Congratulations to our 2020-2021 COB Scholarship Recipients

Career Aspirations

At a young age, I began to produce content to inspire girls on YouTube. Since the age of fourteen, I have created YouTube videos about fashion, DIY’s, and lifestyle. Quickly my videos began to reach 180,000 views and 6,000 subscribers. Creating this channel and learning how to get sponsored by promoting products was when my interest started in marketing and film. My YouTube channel soon grew to become my own video freelance business. After graduation, I would love to continue to grow creatively in marketing. I aspire to run a business one day that I am passionate about or work at a creative marketing agency. I truly love to think out of the box and come up with new innovative ideas and I believe that a career like that would be amazing. 

Meaningful Experiences

Starting my freshman year, I had a strong drive to succeed, gain experience, and build relationships. As an eager freshman who always wanted to put more on my plate, I thought I should have two internships during my summer. I already had one internship as a content creator at a marketing agency, but I wanted more marketing experience. That’s when I landed my job with an insurance agency as a marketing intern. Upon starting my first day, I had the expectation that this internship would be the most glamorous and best experience of my life, but it wasn’t. With no clear outline of what to do or any training, my only job was to go on Target runs, clean the bathroom, and cold call every once in a while. My expectations weren’t met and I wanted to learn more marketing. This was when a thought hit me and I decided that I had to create my own experience. Because I was a freshman and I have not taken any marketing courses, I knew I had to do some research myself. I began to read articles and watch videos to better educate myself on what I can do to market my agent. That’s when I came up with email newsletters, promotional videos, and testimonial videos from past customers. I believe that this was my most meaningful work experience because I was taught the lesson of having a positive attitude and also always being willing to learn. 

Message of Gratitude to the donor  

I am honored to be one of this year’s recipients for the Rohlfsen Family Scholarship. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity in funding the Rohlfsen Family Scholarship. Thanks to your donation, I am able to take a leap into my career and continue to grow as a young professional. I am grateful for your support in my education and your willingness to help me succeed. My educational pursuits would not have been possible without your generous donation to the Rohlfsen Family Scholarship. 

More about Rohlfsen Family Scholarship:

Jerry and Anna Rohlfsen met during their time of study at Minnesota State Mankato. Jerry graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1966, and Anna graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in 1966. After serving in the Vietnam War, Jerry worked for Cargill until he retired. Anna spent much of her teaching career in her passion of special education. Jerry and Anna have numerous philanthropic interest and they have a scholarship in both the College of Business and the College of Education.

Career Aspirations

I have high career aspirations. I plan on starting and running my own business. I will use my last year at Minnesota State University, Mankato to soak up as much knowledge as I can and use all of the resources that are available. I then plan on going and working a few years before going forward with my business plan to own both a trucking company and a small cafe. I hope to earn enough income where I am able to spend time growing my businesses and helping other people get their ideas off of the ground. 

Meaningful Experiences

There have been countless experiences that have changed my ideas of my career. When I traveled to Dublin, Ireland I saw a cafe idea that I have not seen in the United States but I think that it would be a wonderful idea and the idea has been tempting me ever since. I also have gained vast experience from working for three different companies. I found that every company does things their own way and I took the best aspects of each company and took note of them. In high school, I spent a large amount of time doing community service and I found the experience extremely rewarding and I discovered that I want a job that interacts and helps people achieve their goals. One aspect that made me the person who I am is my household. I would say that I am one of the most fortunate people to have such a caring family. My family has always supported me in all of my adventures whether it is driving me to the airport so I can fly by myself to Europe or helping me pull weeds in the large garden projects that I took on for the community. 

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I would like to sincerely thank you for your generous donation. The donation to me is worth so much more than the amount of the scholarship. Having this scholarship allows me first of all to be able to work less hours of work and take more time to focus on my studies and instead of doing the work, I can actually take the time to soak in as much knowledge as I can. Having this resource will allow me to be able to spend time at Minnesota State University, Mankato in the Career and Innovation Center which can help me refine my business ideas so that I can get the idea up and running faster. Besides the monetary value, what the scholarship shows is confidence in me to achieve my goals and there are people out there rooting for me which means more than I can ever put in words. I had been checking my account every day hoping one of the scholarships that I filled out came through so I could hopefully put my plans into place sooner than later and I had to run and tell my family as soon as I got the joyous news. Once again, thank you so much for helping me invest in my future - it is much appreciated.

