I can't think of a better way of describing the University of Minnesota than as a place where movement crisply follows movement. I’m reminded of this every morning as I move along Scholars Walk. If you haven’t taken this walk, you must. Email me if you want company. I’m obsessed.

It’s a pathway spanning 2,200 feet that celebrates University achievements. Nearly 100 faculty and alumni are represented. Along the walk you’ll find engineer Seymour Cray’s calculations for the first Cray Supercomputer, composer Dominick Argento’s handwritten score for From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a sketch of architect William Pedersen’s Shanghai World Financial Center, and more. It’s breathtaking. Some people turn to coffee to give their morning a boost. I turn to Scholars Walk.

In this issue, you’ll learn about Ahmed Anzaldúa (D.M.A ’19), who makes music to find justice. You’ll find the story of Katie Heinemann (B.A.E.M. ’15), who’s breaking down data silos in the aerospace world, with the hope of one day becoming an astronaut. You’ll meet Mark Siegel (J.D. ’98), a health care expert who designs policy for the state of Minnesota from the perspective of someone who relies on medical assistance himself. Will their stories one day be represented on Scholars Walk? Don’t bet against them. They’re on their way.

The challenge in editing Minnesota Alumni is not in filling pages. One can fall out of bed and land on a thousand stories of alums breaking barriers. The challenge is in living up to the standards of previous editors, from the ever-tasteful Kelly O’Hara to the ever-missed Shelly Fling. This magazine has served as a beacon for the University since E. Bird Johnson founded it as a weekly journal in 1901. It is a time capsule of an institution that brings out the best in people. I’ll do my best to carry this on.

And I’m serious about joining you for a walk.

Adam Wahlberg (M.P.A. '16) can be reached at wahl0172@umn.edu.

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