Hamline School of Business in a variety of ways that specifically demonstrates the core values of high quality and vigorous academics.
Dr. Rebecca Neal started at Hamline University as a professor in the Hamline School of Education in 2015, appointed as the director for the Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching in 2017, tenured in 2019, and appointed as the Saunder’s Chair in 2021. Since being hired, Rebecca has submitted many journal articles and has presented at many conferences.
