Meet the team of seven student workers busy and focused behind the scenes to enhance the experience of the Crossings and Connections Conference! Through website updates and posts, correspondence, physical setup, film fest prep, logistics, and more, they are excited to see the weeks and months of work all come together in just one more day!
Otelia Lighthill ‘27
Hei! My name is Otelia Lighthill and I am a student organizer for the Crossings Conference this summer. I am a junior at St. Olaf College and a History and Norwegian double major. During the school year I work as an archives digitization assistant with NAHA and a research assistant in the Norwegian department. I also compete with the Women’s Track and Field team here on campus and sing with Agnes A Cappella. I am working with the conference this summer because the 200th anniversary of Norwegian-American migration doesn’t happen every year! My mother comes from Saltdal, Nordland, Norway, so I have lots of experience with migration in both my family, and personal journeys I’ve made myself.
Kieran Brown ‘27
Hei Hei! My name is Kieran Brown, and I am a student organizer for the Crossings Conference this summer. I am also a junior at St. Olaf College. I am a double major in Biology and Nordic Studies with concentrations in Public Health and Neuroscience. In my spare time, I enjoy participating in our Stitches club here on campus and crocheting small projects, such as flower bouquets. Traveling across Norway in January and learning about Norwegian migration really made me excited to participate in this conference. I can’t wait to hear so many perspectives come together to make our own migration story as we discuss the past and look to the future. My mother’s grandparents migrated to America from Lillehammer and Hemsedal around the 1850’s. Hearing about my ancestor’s travels has made me better appreciate how connected we all are, even if some of us are thousands of kilometers away.
Moisés Duarte ‘26
Hola! My name is Moisés Duarte, and I’m thrilled to be part of the student team organizing the Crossings Conference this summer. I’m originally from Honduras and currently a B.M. Vocal Performance student at St. Olaf College. Before coming to Minnesota, I studied at UWC Mahindra College in India, a transformative experience that taught me what it truly means to live between cultures and across borders.
My life and work as a musician have taken me across continents, performing, composing, and collaborating on projects in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. I’m passionate about using music and storytelling to explore themes of identity, displacement, and resilience. Migration isn’t just an abstract concept for me; it’s part of my family’s history, my artistic voice, and my everyday experience as an international student.
Millie Thakur ‘27
Hei! My name is Millie Thakur, and I’m a student worker for the Crossings Conference this summer. I’m a Quantitative Economics major with a concentration in Finance at St. Olaf College. Originally from Nepal, I’m especially interested in global migration and cultural identity; topics that resonate deeply with my own experiences and the goals of this conference. I have travelled across the world through China, Kenya, Croatia, Italy and now to the USA.
This summer, I’m supporting various behind-the-scenes logistics to help the conference run smoothly, from coordinating materials to assisting with guest preparation. I’m excited to contribute to a space where stories of movement, belonging, and connection come to life.
Looking forward to welcoming you to campus!
Parker Chelikowsky ‘27
Heisann! My name is Parker Chelikowsky and I’m working on the student team helping to organize the Crossings Conference this summer. I’m a junior here at St. Olaf College with majors in Norwegian, English, and Creative Writing. During the academic year, I also sing in Chapel Choir and work as an event photographer. To stay sane I enjoy reading and taking long walks through the Natural Lands. I got into Norwegian because I thought I had a lot of Norwegian heritage. It turns out that I really don’t, but by that point I’d already fallen in love with the language and culture. I lived in Norway for a year at Folkehøgskole before starting at St. Olaf.
Kolbot Vireaksouphea ‘27
Hello! My name is Kolbot Vireaksouphea, I’m a rising junior at St. Olaf College majoring in Film and Media Studies with a concentration in Business and Management. I was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and moved to the United States when I was 13. Since then, I’ve called many places home before finally settling in Minnesota. My personal journey of movement and adaptation has given me a deep appreciation for the complexities of migration, an experience that feels both personal and powerful. Alongside my academic work, I’m also a music maker and singer, and I’m passionate about using sound and storytelling to connect people across cultures. For this conference, I’ve had the pleasure to work on the film festival and help amplify voices and experiences that deserve to be seen and heard.
Ilana Legrand ‘27
Hello! My name is Ilana Legrand, I’m a rising junior at St. Olaf College studying Film and Media Studies with a concentration in Business and Management. I was born in Belgium, and before coming to St. Olaf, I studied for two years at United World College Maastricht in the Netherlands, an incredibly diverse international school, with a student body that includes over 100 different nationalities. This international experience has shaped my view of migration, not only as a global issue but as a deeply human one rooted in identity, and belonging. I look forward to seeing stories from around the world come together this summer!
All student workers will be wearing this T-Shirt for the duration of the conference. We can answer all 200 questions, maybe even 201 😉 Don’t hesitate to find us, we cannot wait to welcome you to the Hill!