The Wallin Scholarship Program

Scholar Profiles

Charles Henderson

Charles Henderson graduated from South High in 2001 and from the University of Minnesota in May of 2005. Charles received his BS degree from the College of Human Ecology. He majored in Family Social Science and minored in Law/Criminology/Deviance. At this time, Charles is working part time for Anoka County in Juvenile Probation. His goal is to secure a full time job in juvenile probation somewhere in the Twin Cities area.

John Sroka

John graduated Magna Cum Laude from Augsburg College with a major in Accounting and a minor in Finance. Currently John is living in London and working for Grant Thornton LLP. John plans on taking his CPA test within the year (2005). During tax season John volunteered his time by helping low income families in north Minneapolis preparing their tax returns.

Kelly Keith

Kelly is a 2001 graduate of Washburn High School and a 2005 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College. Kelly graduated Cum Laude receiving her BA in Health and Exercise Science. This fall, Kelly will be going back to Gustavus to be an assistant coach for the women's soccer program. Future plans for her include pursuing her Master's of Science in Nutrition and to become a registered Dietitian.

John Dreier

After graduating from Roosevelt High School in 2000, John (Burczek) Dreier went to college at the University of St. Thomas. John received a BA degree in English Literature with a minor in Justice and Peace Studies. He graduated from St. Thomas with Aquinas Honors in 2004. John received the Wallin Scholarship, which enabled him to get involved in the St. Thomas Community. While at St. Thomas, he led groups of college students on service-learning trips to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Kentucky, Colorado, and Illinois. Currently, John works for the University of St. Thomas as an Admissions Counselor. He has plans of attending graduate school in English Literature and Rhetorical Studies.

Jennifer Hoyny

In May 2005, Jen graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Cloud State University with a degree in Aviation Management. She has been an active member in Women in Aviation and has attending their annual conferences for three years. This past year she was the secretary for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), and spring semester is an intern with Northwest Airlines working on numerous projects developing training methods and manuals for the Airbus A-330 fleet. Through Jen's internship she was able to fly in the jump seat (in the cockpit) with the Northwest pilots to cities all over the U.S.

Erinn Kennedy

Erin Kennedy

Erinn Kennedy graduated from Roosevelt High School in 2001 with a 3.85 GPA. Following a stellar high school career was an extraordinary college career at Hamline University College of Liberal Arts. Erinn graduated Cum Laude in May of 2005 with a 3.5 GPA and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and Health.

After student teaching in the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts, Erinn decided to pursue a teaching career in the metro area and is applying to every district with the hope of obtaining a position in the fall. Currently Erinn is working full-time at Minnesota Laser and Pain Therapy, Inc. as a technician and administrative assistant.

Mohammed Abdihalim

Tam Nguyen

A graduate from the University of Minnesota, College of Biological Science, Tam Nguyen achieved a 4.0 GPA with a degree in Biochemistry. Future plans include graduate school and possibly pursuing a career in surgery. Tam would like to use her medical degree in third world countries helping the ill regardless of financial status.

Tam's 4.0 from the University stands alone as a spectacular achievement. Consider also that Tam was born in the Binh Duong province in South Vietnam and emigrated to Minnesota at the age of nine. Tam confesses to being a mediocre student due to her insufficiency in English and lack of interest. She credits the dedicated teachers at Roosevelt High School for sparking her interest in academics.

Stela Osmancevic

Stela Osmancevic is a 2004 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, with a major in Global Studies and a minor in Spanish. Stela, who attended Edison High School, is a Bosnian refugee who has become an American citizen. Stela was funded her first two years through the Wallin Scholarship Program and was subsequently awarded a Cornwell Scholarship for her last two years. Stela has been granted a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for study abroad for one year. She is planning to return to Spain to continue her concentration in Global Studies.

Mabina Kiawu

Mabina Kiawu graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 2001 as the valedictorian for his class. He attends the University of Minnesota and is Co-President of the Wallin Scholar Student Organization. Originally from Liberia, Mabina succeeded in coming to the United States alone after sustaining a terrible family tragedy in the on-going conflict in Liberia.

Mabina received both a Wallin and an Eric Scholarship. Until fall 2003, he was unable to receive any state or federal aid. To his credit, he was able to combine paid work with the Eric and Wallin Scholarships to put himself through college full-time with a goal of attending the pharmacy program at the University of Minnesota.