Spending his entire life on his family’s farm in the middle of rural Long Prairie, Minnesota, psychology teacher and assistant Cross Country/Track coach, Jeremy Welters’s decision to come to St.Benedict’s was a shock even to him.

“The big part of coming was not knowing what I wanted to do after graduating from St. John’s.”

When he started college, Mr. Welters had not planned on becoming a teacher.

“I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to major in, which was communications,” said Mr. Welters. “ So it’s definitely been a learning experience. I didn’t go to college to major in secondary education. I don’t really have the experience that those people have that went to college for teaching, so I’m learning as I go.”

Mr. Welters heard about St. Benedict’s through an email for the St. John’s Benedictine Volunteer corps.

“I didn’t want to go to a big city, I’m not a fan of a lot of noise,” he said. “ But I think this is a good starting point for what I have in mind later down the road working with students.”

Coming to Benedict’s was a chance to give back for Mr. Welters, who is big on volunteering.

“Offering my time is a big thing whether it be covering for a teacher, tutoring kids, helping in Leahy House, or just other things that need to be done.”

Besides being the psychology teacher, Mr. Welters is currently one of the assistant coaches for the Cross Country and Track & Field teams.

“I run with the Cross Country team almost everyday… it’s going pretty good. I think the hardest thing is trying to find a balance between trying to be a friend to the cross country/track guys and also being a coach and authority figure.”

Despite his skepticism early on, Mr. Welters is taking teaching by the horns.

“It’s one of the things I wanted to do, to work with students. Teaching and coaching definitely allow me to be a role model and mentor.”