Common Good Profile
Chasing Dreams, Promoting Dignity By KATERI KUPLIC '21
A FASHIONDESIGNER. A POSTPARTUMDOULA. ATHERAPIST. ATTHE SURFACE, CATHERINE HUSS ’14, LIZZY THIBAULT ’19 AND JAKE VOELKER ’08 DON’T SEEM TO HAVE MUCH IN COMMON BEYOND THEIR CATHOLIC FAITH. THEIR FIELDS ARE WILDLY DIVERSE. BUT BENEATH THE SURFACE, THESE THREE CATHOLIC STUDIES ALUMNI HAVE TWO THINGS IN COMMON: AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AND A DESIRE TO CHAMPION THE CAUSE OF HUMAN DIGNITY. Not one of them works in a specifically faith-oriented field. They are out in the world using their wonderfully unique gifts to remind their clients of their value and the value of every human person, whether that be by drafting designs for higher-coverage swimsuits, doing a load of laundry for a new mother, or lending a listening ear. In each of their businesses, the human person is cared for, respected and cherished.
Catherine of Siena … and company Born in Minnesota and raised
way. Her senior project aimed to fill this gap. She created a line of swimsuits and even came up with the name of her future company: Siena and Co., inspired by her time in Siena, Italy, during the Catholic Studies Rome Semester. But it was the 2020 quarantine which finally pushed her to turn her senior project into a business. “I had a lot of free time, and I figured, ‘No more excuses,’” says Huss. Using her savings, she began to design her collection of suits. Huss was full of ideas. She finally settled on three tops and three bottoms, all channeling a classic Italian style and providing more coverage than the typical swimsuit. The suits are sophisticated, feminine, and made
Catholic, San Diego-based fashion designer Catherine Huss followed her two older brothers to St. Thomas to learn more about her faith. While earning her degree in Catholic studies, Huss also studied apparel design at St. Catherine University. After graduating in 2014, she moved to California to work in fashion. But her dream had always been to start her own business. The idea for her business first came to her in college. She had grown frustrated by her inability to find a swimsuit with all the components she wanted: decent coverage, a classic look, and made in an ethical
Catherine Huss ‘14
Page 16 stthomas.edu/catholicstudies
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