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Alumni Stories

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Intriguing. Inspiring. Diverse.

As someone who walked the T-Building’s hallways to get to where you are today, you now hold the distinction of being a Minneapolis College alum. You are among tens of thousands of friends, each with their own Minneapolis College story to tell. You had big dreams here on campus and now, as accomplished alumni, you are transforming the companies and industries you work in and impacting the communities where you live.

What’s your Minneapolis College story?

Andrea applied to Minneapolis College in 2004 after “barely” graduating high school, admitting she wasn’t the best student as a teenager. That wasn’t the case once she began chasing her dreams on our campus. Choosing the Minneapolis College campus for its high-quality education, affordability, and downtown energy, Andrea excelled.

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Kasim Abdur Razzaq was a star player on his high school's basketball team with multiple college athletic scholarships to choose from. Unfortunately, an injury during his senior year sidelined his dreams. Scholarship offers were rescinded, leaving him heartbroken and uncertain of his future. Kasim courageously picked up the pieces and decided to begin his academic journey at Minneapolis College. 

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Sarah Moe wasn’t always referred to as “Sarah Sleep.” She earned that nickname through her illustrious career in sleep technology, a career that started at Minneapolis College. With just one of 7 accredited Sleep Technology programs in the country, choosing Minneapolis College was a no brainer for Sarah, but this was after some soul searching.

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Boriana always had an artistic spirit. This spirit first shined through in the Bulgarian Children’s Choir and the Bulgarian National Opera where she trained from the age of 8 to 18. While she appreciated the experiences opera gave her, Boriana knew she didn’t want to make it her career.

After moving and settling in the U.S., Boriana decided to enroll at Minneapolis College because of its affordability, its flexible class schedules, and word-of-mouth recommendations.

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Gadisa Berkessa’s story begins over 7,000 miles away from Minneapolis College in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia.

Growing up with big dreams for himself, he applied for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program right after graduating high school and was one of 50,000 people from around the world chosen to immigrate to America. He soon found himself on a Minnesota adventure!

Landing in Minneapolis in 2006, he immediately enrolled at Minneapolis College to pursue a liberal arts transfer pathway, and was awarded the Wells Family Foundation Scholarship.

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Saciido’s journey begins in Somalia, where she was born and raised during her early childhood. Unfortunately, the place she called home was engulfed in violence and civil war in the early 90's, forcing her to flee with her mother and six other siblings.

Saciido and her family faced many hardships in their pursuit of safety. They were held captive, lost loved ones, and were forced to build a temporary home from mud on the border of Somalia and Kenya.

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Our “Alumni Spotlight” segment takes us to Brooklyn, New York, where Ryan Young now calls home. Ryan grew up in South Minneapolis in a working class family. When it came time for college, Ryan chose Minneapolis College as a starting point his family could afford.

After earning his associate's degree, he transferred to the Carlson School of Management at the U of M where he briefly studied business writing before leaving to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. In the early 90's, he launched a cable public access channel where he hosted and produced "Metro Area Sports Wrap," covering regional high school and college athletics. 

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For this “Alumni Spotlight," we will be landing in sunny Los Angeles, California to meet Sammy (Cinema '11). Before moving to the City of Angels and pursuing film, he worked various odd jobs including delivery driver, wedding DJ, school teacher, hand massager, and women's roller derby videographer.

Feeling unfulfilled with these jobs, Sammy enrolled at Minneapolis College in 2008 with a clear vision for his future; he had a passion for the film industry and wanted to make it his "9 to 5." Sammy earned an associate of arts in cinema, acquiring skills in producing, screenwriting, and directing. 

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Caleb started his academic journey at Minneapolis College in 2008. Like many young adults, Caleb knew the only way to a high wage career was through a college degree, he just didn’t know what that degree would be in. He felt directionless.

The Power of You program, a tuition-free pathway to an associate degree for recent high school graduates, gave him the guidance he was seeking. With the financial support and the academic advising offered to him through Power of You, his dreams began to take shape. Caleb completed his associate degree in liberal arts at Minneapolis College.

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Marlon grew up in the housing projects of Chicago. With little hope or opportunity in his neighborhood, he turned to selling drugs. After receiving a felony charge, Marlon knew he had to make a change; he was determined not to let the “felon” stigma discourage him.

He left Chicago and moved to Minnesota, eventually finding his way to Minneapolis College. Marlon took advantage of a program that offered a GED equivalent and found himself excelling in school, boosting his GPA from a 2.0 to a 3.72 and earning an associate degree in human services and criminal justice, all while working for the Public Safety Department and most recently on our Facilities Team.

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Kyle's educational journey began 25 years ago. After graduating high school, she took classes part time while working as Sous Chef and raising her three daughters.

Today, Kyle is the Executive Director at Minneapolis Climate Action, a local group focusing on recycling and green initiatives.

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What’s Your Story?

Tell us what you have been up to! Complete the alumni survey here or send an email to alumni.network@minneapolis.edu