Tyler Petersen, economics and political science double major, 3.91 GPA 
Petersen is from Albert Lea, Minn. He is the president of UST College Democrats, the vice president of Pi Sigma Alpha and an Aquinas Scholar. He also plays in the Pep Band, serves on the University Hearing Board and participated in academic presentations on campus.
Petersen has been on the Dean’s Honors list every semester and received the William B. Malevich Leadership scholarship. He also attended a two-week political science seminar during his freshman January term in Washington D.C. where he was selected to receive a ticket to see President Obama’s inauguration.
Petersen said an interesting fact about himself is his “baking skills put your average adorable grandmother’s to shame. When I was working at an internship junior year, one of my female co-interns said that she did not think men were capable of baking. I never turn down a challenge. I mustered all of my Easy Mac skills and made some fairly impressive cranberry oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say, her opinion was changed.”
Before students graduate, Petersen said they need “to try at least one Mary Sandwich from the Binz, no exceptions. And you can’t tell her what to make, you have to let her surprise you. She’s one of St. Thomas’ hidden treasures.”
After graduating, Petersen said he plans on “taking a year or two off of school to do some policy research work. I’m waiting to hear back on a couple of pending applications for groups in Chicago and Washington D.C. After that I plan on going to graduate school for public policy and political science.”