Two Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) staff members were recently awarded scholarships from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation. The $1,500 Foundation Scholarships went to Krista Larum, a Registered Nurse at the Fergus Falls Veterans Home and Hanna Lewis, a Health Unit Coordinator at the Minneapolis Veterans Home.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports initiatives to transform models of service delivery to seniors in Minnesota. The Foundation focuses on building the workforce of the future, advancing new approaches to service delivery and developing tomorrow’s leadership at all levels. The scholarship was designed for those interested in advancing their education and careers in aging services.

President and Chief Executive Officer of LeadingAge Minnesota, Gayle Kvenvold had a few words to say. “LeadingAge Minnesota congratulates Hanna and Krista on their selection as 2018 scholarship recipients,” said Gayle Kvenvold, President and Chief Executive Officer of LeadingAge Minnesota. “Our Minnesota Foundation is thrilled to be able to support the careers of those called to serve older persons and others in need of long term services and support. Over the past five years, we have provided over $120,000 to outstanding individuals and are proud to add Krista and Hanna to the ranks of these emerging leaders in our field. We wish them well in their academic pursuits and thank them on behalf of all Minnesotans for their commitment to caregiving careers.”

The Foundation Scholarship program supports eligible caregivers and other employees of LeadingAge Minnesota member organizations. Applicants must be at least 17 years old, work for a provider member of LeadingAge Minnesota and be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education.

Upon being asked what this scholarship means to her, Lewis responded with, “When I got the email that I won the scholarship, I was shocked! I had just paid a very large amount out of pocket for the semester, so I was very relieved when I had $1,500 to put towards it. I didn’t go the traditional college route after high school, so working full-time and going to school full-time has been very challenging. This scholarship definitely gave me some piece of mind!” Lewis said. She plans to finish her Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration in early 2020, if not sooner. Her long-term goals are to become an administrator at a facility like the Minneapolis Veterans Home campus. “Being a leader has always come naturally for me,” she shared, “and I hope to be able to continue that in my future career.” 

The scholarship was also a great surprise for Larum. “Receiving this scholarship was very exciting for me; the scholarship will pay 60 percent of my fall semester and it will help cover costs of tuition expenses for my fall semester,” Larum said. “Completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing has been a goal since receiving my RN in 2011. I received $1,500 through the LeadingAge Foundation towards my RN-BSN courses.”
It is a very impressive opportunity to not only have two MDVA staff members win this scholarship but also to have this success story for use as motivation.