Jane Crass is a Scandinavian triple-threat with Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian heritage. She was on the 67th and 68th Lucia Court, which keeps her connected to her roots and where she is described as “a warm and approachable… representative of the Scandinavian community.” Her talents also take the stage in her school’s choir and in the theater program. Between her onstage and backstage participation, she has worked over eight shows, an impressive commitment. Jane plans on dedicating her work to advocacy and public awareness in the field of marine biology. 

Lefse is a tradition for many, but for Ahnalya De Leeuw, her commitment has overcome numerous health restrictions in her family, and as a result she has come up with a recipe that is both vegan and gluten free. As a leader in both her high school and college communities, she has led writing clubs and joined poetry clubs, and more recently, taken up public relations, interviewing students about campus life. She is a member of the Speech and Debate team at Lewis and Clark College where she will continue this fall. She is already exemplifying her dream career of media and public relations.   

Described as “a shark in the water” on the volleyball court, Kaarina Geymann is known to her peers and to her mentors as someone with a uniquely fierce commitment to any project life presents. She grew up in the Grieg Lodge community, attending Camp Nidaros, volunteering for the Torskeklubben dinner, and participating in the Youth Group. Upon graduating this spring, she intends to study Psychology and Criminal Justice at Saint Martins University. No doubt she will bring the same determination to those fields as she does everything else in her life. 

You might recognize Jaxon Hensley from the GriegLodge bar or serving gløgg at various lodge events. That’s because Jaxon leans into the community as a Grieg Lodge member, a long-time member of the youth group, a volunteer at the pancake breakfasts, and as a Camp Nidaros camper and volunteer at the pre-camp work party. Jaxon excels in his biology and anatomy courses, as he pursues a future in medicine. Today he is both a student and a CNA working in nursing homes. He will begin at the Oregon Institute of Technology this Fall to study radiology.

 A transplant from Sweden, Ingrid Lann is bilingual and was raised traveling between the US and Sweden over summer holidays. Here in Portland, she attended the Swedish School where she was engaged in many Swedish traditions and culture. Because of these formative experiences, she likes to give back by volunteering as a tutor, as an events guide in elementary schools, and as a camp counselor at Trollbaken. It’s perhaps no surprise then that this year Ingrid was crowned Oregon's Lucia. She plans to study Chemistry and hopes to one day teach science. 

One of Cassia Maciejewski’s favorite experiences on the trips to her grandmother's homeland of Finland is hiking at midnight under the orange summer sun that never sets. And back here in Portland, she is a dedicated volunteer in our community, from Scanfair and the KeyClub and National Honor Society to The Red Cross as a Blood Drive coordinator. She enjoys the creativity and innovation of hands-on activities and, in her “bedroom laboratory” of crafts and textiles, dreams of one day becoming a surgeon. The Finnish quality of Sisu, which she inherited from her grandmother, will no doubt serve her well on this path.

Brennan McEwen credits his parents and grandparents for nurturing Nordic holiday spirit in their home and especially enjoys rice pudding, tomte-garnished gingerbread houses, and marzipan pigs. Brennan is athletic. He runs cross country and track rain or shine (very Scandinavian) and enjoys the outdoors—including in his volunteer efforts. Mount Tabor has fewer blackberry brambles because he helped remove them. In his neighborhood he became known as a helper: babysitting, dog walking, and organizing kids games during the pandemic. He will begin at University of Michigan in the Fall as a division one athlete.

Culinary traditions are central to Erik Montague’s identity as a Scandinavian. Krumkake was more than a delicious treat, but a direct line to his heritage, especially when accompanied by storytelling of Norwegian Christmas traditions. Storytelling is a cornerstone of Erik’s life and work. He is influenced by writers Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun, has earned his degree in creative writing and theater (where he wrote a play on Norse mythology that was performed at the university theater festival), and worked at the Northwest Children's Theater in Portland. He is earning his masters degree in teaching, all the while supporting his family and in-laws. 

After summers spent on "Blueberry island” in Finland, which Sophia Tolme describes as “a sanctuary of connection” she took the leap to study abroad for a year. Her coursework was entirely in Finnish and the cross-cultural visit as a young adult helped her broaden her worldview, she said—including her love of teaching. In addition to English and Finnish fluency, she has also studied French, Korean, and Arabic, and wishes to learn Spanish and Mandarin. No surprise that she plans to study linguistics. Sophia believes that language is a bridge–not a barrier–to connecting with new people and cultures.

Hella Walter has been active at Norse Hall and Nordia House quite literally since the day she was born. Torskeklubben Christmas dinners and sporting her Rogaland bunad during the Syttende Mai parade are annual highlights for her. Year round, she volunteers with the Key Club at local food banks and retirement homes, and tutors students at her school for whom English is not their first language. Hella became interested in international relations through Model UN and plans to study Political Science when she gets to college in the fall.