- Scholarships
- Giving Opportunities
- Future Gifts
- Areas of Need
- Facts About Giving
- Donor Recognition
- More Information
- Career Opportunities
- Giving Home
- Campuses :
- Twin Cities
- Crookston
- Duluth
- Morris
- Rochester
- Other Locations
Lots of gifted young people dream of going to college—but not everyone has the financial resources to make that dream a reality. That's where scholarships come in.
With the essential leg-up provided by a scholarship, many promising students now have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals in the U of M's challenging academic environment.
These students are high achievers who each hit a roadblock on their way to college. But with the help of scholarships,
they are not only realizing the dream of higher education, they are discovering their boundless potential.
Courtney Sprain has been picking up rocks and turning 4-H projects into geology lessons since she was a kid. Academically, she loved all subjects and was hard pressed to pick a major for college. “I could see myself doing everything,” Sprain says. “Since I was attracted to the rigor of the College of Science and Engineering, I referred back to my main 4-H interest: geophysics and geology.”
With a challenging curriculum and little spare time, Sprain appreciates receiving a scholarship. “Now, I’m very grateful that I can focus on my schoolwork and spend summers gaining valuable experience on geological digs,” she says. “One day I hope to teach at the college level.”
Francisco Maldonado was just a youngster when his father died of a brain tumor. The tragedy triggered his mother’s return to college in order to support the family and him to begin seriously thinking about health, medicine, and family. He decided to become a doctor but he wanted to learn about more than science.
“I like balance. So, as a way to deal with the demands of my physiology major, I started running and writing about it on a blog. As I looked toward medical school, I thought about neurosurgery, but now I think anesthesiology would be more conducive to a healthy family life, which is important to me,” he says. “Thanks to the generous scholarship I receive, I’m able to get involved in student groups and campus life.”
Jade Nelson has an eye for fashion that goes back to childhood. “On Sundays, I watched my grandmother, mother, and all the church ladies get dressed to the nines with their coordinated hats. I then developed my own creative style with a limited wardrobe and budget,” she says, noting her family discouraged fashion as a career.
Jade started at the U in journalism but after a career exploration class, she returned to her passion for fashion and hasn’t looked back. The College of Design retail merchandising and apparel major now plans fashion shows and pursues internships. “Scholarships have been a blessing. They allowed me to explore my options and opportunities,” she says. “When I become a high fashion buyer, I definitely want to give back.”
Samantha Jansen met University President Robert Bruininks while showing her horse, Gus, through the American Saddlebred Horse Association. “I didn’t find out he was president until I arrived on campus!” exclaims the animal science major in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences. “It was neat to learn he shared my passion.”
Jansen knows owning a horse and going to college can get expensive because she’s on her own paying for school. “My dream is to become an equine veterinarian, which will require even more school and more loans,” she points out. “So I greatly appreciate receiving a scholarship.”
Josh Stevens was his family’s “go to guy for math,” but he also loved science and sports. Given the choice, he’d gladly sacrifice sports for academics, which he did in high school. “I set high academic standards for myself,” he says.
Although neither of Stevens’ parent has a college degree, they encouraged their five children to pursue higher education. “My dad always said ‘work hard and then play hard because you need balance,’ so homework always came before fun,” he explains. “Since there’s no way I could have saved up enough for school, it was the greatest gift to receive a scholarship and be given the opportunity to succeed, hopefully in the field of robotics.”
Leah Grengs at age 11 had a stroke and a brain tumor. The doctors at Children's Hospital first said she wouldn't survive. Then they said she would never walk. She not only suffered months of therapy while she learned to walk again, but also maintained a positive attitude. Accepting her new physical limitations, Grengs focused on academic success and volunteered at the hospital where she shared her infectious optimism.
"I loved interacting with the patients, studying science, and synthesizing information," says the senior neuroscience and anthropology double major. "In high school, I dreamed of becoming a doctor."
Buoyed with her parents' support and boosted by scholarships, Grengs entered the University, becoming the first in her family to go to college. "Receiving the Stephanie R. Boddy Scholarship allows me time to volunteer, conduct research, and gain meaningful experiences that will help me to become a better doctor," she explains.
Learn more about the impact of giving on:
Thanks to a matching gift from 3M, top students in business, engineering, and science-related disciplines are receiving scholarships, allowing them greater freedom to pursue their interests. It's just one example of how private giving supports scholarships at the U, creating extraordinary learning opportunities for deserving students.
"The impact of the new 3M Scholarships has been amazing," says Wayne Sigler, director of admissions on the Twin Cities campus. "We’ve been able to attract many students who would not, in the past, have strongly considered the U.”