The Impact on Students

Accomplishments amid promise

Sarah Pollema always knew that if she wanted to go to college, she needed to figure out how to pay for it. The sixth of eight children from a struggling Minnesota farming family, she pretty much made her own way in life. College, she figured, wasn’t going to be any different.

A promising student and star athlete, Pollema found an advocate in her high school track coach, who encouraged her to stick with her studies. When college and scholarship application time rolled around, Pollema’s coach walked her through the process.

Pollema chose the University of Minnesota, Duluth for its size and to be near Lake Superior. It was, she felt, a natural fit with her biology major. Now a senior, she’s earned the respect of professors like Allen Mensinger, who, in a nomination letter, wrote, "I have no doubt that Ms. Pollema will be one of our nation’s leading scientists by the end of the decade."

Pollema’s academic accomplishments include a coveted National Science Foundation fellowship, a summer research opportunity at a top marine biology lab, and the chance to present a research paper at a national conference.

"I don’t know if I could afford to be in college if it weren’t for the scholarship money," says Pollema, who clearly thrives in a university environment. Since she has made it this far, she feels confident that nothing will stop her from pursuing a graduate degree in molecular or cellular biology.

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