Forget everything you thought you knew about college support. Marquette's hidden curriculum is more than just academics.

In this episode, Kelly Albrecht, CARE Team Case Manager, and Zabrian Oglesby, Assistant Dean of Students, get real about the invisible systems and people that remove student roadblocks, from first-gen challenges to crisis management and CARE teams. If you’ve ever wondered who actually “does the intentional care work on campus,” this is your inside look at the stewards behind student success.

Does your university truly support students, or do invisible obstacles hold them back? Find out which critical gaps Marquette bridges for students, parents, and even staff, plus the stories that seldom get told.

Episode Highlights:

13:49 – Don’t ever forget that. Even if you make a mistake, even if you have a setback, that does not mean you are not a successful Marquette student because you do belong here, and we're going to help you get back on track.

25:57 – Students aren't numbers. They're individuals, and we uphold that all the time. For the spirit of equity, some of those folks need more unique support. Now that student is a junior and is thriving and doing amazing things. That was another time to me where I knew I could hand the care of someone, some individual student, to another person and not feel like it was going to fall. Nobody was going to drop that ball.

22:39 – That was like seeing that in action, seeing that happen. I was like, only at Marquette. That is a Marquette moment where we made that happen. I, in that moment was like, I'm not exactly sure what to do here, but I know we can do something right. But that student is going to go on to do amazing things with their life, and I was just proud of being a part of Marquette University in that situation.

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Kelly Albrecht welcomes campus ministry veteran Steve Blaha, whose practical wisdom exposes what really happens beyond faith on campus. Discover why "roots and wings" isn’t just feel-good talk. It’s a formula for how Marquette students thrive emotionally, spiritually, and in leadership. If you think campus ministry is only for devout Catholics, prepare to rethink everything.

Steve Blaha breaks down how faith, service learning, and multi-faith engagement converge to build students’ confidence and resilience. He reveals how tough transitions, grief, and personal questioning are met with concrete support, not clichés.

Wondering how a university’s spiritual core shapes students to lead, serve, and heal? Find out how Steve Blaha’s approach to campus ministry sets Marquette apart.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Trust yourselves. Trust your kids. Parents, you got this. You've been doing this really well for 18 years with each of your kids. Keep leaning into that. Keep loving them. Keep giving them space. They're going to grow.

14:16 - Each time one of our students experiences a loss, and many of our students experience very big losses during their time at Marquette, it's just something that we just naturally need to like just wrap them up and support them and care for them and walk with them. And that's not a short-term thing. It is as long as they need us, we really want to be there supporting them.

26:50 - It's part of welcoming everyone in the world to come and study here together, to think on the big questions together, to try to work towards the world's needs together so that when students graduate, they've got that muscle memory. They're able to do that where they live and with whom they work. And that makes the world better. And so we're an important part of that equation.

Connect with the Office of Student Development