Learn more about the John and Kim Green College of Business Scholarship

John and Kim Green both earned their degrees from Minnesota State University, Mankato (John—Finance and Accounting, ’81, Kim—Elementary Education, ’84).  John serves on the University’s Foundation Board.  Giving back to others has always been a passion of theirs.  John and Kim offer a scholarship in both the College of Business and College of Education to provide opportunities for students to succeed.

Career Aspirations  

The end game for my career aspirations would be to own 100 apartment complexes before the age of 35. Real estate investment is one of my passions and I would love to be able to get a chance to do what I love. 
I became interested in accounting because I loved the idea of being able to help small businesses grow and point them in the right direction so that they can do well. I want to be able to give back to my community and to help children that need guidance in their personal and academic lives.  

Meaningful Experiences  

I volunteered at the Lincoln Community Center helping adults learn English. I valued my time there because my parents also had to learn English because our first language is Spanish. Seeing adults push themselves to learn helped me understand that there is no age limit for learning. Education is something that helps people better themselves and it influences those that are around them. I also studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea and that inspired me to want to go learn about cultures other than my own so that I could have a better understanding of what people value. I do not have children, but if I do I would love for them to value other cultures and to have respect for other people’s way of living. Appreciating others and what they value is important to understand one’s self and it makes us think about what we do rather than just stick to what we are comfortable with.  

Message of Gratitude to the donor  

I have nothing but appreciation for those who were able to see something in me when I could not see anything at all. I never thought that I would go to college because of financial restrictions but I have been blessed to have great teachers and mentors that pushed me to better myself and that knew that I could aspire to be more. I am thankful for the opportunity to receive this scholarship and I will make the most of the money that I receive. I would like you to understand that this money is a tool for me to use so that I can have some peace of mind and that I understand that you had to give your time and effort to me through this money because nothing is free. I appreciate the faith that you have put in me to do well in school and to keep on pushing myself to be the best version of myself that I can be.  

Learn more about the Joan and Brad Brolsma Accounting Scholarship

Joan and Brad Brolsma are both graduates from Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Joan received her degree in Physical Therapy in 1975, and Brad received his degree in Accounting in 1973.  Brad continues to serve as a member of the College of Business Advisory Council.  Joan and Brad created this scholarship to help alleviate financial obstacles for a student studying accounting.

Career Aspirations

After completing my degree at Minnesota State University, Mankato, I would like to use my Business Management major and my triple minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Business Administration, and Nonprofit Leadership to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector of the business world. In particular, I would 
love to work for (or start my own) nonprofit organization that supports youth in foster care or with children in underserved communities. I have always had a passion for helping others and I really want to put this to use in my future career!  

Meaningful Experiences

My most meaningful experiences are my jobs at two different daycare centers - one here in Mankato and one 
in my hometown of Cashton, WI - where I have worked since 2018. The kids that I have had the privilege to work with at these centers are some of the best little humans I’ve ever met. It fills my heart up knowing that I have the opportunity to really be an important person in their lives and to be able to show them the care and support that they need. This is the type of feeling I always want to bring to my future career. Another valuable experience I have had was the opportunity to go on a 12-day trip to Greece in 2018. As cliché as it sounds, seeing the world really does change you! I was able to see a whole new culture, history, and way of life; without a doubt, it made me more aware of the interconnectedness of humanity. No matter how far across the world you travel, all people have similarities that unite us, and that is something extremely meaningful to me.  

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I am overjoyed to have been selected as the recipient for the Daren and Sarah Cotter Entrepreneurial Scholarship! Throughout college, I have been working two jobs, which often means that I work 40+ hours a week and do schoolwork full time. This scholarship will give me so much more financial freedom, and will allow me to focus less on sustaining income and more on furthering my academic successes. It means so much that Daren and Sarah have faith not only in me, but in my pursuit of my entrepreneurial goals, and I am beyond excited to have these goals fulfilled. This scholarship is one of the first steps to doing so! I can not say it enough: thank you, thank you, thank you!  

More about Daren & Sarah Cotter Entrepreneurial Scholarship

Daren Cotter has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for technology. He attended Minnesota State Mankato as the recipient of an academic scholarship and graduated in 2004. During his freshman year, Daren created InboxDollars®, an Internet marketing company that rewards consumers for their online activities. Today, the company has paid consumers more than $20 million and has expanded globally. Daren and Sarah are both graduates of the University and believe the education they received has been a key ingredient of their success. As a result, they are passionate about providing other dedicated and determined students with those opportunities.

