North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) holistic and financial investment in the Annexstad Scholar community has allowed their partnership to grow since 2015. Cathy Annexstad shares, “The University’s leadership has made a dedicated effort to connect with our Scholars, including providing grand opportunities for our future change makers and dinner invitations to President David Cook’s home. Currently, The Annexstad Family Foundation supports seven Leaders for Tomorrow Scholars and 12 Alumni pursuing careers in medicine, construction management and engineering.”
Maya Hanson and Tanner Verbitsky, both Family and Consumer Science Education majors at NDSU, know the importance of perseverance. After facing several challenging life events before the age of 18, neither Maya nor Tanner thought college would be a possibility. Both wanted to become teachers, which led them to NDSU. Through NDSU, Maya and Tanner were selected for the Leaders for Tomorrow Scholarship, given to students who have overcome significant life events, such as death in their family, extreme poverty, foster care, etc., and who show academic and leadership promise.
“As I approach graduation, I see more potential within myself,” Maya says. “It isn’t that I didn’t have it before, but being so close to the finish line, I have contemplated where I want to go and now I can actually see myself in different positions.”
Since being in college, Tanner has noticed his potential grow as he has gained more confidence to speak up in classes and reach out for help. In addition to The Annexstad Family Foundation’s support, Maya and Tanner have utilized campus resources and services.
“NDSU is a student-focused, land-grant, research university that strives to provide access to students from diverse backgrounds,” says Laura Oster-Aaland, NDSU Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Institutional Equity. “We believe in students’ ability to overcome challenges, and we provide them with the tools and support to succeed at NDSU and in life.
We have been impressed with the success of our Annexstad Scholars and are excited to see what they achieve next.”
“NDSU has doubled down on our land-grant mission of providing access to education by investing in various need-based scholarships that benefit first-generation and low-income students,” says Cook. “The Tuition Award Program fully covers base tuition and student fees for Pell-eligible North Dakota and Minnesota students with family incomes of $80,000 or less for their first and second years at NDSU.”
As they work toward their degrees, Maya and Tanner aim to become classroom leaders who will inspire their future students for years to come.
