Glenn's sister April Young walks an indoor labyrinth at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, Wis. Glenn can be seen in the background, also walking the labyrinth. [print-quality version]

In more ways than one, Amy Glenn of Monmouth just completed a labyrinth.

The 44-year-old Glenn, who works as a secretary in the radiology department at Monmouth’s OSF Holy Family Medical Center, is married to Warren County YMCA program director Tom Glenn and has two children, ages 24 and 19.

"I think Amy’s story is inspiring," said Hannah Schell, one of the faculty members in her major. "She has dealt with more than her fair share of stresses and obstacles along the way."

"I couldn’t have done it without her," Glenn said of Schell. "She was very encouraging and helpful. My daughter had some health problems, and Hannah was there to help me out through all the little problems that I had."

Also in attendance were two very special MC alumni: Glenn’s mother, Sue Boostrom Ault ’81, and her grandmother, Ethel Burrill Boostrom ’43. Like Glenn, her mother also completed her college degree later in life when she changed her occupation from registered nurse to elementary school teacher. Other family members present were her husband and daughter and various aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

In fact, the list of Monmouth College connections in Glenn’s family is quite impressive. Her sister, April Ault Young and brother-in-law Bryan Scott Young graduated in 1987, the same year that her cousin, Sherri Ault, also completed her studies. Aunt Ruth Ault Shimmin graduated as a non-traditional student in 1982 and is the mother and mother-in-law, respectively, of Fighting Scots coaches Hank and Kari Bailey Shimmin ’97. Another aunt, Deborah Boostrom Fuess ’69, helped Glenn produce her documentary, and a third one, Peggy Ault Kulczewski, is on the MC faculty and is the person Glenn credits with introducing her to labyrinths.

Uncles include Roderick Fuess Jr. ’72 and Rusty Boostrom ’77. A great aunt, Virginia Burrill Moffitt, graduated in 1945, and Glenn’s great-grandmother, Ruth Lucas Schweitzer, attended the college’s music conservatory in the 1920s. Cousin Adam Schweitzer was a 2002 graduate, and two other cousins, Caleb Burrill and Bailey Vincent, are currently enrolled. Another cousin, Kim Ault Anderson, worked at the Monmouth College Bookstore, and Glenn’s grandmother, Dorothy Schweitzer Ault, was employed in the cafeteria. Additionally, Tom Glenn’s aunt and uncle are Bob ’57 and Mary Kay Bishop Lindsay ’58.

"It was fun to get together and think about all of our personal ties to Monmouth College," Glenn said, noting that several other relatives have attended classes at Monmouth, including her father, Wayne Ault.

Last November, Glenn made another public presentation at Monmouth, borrowing a canvas labyrinth from the Rev. Carolyn Weber of Oneida. Members of the campus community were invited to walk to its center and, once there, to sit and ponder their walk and the importance it held for them.

Glenn hopes to bring a permanent labyrinth to Monmouth, as well, and she has formed a committee to rally for that cause.

"A labyrinth, like those found in Scotland, would make Monmouth College unique and more appealing to future students," she reasoned. "It would be a great resource for the students, faculty and community to pray and relieve stress."

Glenn has walked to the center of her share of labyrinths as part of her research, and the similarities between those walks and her journey through higher education are many.

"Walking a labyrinth is an activity about disciplining yourself, much like you would do with exercise, or daily prayer, or reading the Bible," said Glenn. "It’s how serious you want to take it. There are some who do it for recreation only. Personally, it takes me away from the busyness of everyday life, and it helps me in my spiritual life."

One of Glenn's favorite outdoor labyrinths is this one constructed of stones in Wheatland, Iowa. [print-quality version]

"I thought, ‘I’m starting college early so I’ll graduate early,’" she laughed. "It didn’t quite happen that way."

"When I moved back to Monmouth in 2002, I knew I wanted to finish here," said Glenn, who added that about 90 percent of her community college credits transferred.

Back in 1981, Glenn had declared herself a liberal arts major while trying to decide exactly where to place her focus. In the intervening years, she considered specializing in education or music therapy. It was while working with MC transfer coordinator Kristi Hippen in 2003 that she realized that Monmouth’s religious studies courses appealed to her most. She subsequently took two or three classes per semester to finish her degree, before taking a full load of four classes last fall.

"I didn’t think it was going to happen for a while," she said.

Her documentary featured a quotation from her uncle, Al Kulczewski, who discussed the feeling that it sometimes seems he will never make it to the end of the outdoor labyrinth located at the Rev. Weber’s church in Oneida.

"We have times in our life when we feel we aren’t making any progress, and then we succeed," he said.

Indeed, much like walking through a labyrinth, it turned out that none of the obstacles Glenn encountered were dead ends.

"I hope so," she said, when asked if she planned to use her religious studies major in future occupations. "I want to do something that helps society. I’m not sure yet, but something will happen. I just have to be patient."