Posted:
September 09, 2019By Mila Koumpilova | Star Tribune |
The voices on a new college podcast all belong to students who arrived on campus full of trepidation — a decorated U.S. Army veteran, a young woman who uses a wheelchair, a mom of two who yearned for a career that didn’t revolve around the question, “Would you like fries with that?”
Years later, with graduation in sight, they all have tips for new campus arrivals on how to conquer fears and persevere.
Upperclassmen and faculty at Minnesota State University, Mankato and White Bear Lake’s Century College created the “Finding Your Place” podcast to help first-generation students navigate college, which one student compares to crossing the Amazon, full of stunning scenery, opportunities for adventure — and lurking peril. Professors David Engen in Mankato and Robert Jersak at Century College teamed up, landing a grant through Shark Tank Open, a competition to fund innovative projects in the Minnesota State system.