Alumni Focus - Jill (Oldfield) McNamara ('85)

We recently caught up with alumna Jill (Oldfield) McNamara who reflected on her time at SCLA and gave us an update on what she’s doing today. She writes:

I have many fond memories from high school. I am most thankful for the time I was able to spend with friends in a Christ-centered environment. Ball games, concerts, student council - our faith was always there as a bond among us. I remember being excused for lunch early to go down to the tiny kitchen in the gym to microwave packaged sandwiches for the “hot lunch kids!" I cherish memories of trips to Camp Croix with other faculty families.

I had such talented and caring teachers. Miss Pauline Rupprecht was always so kind in typing class. I remember playing Bible trivial pursuit with Pastor Staab. Mr. Steuber always made U.S. history class fun. Mr. Schlawin should know that my interest in biology led to a career in healthcare. Every one of his students remembers getting out of their seats to do cheers in his classroom. “Xylem up, phloem down!”

The school had such a great influence on our faith and in how we raise our families. I will forever be thankful to the Lord for the opportunity and I will do what I can to encourage others to let St. Croix teach their children.

I feel very blessed to have had my dad, Mr. Oldfield, for an instructor. Dad being a teacher there exposed us to it at a young age. We’d go to school with him on Saturday mornings and jump on the trampoline or crawl under the bleachers in search of change while he worked. I had Dad for earth science and world His-story classes. He was a teacher who made a huge impact on my experience at St. Croix. He sometimes presented as strict but had so much grace for kids who struggled. He taught with faith and compassion for his students. He deeply cared for their souls and offered guidance for troubled students toward the Christian path. He taught me how to balance work and family. He always had time for us.

I work as senior CT technologist at Abbott Northwestern Westhealth campus in Plymouth. I worked the overnight shift at a hospital after completing radiography school at North Memorial, then I went to work at Westhealth in 2005. Westhealth is a large outpatient facility serving hundreds of referring physicians and specialists as well as a busy free-standing emergency department. My role there is to perform CT scans on patients for a variety of needs. We provide imaging for oncologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons, to name just a few. I train new technologists in radiation and scanning principles. I build and maintain scanning protocols by working with the radiologists to determine how each patient should be scanned. I am responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the CT department’s accreditation with the American College of Radiology. The pandemic has created many new challenges for us in patient care and imaging of Covid-suspect patients. We needed to adapt. I was constantly reminded of the reason I entered the field: to help diagnose the ill patient and to be a part of getting them treatment and making them better. I love my patients. There are some very special cancer patients I see regularly and have come to care deeply for. It is a very rewarding career.

My husband, Ted, and I live in Monticello on the Mississippi River. We spend quite a bit of time on the water fishing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Each season brings a new set of wildlife to the river. Wintertime is fun when the trumpeter swans come by the hundreds to sit on the open water behind the house. My family and I enjoy participating in triathlons and running events. Ted and our daughter Elizabeth recently completed an Ironman competition in Tulsa. It was the first one for Elizabeth, and racing it with her dad was special for us. I spend time with sisters Jenny and Cathy and their families, as well as with Mom, as often as we can. I visit Barbara in Colorado. We all still talk about old friends from high school when we get together. The school had such a great influence on our faith and in how we raise our families. I will forever be thankful to the Lord for the opportunity and I will do what I can to encourage others to let St. Croix teach their children.