Meg Mas, 18, has attended Catholic schools since K4 but for college she made the transition to Carthage College, a Lutheran school. When talking about her decision, she said, “I got the things I wanted from an academic and social standpoint but I still have that Catholic life at school.” At Carthage College she is a student ambassador for Center for Faith and Spirituality, where she facilitates a dialogue on faith and spirituality in her dorm, she also organizes events such as the “apples to apples game night” and she is also a member of a club called Catholics at Carthage.
A member of Holy Angels Parish, West Bend, she wants to pursue a career helping other people, so she entered into Carthage as nursing major. She worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for two years while in high school, attending St. Mary’s Springs Academy in Fond du Lac. After participating on a retreat and many hours of self-reflection, she decided she wants to help people in a different capacity. She has a passion for math and realized she wants to study education and math to become an elementary school math teacher.
The second of three children in the Mas family, they have participated in numerous service projects and went to Washington D.C. for the March for Life.
School and/or occupation:
Freshman at Carthage College, studying math and education.
What is your dream job?
Math teacher at a private school. I would really love to teach younger students to try to help them understand why God is so great.
Meg Mas is a freshman at Carthage College, studying to become an elementary math teacher. (Submitted photo courtesy Meg Mas)
What’s on your iPod?
I’ve been listening to a lot of music from the musical “Hamilton” and some Christmas and country music.
If you could dine with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Audrey Hepburn. I have almost all of her films and I watch them over and over. Besides her acting career, she was also a giant advocate for UNICEF, which I’ve actually been involved with through Key Club and Circle K which are both organizations of Kiwanis International and both of them have a preferred charity with UNICEF. It’s cool the person I look up to the most used to work with the same charity I am working with now.
Who had made the biggest impact on you?
My brother, Ryan, he’s gone through and shown me the different things I can see coming in my path, so it’s always nice to have a little lookout. He’s really helped because he’s always been the one to do things first, like high school and college, he’s always been there for me and helps me calm down and gives me advice.
What’s one thing that makes you unique?
I wear a watch all the time; I can’t remember the last time I took it off. My sister gave it to me for Christmas two years ago and I haven’t taken it off since. I worked as a CNA during my junior and senior year in high school, I would wear it for work taking vitals and different things like that, then I wore it when I was a lifeguard last summer so I’ve just always had the watch to help me with the different things I have done.
Describe a normal weekend:
I usually end up watching a lot shows on Netflix, like “House,” and doing a girls’ night on Fridays. I get together with some girlfriends on campus to watch a movie and eat some popcorn and relax. I also go to Mass on Sundays, later in the night, at 7 o’clock. Other than that it’s just homework.
Favorite Bible story/Scripture passage/prayer:
My favorite passage is the creation story from Genesis. I took a course at Carthage called Western Heritage, which had a unit that focused on all the different creation stories. When we studied the passages from Genesis, I found it fascinating when we delved deep into what God said was good and bad because he was laying down his path for us to follow. I found it fascinating that we have all these different accounts of creation.
Favorite quote:
My favorite quote is from my favorite book called “Peak” by Ronald Smith. “The whole point of a spectacular tag is not the artwork; it’s the mystery of how it was done.” I like how things don’t have to be explained all the time, there is some stuff out there just to make you think and it’s open for interpretation.
What is your favorite food, dessert?
Cheese and mushroom pierogies with sour cream and brown sugar. My dad is 100 percent Polish and he introduced them to me. I actually introduce them to my friends, once in awhile, at first they are little skeptical but they always love them at the end. My favorite dessert is cheesecake, my grandma always makes me a special cheesecake when I come home.
A challenge in life that has strengthened your faith:
Going to college when it’s not a Catholic college. I was used to starting classes with a prayer and ending with a prayer all through my whole education and coming to a Lutheran school they’re very similar but we don’t always start or end class with a prayer, we don’t sit down and say grace before meals. So it was a very different switch for me but it also showed I could take responsibility and do things on my own. It’s been really eye opening.
Favorite pastime/hobby/activity:
I was a big swimmer when I was growing up. I also played tennis in high school and like to play with my sister.
What is the most important thing you want to accomplish in life?
I would really like to have a family and send them through Catholic education. It was really important to me and I hope my children have the same experience.
How do you live your faith every day?
I have a little booklet I bought in a faith store in Fond du Lac. It’s called “Minute Meditation from the Popes” and I pray one every day.
Name one guilty pleasure:
I love baking and cooking. We don’t have any place to bake or cook on campus, so whenever I come home I say, “Mom let me cook for the family today.” I usually try to do a different meal each time.
