Connor F., twenty-two years old and majoring in Business Management was the next student I had the chance to interview for Recovery Month.  Connor started his education here at the Augsburg StepUP program in the spring of 2015 and has been here since.  His sober date is January 15th, 2014 and I will share some of his experience, strength, and hope that he has shared with me.

Connor grew up in Detroit, Michigan very dedicated to sports, he even played hockey at Curry College until addiction took over.  He came across a rough patch in his life that helped fuel his use of drugs and alcohol.  Within a short amount of time Connor was dealing with the loss of his older brother to addiction, his father being indicted on federal charges, and his own addiction flaring up.  All of this gave him many reasons to use, but also to recover.

Treatment was never a consideration for Connor until a family trip down to Florida over Christmas break.  His parents brought up treatment and Connor was against the idea mainly because he didn’t want to stop using.  Connor left Florida early and came back home to a rude awakening.  He had spent New Year’s Eve intoxicated at home alone and had a moment of clarity that treatment might be what he needed.  New year’s day Connor awoke to the sight of used drugs and alcohol surrounding him, and the moment of clarity he had the night before returned.  He knew treatment was next on the agenda and became willing.

Connor contacted The Retreat, a rehabilitation center located in Wayzata, MN. They didn’t have an open bed for another two weeks.  He tried to stay clean those two weeks but could not.  He finally got into the retreat and stayed there for 30 days not knowing what he was in store for.

After treatment he was sent to a sober house located in St. Paul called the Buffalo House.  It was here that he met a few other young men in recovery that had once been part of Augsburg’s StepUP program.  They told him all about the program and how possible college was.  He became dead set on attending Augsburg and being part of the StepUP program.  He was going to start in the fall of 2014 but decided against it.  Then the following spring he knew he needed to be all in to make this work and took all the necessary steps to assure a smooth transition into StepUP.

Connor has been a dedicated student at Augsburg for almost a year now.  In the fall of 2015 he also started working for the Augsburg Department of Public safety.  Today he does a lot for his community to continue his recovery.  A very important part of Connor’s life today is to live life in the present, because he has spent the majority of his life living in the past or future and to live that way for him is crippling.  I am very grateful Connor allowed me to share his story.  He has been a friend of mine since he started his education at Augsburg and is always there when I am in need of a friend.

-Blake Halvorson

Every September is a month dedicated to recovery filled with events and ways to unite.  For this month I have decided to write every week of the month of September about a different StepUP student’s journey to recovery.  This week is about a fellow student of mine named Robert Kaloupek, also known as simply as Bo.

Bo grew up in Iowa City and like most did not see treatment in the future.  After some time experimenting with chemicals Bo spent his 20th birthday in the Hazelden Center for Youth and Families center located in Plymouth, MN.

He didn’t enjoy it there and eventually was transferred to a dual diagnosis program at the University of Iowa.  It was there when Bo had a moment of clarity.  Bo had witnessed two older gentlemen arguing about who had it worse in life and saw his future flash before him and he didn’t want to end up like these older arguing gentlemen.  It was here he came across an awesome counselor that he connected with that he continued to see after his primary care at the dual diagnosis.  This was a huge stepping stone in his journey that launched him into recovery.

After leaving his primary care he went to 180 12 step meetings in his first 90 days of sobriety.  He was very involved and proactive with his recovery but felt something still missing.  Bo eventually relapsed in 2011 at a St. Patrick’s party.  That night he drove home and lost his focus and slammed his vehicle into a guy-wire flipping his vehicle.  Emergency services rushed to the scene and found Bo not able to breath on his own.  He was quickly stabilized and rushed to the hospital.

This was Bo’s near death experience and every day since he has been grateful to be alive.  He said, “I was saved and every day since has gotten better.”  This was the start of his recovery and he has been sober now for four years, five months, and some change.

He is starting his second year now at Augsburg College and attends chapel often as part of his recovery.  I am proud to call him my friend and love his outlook on life.  He is a spiritual man and is an example for others struggling with their spirituality.  I am grateful I was able to sit down and hear this young man’s story because it humbles me and helps me with my personal recovery.

-Blake Halvorson

My name is Blake Halvorson and I am finishing up my first year with StepUP as a transfer student. I have attempted higher education numerous times in addiction and never was able to complete what I have completed here with StepUP. I started college back in 2009 and had only ever finished one full semester of college until now.

I started at St. Johns University and addiction took over quickly. I had dropped out and continued education at other locations but was never able to succeed while in addiction. I had a very low grade point average and my completion rate was low from incomplete and dropped classes. I had lost all hope that I would ever receive education other than high school until I learned about the StepUP program offered at Augsburg College.

