By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Dominic Skawiniak has had a lot to balance over the last four years.

The 2020 Saint John's University graduate has been a standout member of the Johnnies' wrestling team, and he's also been part of the Fighting Saints Battalion – the ROTC program made up of students from SJU, the College of Saint Benedict and St. Cloud State University.

It's through that program that, as a junior, Skawiniak took part in Air Assault training at Fort Benning, Ga., and spent time in Thailand training (left) at both the country's Royal Military Academy and out in the field along the Cambodian border.

"We saw how people who don't have nearly as much as we do farm and go about living their lives," he said. "We had the chance to interact with a lot of school-age children. The whole trip was really eye-opening. It was a chance to see how people all over are similar, and it really was a reminder of the value of all human life and why that's worth defending."

That trip came in the same school year that Skawiniak also travelled to the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, and completed a research paper on the different ways various cultures are attempting to mitigate the impact of climate change.

It was a project that saw him interview a Russian journalist, a graduate student from Sweden and an administrator from Thailand, among others.

"That whole year was pretty hectic," said Skawiniak, a Rogers (Minn.) High School graduate. "I was busy 14 hours a day. But it was worth it for what I was able to take away from all those trips and training. It provided me with a fuller picture of the bigger purpose we all have – of why we go to Saint John's and do the things we do here."

Skawiniak has managed to not only do all those things, but to do them at a high level. He graduated cum laude earlier this month and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Minnesota National Guard.

In August, he will return to Fort Benning to take part in the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership program before he departs for a year's deployment in command of a platoon – likely in Kuwait, with the possibility of being sent on 18 hours' notice into other potential hotspots in the region.

"That's where having the experiences of understanding different cultures will be so valuable, of understanding conflict mitigation and having the realization of just how valuable human life is," Skawiniak said.

The physical training he did as a wrestler will be valuable too. The 197-pounder advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional in February, falling 4-2 to defending national champion Lance Benick of Augsburg on a takedown in the final seconds of a match that had been tied 2-2.

It was a sign of major improvement for Skawiniak, who was pinned by Benick in 1:38 during a match as a sophomore.

"No one likes to lose, but it was a good way to go out," Skawiniak said. "I left everything I had on the mat. Losing on a last-second takedown hurt, but to be that tight with the defending national champion showed me how far I've come."

SJU head coach Kevin Schiltz praised the work ethic Skawiniak has shown over the course of his four years in Collegeville.

"His sophomore year, we had a 197-pounder who had a concussion and he was about 235 pounds at the time," Schiltz said of Skawiniak, who played both football and wrestled as a freshman before shifting his focus solely toward wrestling as a sophomore.

"He came to me and said he wanted to go down to 197. I told him we had to do this right. So we came up with a plan and he followed it," Schiltz said. "He focused on working out and eating right and he was able to do it. And once he got down to 197, he never looked back."

Skawiniak, shown here with his parents (left), was a member of the 21-cadet class that was commissioned virtually May 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gen. Paul Nakasone '86, who serves as Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service, provided the keynote address. - Full Story

Skawiniak said wrestling provided him with important tools that will serve him well going forward – in military life and other endeavors.

"The things you learn in wrestling, like the importance of self-discipline and self-control, are things you can use in a lot of different areas," he said. "And you also learn how to accept defeat. No one can win every match. But it's how you react when you lose that matters most. When you pull yourself up off the mat, go back and work even harder."

Skawiniak isn't the only SJU wrestler involved in ROTC. Schiltz said three members of the 2019-20 team were also ROTC members, while another is in the process of joining. 

Fellow senior Dan Gainer was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

"If you go to any big wrestling tournament, you'll see Marine Corps booths, Army booths," Schiltz said. "All the military is there. The things that can scare some people away – the rigorous physical training and things like that – are things wrestlers are used to. If you ask a lot of military people, they'll tell you that wrestlers make good soldiers."

Skawiniak could be sent to Ranger School when he returns from his deployment. But he said he doesn't envision making the military his lifelong career. His long-term plans include going to law school and becoming a prosecutor.

But no matter where his path takes him going forward, he said he will always look back fondly on his time at SJU.

"This has been a great place to be the past four years," the double-major in psychology and sociology said. "I've been able to learn a lot about myself and about the importance of serving others."

After the commissioning ceremony, Skawiniak visited his grandfather, who is a retired Army sergeant. It is a tradition to salute an NCO (non-commissioned officer) at commissioning (right). Following the salute, Skawiniak gave his grandfather a silver dollar to commemorate the first salute, which is another Army tradition.