Career Aspirations

I hope to obtain my Master of Accountancy from Minnesota State University, Mankato. After this, I will get my CPA license and work as a Public Accountant while developing my career and seeing where it takes me!  

Meaningful Experiences

Being a member on the Track and Field team at Minnesota State University, Mankato has been a very meaningful experience. As a team member I learned accountability and time management among many other things! The love of athletics extends to my volunteer experiences. I work with kids with disabilities in order to improve their motor skills. Athletics have had a positive meaningful experience in my life. Additionally, I am a member of the Accounting Club at Minnesota State University, Mankato and this has been a great opportunity to meet local partners in the community and develop my network.  

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I am beyond grateful for this scholarship! It will allow me to develop my future career by giving me the flexibility of choosing what to do with my time. I will have more time to study, invest in track, and volunteer in my community since I will not have financial burdens. I am forever grateful for this scholarship! Thank you!  

More about the Eide Bailly Accounting Scholarship

Eide Bailly is one of the top 25 CPA and business advisory firms in the nation, serving 54,000 clients. Founded in 1917, Eide Bailly culture is the foundation of what it is, and the firm prides itself on supporting their employees to help them achieve their goals and pursue their interests both in the office and at home. Eide Bailly believes in helping students pursue a quality education with the Eide Bailly Accounting Scholarship.

Career Aspirations

I want to be an entrepreneur and have a career in sales. I love making new relationships and generating win- win situations. I had an internship this summer with Intuit where I learned more about the tech sales industry. I am still deciding on what type of sales I want to be in but I am sure I want to have a business career making a positive impact on people. I come from a farming background where I learned that hard work and compassion for people can take you places.  

Meaningful Experiences

I was a Resident Advisor, President of the International Sales Association, and my sophomore year I also was selected for the sales team representing the University of Toledo. I took part in the Invitational Sales Competition hosted by UT as an alternate where we placed third among 35 different universities. I also worked at the Independent Collegian, a student-run newspaper on campus, and helped generate $2,000 worth of ad sales revenue. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to transfer from UT as it was going to get more expensive than I expected once I was officially accepted to Minnesota State Universiy, Mankato College of Business.  

I came to the Maverick Nation where I know I want to finish my college career with a blast! I got involved in the Integrated Business Experience during my first semester. We created our own company from scratch and over the semester we sold products and donated all of our profits to a charity at the end of fall. As VP of Sales of my company, I helped generate over $7,000 of revenue, $3000 of which was profits that we gave to the charity. Our company was www.opeoutfitters.com. It was an awesome experience and I am grateful for the new family I got inducted to.  

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I gained a lot of professional development from my involvement and I take pride in representing Minnesota State University, Mankato at various levels. This scholarship will help me partway from my on-campus job and in this way, I can be more creative with my time and focus my full attention to the student organization and other volunteer positions that are valuable to me. Service is an important leadership trait to me and I can spend more time doing that instead of rushing for work every single day. My work-life balance is not the most ideal right now because of the number of things I am involved in and my jobs. I can improve that through the extra cushion provided by this scholarship. A thank you from the heart for this scholarship. 

More about the Paul & Diane Hanson Entrepreneurship Scholarship

Paul, ’84, and Diane, ’86, Hanson have helped grow the College of Business Entrepreneurship & Innovation program in a very big way. The Hanson’s are committed to providing opportunities to students who show entrepreneurial initiative. Diane is the Office Manager for DC Schluter, LTD in the Twin Cities and Paul is the Vice President of Information Technology for Opportunity Partners also in the Twin Cities, and currently serves as Chair of the Minnesota State Mankato Foundation Board.

Career Aspirations

My goal for the next few years is to major in business, and international business sparked my interest. I lived many years in Mexico and saw how many people in the market, from other countries, would come and take “advantage” of our natural resources like petroleum, factories, agriculture, and more. All due to the corruption seen in Mexico.

