About Me

Elizabeth Marie Hauth

I am a 2010 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict, in affiliation with Saint John's University, which are Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts colleges located in central Minnesota, near the city of St. Cloud.  I earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Performance (B-flat Clarinet) and Music Education (K-12 Classroom & Instrumental Music), along with minors in Secondary Education and Mathematics.  After completing my semester-long student teaching practicum in December 2010, I acquired my Minnesota Teacher's License and returned home to work as a substitute teacher in nearby schools.

I will be spending the next 27 months in Burkina Faso, Africa as a United States Peace Corps volunteer, where I will teach math in a school and work with girls' empowerment and education. At the end of my service, I plan to return to the United States and teach music and/or attend grad school.


My family:
I am from the small, rural town of Springfield, Minnesota (population: 2,152 according to the 2010 census) where my family raises beef cattle and grows crops (i.e. corn, soybeans, alfalfa, etc.). 
Dad: Roger operates the family farm and plays lead guitar in a Country/Oldies/Classic Rock band.  He does a mean Johnny Cash impersonation.
Mom: Diane works as a Registered Nurse at the Springfield Hospital.  She also helps with many church, school, and community events and fundraisers.
Me: Better known as "Beth" among family and friends, I'm a 23-year-old recent college grad and Minnesota licensed teacher, volunteering in Africa with the U.S. Peace Corps for two years.
Brother: Kevin (20) attends college at South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD), where he studies Agricultural Business and Animal Science.  When home, he also helps out quite a bit with the family farm.  And, every now and then, when polka music is being performed, he'll bring out his tuba and add some crazy bass lines.
Sister: Erin (18) just graduated from high school and will attend St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota with an interest in studying Psychology.  She loves singing and playing guitar, piano, violin, clarinet, drums...the list goes on... and aspires to be a rock star someday.  Erin's already promised my family backstage passes to all her shows.
Sister: Katelyn (11) is still just a youngster who will be in 6th grade this fall and enjoys playing with her pets, Fritz (dog) and Belle (cat).  She plays the cello and piano, can't decide what band instrument to play, and is looking forward to having the house all to herself (and essentially being an "only child" -- aka spoiled!), with Kevin and Erin away at college and Beth in Africa.

Top 10 Cool Facts About Me:
10. I don't have a favorite color because I truly like all colors...really, I do!  BUT, I do have a favorite color combination: black and "rock star" pink.  Not "hot pink" or that girly-girl shade of pink also described as "new-born baby pink" but that color pink with a tinge of purple to it that's used by female rockers.
9. Back in the day (i.e. high school), I used to wanna be a punk rocker...well okay, I admit that aspiration still occasionally crosses my mind... and so I would spend hours practicing power chords and cool solo riffs on my black electric guitar decked out with an awesome guitar strap that was -- of course -- black and "rock star" pink.  The first song I ever learned how to play was Blink-182's "All the Small Things."  Classic.
8. I was the 2006 Minnesota Beef Queen.  Ya know, the person at the State Fair who handed out samples of beef (like steak or meatballs) and made appearances in parades while looking pretty and doing that fancy wave... And yes, I did have a sparkly tiara and wore a leather sash.
7. I love sports and being active.  Distance running is my favorite solo (or group) activity because it gives me time to think and observe nature.  Plus, nothing beats a "runner's high" -- the rush of feel-good endorphins that comes after a good 4, 5, or even 12 mile run.  Other favorite sports include: volleyball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and kickball.
6. I have HORRIBLE luck with police officers.  I don't know why...I never do anything wrong!
5. Culinary Arts is another one of my hobbies.  I'm an excellent baker and chef, and have a lot of fun making food look "pretty," as well as modifying recipes to make them healthier, while not sacrificing any of the flavor.
4. I'm a big fan of Sudoku puzzles, simplifying algebraic expressions, solving crazy differential equations, and collecting statistics and comparing probabilities. 
3. I've been to several countries outside the United States, spanning three different continents: Europe's Germany, France, and Switzerland; South America's Peru; and North America's Canada.  And now, with my Peace Corps experience, I can add an additional continent and a few more countries: Europe's Belgium and Africa's Burkina Faso. 
2.  Music is a pretty big part of my life. Name an instrument, and I can probably play -- at the very least -- "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on it, if not something a bit more advanced.  Clarinet is what I studied in college, but I also play piano, guitar, and tenor sax, can blast out some awesomeness on the trumpet, and can play pretty much every other instrument that exists in American bands/orchestras at a moderate level, with soft spots in my heart for any instrument found in a pep band (i.e. trombone, drums, cowbell...).  I LOVE marching bands and pep bands, and I enjoy composing/arranging music for pep band.  Some of my most successful arrangements (aka the biggest hits amongst the crowds at SJU football games) include Lady Gaga's Poker Face, Theme Song from TV's The Office, and Journey's Don't Stop Believing.
1. I have the most amazing friends and family ever!!!!!