Realizing that college was a possibility helped my recovery in the beginning because I knew I wouldn’t get in if I were still drinking. I told everyone I knew about this program and felt so blessed such a program existed. I was so excited about the thought of living in a dorm and eating at a cafeteria again.

I remember the day Tim Brustad called me letting me know I was accepted. I was living in a sober house in St. Paul at the time and could not wait to get out. I did have a lot of fear before the school year started because of all my past failed attempts at college. I wasn’t sure I would succeed but I knew I had to give it a try.

I just had my last day of classes and have completed two semesters in a row, which is a huge accomplishment for me. My confidence is back and fear of failure is no longer in my way. I even made the deans list this year, which was a huge surprise to me.

I know that none of this would be possible without the support of the StepUP community. I am very grateful for the StepUP program and all other collegiate recovery programs scattered across the country. This year was an incredible experience full of personal triumphs that I don’t think I could have got elsewhere. I am finally becoming the man that I wanted to be as a child and it feels so good.

-Blake Halvorson

With the school year coming to an end, Augsburg has been giving out awards and recognition for student’s achievements and positive roles they play on the Augsburg campus. The past two weeks have been very successful within the StepUP community.

One event that took place Thursday, April 9th was the Augsburg Leadership Awards.  The event is a celebration and recognition of outstanding student leaders and organizations from the 2014-2015 academic year.  From one category StepUP’s own Mitchell R. was awarded for participating in the Emerging Leaders Program.

Under the Outstanding Class Leaders category, StepUP had eight students’ nominated along with forty-nine other Augsburg students. StepUP represented four of the ten winners.  Julian K, Leonie M, Tina M. (all pictured above), and Rita L.  We also want to recognize those nominated, Joseph J, Robert M, and Ben M. Julian K. was also recognized as a student government senator.

Augsburg also had an All-Student Juried Art Exhibition with three StepUP students nominated, Audrey Campbell, Claire Felknor, and Tina Monje.  Also Glen G, a StepUP first year student was the grand prize winner.  Glen created a self-portrait of himself that is hanging up in the art gallery in the Oren Gateway Center. Glen was shocked and surprised himself by winning the grand prize of $500 and a $100 gift card to Dick Blick Art Materials.

Another three StepUP students were recognized Friday, April 10, at the Zyzzogeton Research Festival.  Robert M, Jessica L. (pictured on the right), and Andrew B, all presented their research at the festival.   The festival is a culmination of achievement featuring research across departments.  The event was open to the public and an outstanding event to attend.

All this happened within the past two weeks and StepUP is proud of how far the students have come.  It’s outstanding how StepUP represented students winning Senior, Junior, and Freshmen of the year.  The academic year is wrapping up and the student’s success is proof that it has been not just a successful year, but a successful journey here at StepUP.  Congratulations to all our students who have shown determination and leadership this year!

-Blake Halvorson

MNYPAA, Minnesota Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous held a convention this past weekend April 10-12th at a Holiday Inn in St. Paul.  MNYPAA is an annual conference held for any and all members of AA, and is organized primarily by young, recovering alcoholics.  They define young as “young at heart”.

This was my first time at such a convention and am already excited to attend the next one.  StepUP pre-registered fifteen students to attend.  As we car pooled over there I had no idea what to expect.  Over a quarter of the StepUP population attended the conference and as a handful of us entered the Holiday Inn (pictured on the right) there was music bumping and we started to dance.  There were hundreds of recovering alcoholics attending and I felt right at home.

The energy during this event was something I have never experienced in recovery.  People were chanting and jumping up and down celebrating sobriety time.  It was the perfect spiritual experience StepUP students needed with finals coming up.  It was beautiful to witness students reconnecting with friends they have not seen in quite some time.

The event held marathon meetings, speaker meetings,  and dances on Friday and Saturday night.  There was even a rap battle that took place late Saturday afternoon.  I was happy to see a former StepUP student winning the rap battle. There was a wide variety of sobriety time from a few days to over thirty years.

I was grateful to be a part of something larger than myself.  It is always a great reminder to see how large the recovery community is, especially within the youth.  YPAA does conferences all over America and a handful of the attendance was from out of state.  With only a few weeks left of the school year I feel much more grounded and humbled by my experience at MNYPAA.