Meaningful Experiences

Living in a third world country with many disadvantages of growing up and being less fortunate to grow financially and personally has been an experience for me spiritually and financially. I was born and raised in Arizona and when I turned 10 years old my parents were deported. We had no options but to recreate our lives in Mexico. Trying to fit in, in a different school system was challenging as well as our lifestyle. This changed me incredibly as I was growing and maturing. My view of the world completely changed. My aspirations as a teen was to help people in need, especially my parents. There are many people out there that are happy with their simple life, no luxuries, no expensive phones or big houses. I am tremendously grateful for what I have now and for what I worked for. Mexico will always be part of me. It taught me how to be grateful and happy with the simplest things or non-materialistic things that no one can buy; a smile, a hug, a caring family and generous people.

Message of Gratitude

I want to express my sincere gratitude for making this scholarship award possible. I was very happy to know that I was selected for a scholarship. This is my first semester at Minnesota State University, Mankato and my goals are to pursue a business career, and become the person I’ve always wanted to be. Thanks to you I am becoming my best version of myself.

Thank you for making me feel motivated to do more during my stay at Minnesota State University, Mankato. You have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus on the most important aspect of school, learning.

Learn more about the Rodney and Terri Johnson Student Opportunity Scholarship

Rodney is a 1980 graduate from Minnesota State University, Mankato and the College of Business with a degree in finance. After spending 17 years in the banking industry, Rod joined Merrill Corporation in 1997 and moved into his current role of Chief Operating Officer in 2012. Rod resides in Lakeville with his wife, Terri. He came to Minnesota State Mankato from Mapleton, MN and worked throughout college to pay all of his college and living expenses. Balancing the need to work with school studies meant limited time for involvement in student organizations and activities. Rod wants to provide students supplemental financial support so they have more flexibility and time to explore and benefit from the out-of-classroom experiences and connections.

Career Aspirations  

After I graduate college, I want to immediately enroll in a Master of Accounting program to obtain my 150 credits to be eligible for the CPA exams. I have a few different opportunities for this program, but since day one of being an accounting student, I have ensured that I will obtain 150 credits and sit for the CPA exams. After which I will pass all the requirements for each exam and become a CPA. My plan after this is to work for public accounting firms and work in either tax or audit departments to ensure honest hard accounting work in my career. After a while of working for public accounting firms, I might want to take a step back and inspire accounting students to continue their hard work as they persevere through their coursework. Taking this step back would allow me to either become a professor or motivational speaker.  

Meaningful Experiences  

I’ve had many opportunities to inspire students here at Minnesota State University, Mankato to step up and grab the torch of leadership. Through my roles as an Orientation Peer Assistant, College of Business and Residential Life Senator, and lastly a National Communications Coordinator for Residential Hall Association (RHA) I’ve found that the best experience to have while working is having fun while taking serious roles. Being able to hold a serious role requires you to be professional as well as hold a sense of accountability and responsibility for the actions that you make. Allowing to have a little fun always brightens everyone’s day up and I’ve found that it really inspires the other student leaders that I work with to continue on with great work. Even if it’s making a joke with someone or striking up a conversation with another person, it always lets you be what we truly are, sociable human beings. Allowing yourself to take a small break from all the seriousness in the world allows you to build friendships with your co-workers and I’ve found that being able to have fun is what inspires me to continue and strive forward. It allows me to grow as a person and continue to grow my professional development and honestly, I am so grateful for it.  

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I would like to greatly thank Abdo Eick & Meyers for choosing me to receive this scholarship. Their belief in me to continue working towards my bachelor’s degree in Accounting by financially supporting me is a wonderful opportunity as I have worked very hard to get where I am today and will continue to strive forward. Allowing me to receive this financial support puts less of a burden of stress with paying for school or trying to finance for school, so I am very appreciative and grateful for the support that you choose to give to students and I am very grateful to be one of those students to receive financial help.   

More about the Abdo, Eick & Meyers Accounting Scholarship

Abdo, Eick & Meyers is ranked as a “Top 25 Accounting Firm” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Founded in Mankato by Joseph and Meredith Abdo in 1963, their professionals deliver creative, one-of-a-kind solutions to help individuals, businesses, and organizations solve their challenges.

Career Aspirations

I have aspirations to create a company that can give back to Minnesota lakes. On top of giving back to Minnesota lakes, I would love to be able to give back to Minnesota State University, Mankato. In my career, I hope to be able to start and sustain a company that manually removes lake weeds and uses them for agricultural benefit on the back end. It would be my dream to be able to take a company public, as well as franchise a company. I want to make an impact on the environment and the people that have entrepreneurial minds. I would also like to start a business pitch competition for kids that do not have the resources to normally apply for them. I think our most unique thinkers come from unique places. 

