SAU Connections Tie Family, Friends and Strangers

When Chicago residents Kelly (Kratt) '10 and Scott Paulson '10 were married in August 2017, they took time to honor and celebrate their Ambrosian spirit and connections, posing for a photo with 37 alumni and the Fighting Bee flag.

Kelly said the photo doesn't include all of the St. Ambrose alumni who attended their wedding at Christ the King Chapel and reception at the Rogalski Center, which illustrates their very deep and extended ties to their alma mater.

Kelly is a third-generation Ambrosian. Her 93-year-old grandfather, Robert (Bob) Kratt graduated in 1950. Her father, John Kratt, graduated in 1978. Her sister, Michelle (Kratt) Sorg, graduated in 1999 and her brother, Jason Kratt, graduated in 2005.

Jason met his wife, Julie (Kammer) Kratt '05, '11 MBA, at SAU, and her three siblings, Traci (Kammer) McCory '01, '02 MBA; Bryan Kammer '04, '09 MBA; and Carrie Kammer, '06, '11 MBA, also are Ambrosians.

Kelly's sister Michelle gave birth to her first child on Dec. 7, 2009, the day of the Feast of St. Ambrose. He was named Hayden Ambrose and baptized at Christ the King Chapel.

As for Scott, his sister, Kelsey (Paulson) Fuentes '13, is a SAU alumna and married an SAU alumnus, Will Fuentes '12.

Celebrations of Ambrosian couples whose roots extend deep under the oaks hardly are unusual at Christ the King Chapel, and the Kratts are pleased to be part of this wider legacy community.

At St. Ambrose, Kelly earned a degree in finance and a second degree in marketing, and Scott earned a degree in history. Both were Fighting Bee student-athletes: she a member of the softball team and he a member of the volleyball team.

They had many mutual friends, but never crossed paths on campus. Instead, they met long after graduation, while attending a wedding for St. Ambrose friends in Chicago. Kelly believes their shared connection to SAU was a great foundation for their relationship.

And, she said, it is a great foundation for new friendships, too.

"Living in Chicago, we will run into people who'll ask, 'Didn't you go to St. Ambrose?' And at a baseball game this year, we saw someone wearing an SAU shirt," Kelly said, adding that always leads to a conversation.

"Anytime you see someone wearing the St. Ambrose name, there is a good chance of connecting the dots: you start talking and discover they know someone you know, or lived in the same residence hall, or had the same professor. You always have something in common."