Autumn Ayer ’23 wrote her ticket to a Fulbright award, with guidance and help from her mom and dad – CSB+SJU

Autumn Ayer ’23 has been without her father for more than five years, but she can still sense his impact on her life – perhaps more than ever.

Her parents met at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Jeffrey Ayer ’97 was an English major who went on to become a teacher, writer and poet. He met Arlene Ford ’97, who came to Saint Ben’s from The Bahamas to study communication. They married and Autumn was their only child.

She quickly assumed gifts from both. Her father read books to her . . .