-Blake Halvorson

-Blake Halvorson

Last friday October 24th, I attended the annual StepUP Gala for the first time. This is my first semester at Augsburg and I had no idea what to expect.  I was very excited to dress up for the sole reason of recovery.  I went out and purchased my first suit and had a lovely date who was also in recovery. .  Everyone looked amazing and smiles spread through the crowd.  After an hour of socializing we were shown to our tables where there was enough silverware per person to last me a week.  The band started playing and a sense of gratefulness came over me.  Especially when I got to see all the alumni come up to the front, consisting of teachers, lawyers, doctors, and video producers.  It filled me with hope seeing all the alumni and their achievements, and knowing I am following the same path.  Another powerful realization was how large the StepUP program is.  People from all over the country attended and participated in making not just the StepUP gala happen, but the StepUP program itself.  The Gala was the highlight of the semester and I am already excited to bring my mother next year to it.  I am very grateful to everyone out there who contributes to this program.  Overall, the 2014 StepUp Gala brought me to the realization that I am blessed.

— Gabriel S.  

When I was in high school I would watch MTV’s spring break special every year, ecstatically awaiting the charmed college life I would soon be living. No class. Just warm sunny beaches with beautiful women, muscles and success all falling right into my deserving hands. Well, as it turns out … I’m a drunk. When I first figured this out, I was outraged at the thought of abandoning my dreams of frat-stardom. Poor me. Instead of my riotous spring break plans I was now envisioning myself waking up early and brushing my teeth everyday. (I only did one of those things today) I left the idea of having fun in sobriety back in Disney World when I was 11 years old.

Let’s fast-forward a few years. I am a junior in college living happily in long-term recovery and have even rediscovered the blissful state of freedom that I once knew as an overweight child. However, there is still a piece of me at times that will inevitably become jealous of my “normal” friends, living out my old spring break fantasies with impunity. Shortly before spring break this year, as I was listening to them talk about all of the amazing times to come, a thought crossed my mind. “Why not me?” I knew I couldn’t afford to fly out to South Padre with them because money was an issue but that didn’t mean I couldn’t plan my own escape. I called a long-time friend and we set out on planning a spur-of-the moment road-trip to Colorado. My friend, let’s just call him Cole, wanted to go climbing. I wanted to meet up with our mutual friends and hit the streets in search of excitement, but to humor him I happily agreed and said we could work it in.

Two days later, Cole and I were on the road. We had a loose outline of what our trip would be: day 1-climbing Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and day 2- go to Colorado. The rest was up in the air. Climbing Devil’s Tower was unsuccessful due to weather conditions so we packed up and left for Colorado. Upon arrival we met up with our old friend Charlie who was gracious enough to put us up for a few nights. The three of us went climbing the next day. I was feeling a little weary about this endeavor. The last time I tried to climb anything was gym class in 5^th grade and I didn’t make it off the ground. (Oh yeah, I’m also afraid of heights so there’s that.) It was a beautiful 60-degree day, the sun was shining and the trees were lush. There I was, all tied in and ready to climb. I set forth and successfully climbed my first pitch. What an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment. After that I was hooked.

We spent the rest of our trip climbing and since being home it is all I can think about. The freedom I felt was unbelievable. Climbing higher and harder routes everyday, I realized something. I’m not afraid of heights! I’m afraid of falling. For years I was so afraid of failure that I didn’t bother trying to push myself to new limits. Instead I just chose to get high and hope that everything would work out. Recovery has given me more gifts than I could have ever imagined. In the recent months I have found a new passion for life. Whether it is rock climbing or my social work classes I am able to go forward without the fear of failure that hindered me for so long. I also have no more interest in my MTV fantasy because I’ve found so many things vastly more fulfilling than that.

-Lynn Ellingson

Two StepUP students, Stuart W. and Billy G., are passionate about tennis.  Stuart started playing tennis when he was 5 years old and began competitive tennis in the 6^th grade.  Billy started playing when he was 10 years old and began playing competitively in middle school.

“I never left tennis,” says Stuart.  “However, during my addiction my game was not as good as it should’ve been.  My priorities weren’t straight, which led to poor performance.”  Billy echoes Stuart’s experience, “I was late to practice or wouldn’t show up and my game play went down.  I never got kicked off the team.  I just didn’t care if I won or lost; I only cared about getting high.”

When Stuart and Billy came to Augsburg College they were disappointed that Augsburg did not have a tennis team.  “My dad suggested that we sign up for USTA (United States Tennis Association).  Billy and I are now playing in a men’s league at one doubles,” explains Stuart.  “It is fun playing with one of my best friends, as we endure the highs and lows together.”  Billy talked about their “teammate bond, relying on each other and having lots of fun.”

When asked what advice they have for other students who want to play a sport, Billy replies, “Do your research, stay committed, and everything is available.” Stuart agrees, “If you’re truly passionate about a sport, and do not want to give it up, there are opportunities everywhere!”

Stuart and Billy certainly seized their opportunity in Minnesota and couldn’t be happier.
Billy G. and Stuart W.