Meaningful Experiences

My most meaningful experience was at Minnesota State University, Mankato this year. I competed in the Big Ideas Challenge. This is a business pitch competition. I entered as Lakeshore Potential the business I already own, we do chemical free lake weed removal with same day results. I was able to win that competition. This was a very meaningful experience because I was able to meet a ton of amazing people that want to see me succeed. As well as winning prize money to help me expand my business. Another meaningful experience I had was going to school full time and working as a project manager at LCS in Waterville. This taught me a lot of time management skills and allowed me to see and experience first hand how a business works in the real world. I have also been traveling in my off time over the last year and visited Chichen Itza. This is one of the seven wonders of the world and it changed my perspective on life. If the Mayans were able to create that great feat many of years ago, we should be able to push through any challenge in head of our society. 

Message of Gratitude to the donor

I want to thank you for this scholarship, it will help me immensely. I am currently trying to grow my business (Lakeshore Potential) and any money I take in, like this, can go towards school and free up some of my personal money to keep investing in my company to grow. People like you guys are the reason I choose to attend Minnesota State University, Mankato. While things like this make me super happy I will make sure in the future to give back to Minnesota State University, Mankato and the kids that make it what it is. 

More about the Robert Dale Entrepreneurship Scholarship

The family of Robert Dale established this scholarship in his memory.  Robert was an entrepreneur who started, grew, and sold a number of small businesses throughout his life.  He believed hard work and perseverance were vital to the success as an entrepreneur, and this scholarship was designed to help support entrepreneurial-minded students in the College of Business who demonstrate those qualities. 

Career Aspirations:

For my career aspirations, I would love to work in a management position where I can also use my Spanish. I have put lots of thought into where I would like to start my journey after graduation and have found that to be in a consulting company where I may have the opportunity to help a variety of people from different backgrounds and languages, grow my network, and immerse myself into continuous learning of the industry. I am very excited to begin my career in a position exposing me to different situations, companies, countries, and cultures. This will give me the experience and knowledge that I need to excel in the industry regarding a diverse number of different companies, cultures, and methods of handling challenges. I will use this to grow into the field and find a company that will suit me as a person as well as my values.

Meaningful Experiences:

I have been working since I was 16 and worked full-time through most of high school and for a while, I was working two jobs. I have continued to work part-time in college during the year and full-time on breaks. I feel that having these jobs I have demonstrated my ability to work hard, learn quickly, train employees, and much more. This past summer of 2019, I decided that I wanted to study abroad in Spain to improve my Spanish and experience different cultures. This was an incredible experience of self-growth considering independence, understanding, and learning to adapt to cultural differences, improvement of my Spanish, and other personal development I would not be able to put into words. Throughout college, I have also participated as a member of the Residence Hall Association which gave me a sense of leadership and responsibility on my floor. It was
a great experience which gave me the chance to consolidate the needs and opinions of my floor, cast votes, bring new ideas to the association, and bring important news to the people who lived on my floor. This past semester, I have volunteered to be a part of a language partner program. In this program, I meet with our newer international students to help them develop their English and to help them understand more about our culture. In return, I have learned more about Qatar and Mongolia and their culture. I have had a wonderful time learning from them over the past semester.

Message of Gratitude:

I am very honored to be a recipient of the Federated Insurance Diversity Leadership Scholarship. I would like to thank you for the support you have awarded me for the upcoming school year. I am grateful you have taken the chance of believing in my future and the things I will go on to do. It is very touching and encouraging to me. This support will help me pay my tuition and decrease the number of loans I will have to pay off at the end of my college journey. I have worked very hard to pay off my tuition with needing to take out the lowest amount of loans possible and this will be a great help for me throughout the upcoming year. This award will help support my third year in working towards my career aspirations in business management. Thank you again for the vote of confidence in my future.

Learn more about the Federated Insurance Diversity Leadership Scholarship

Federated Insurance was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Owatonna, Minn. Federated specializes in business insurance and risk management services for select industries and is a multi-line company that offers property, liability, auto, workers compensation, umbrella, group health, and life and disability income insurance. Federated Insurance is the 11th largest property and casualty mutual insurer in America based on total assets. Over 150 employees are graduates of Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Federated Insurance is dedicated to the promotion and education of diverse students in leadership in the College of Business.