For Linda Lee the whole process of applying for college was very daunting. Now this bright, thoughtful Gustavus junior is going to make sure that it will be a lot easier for many other students.
Lee was awarded a Phillips scholarship and, as part of the criteria, she had to develop a summer project between her junior and senior year at Gustavus. That moment has arrived, and Lee is ready and anxious to begin.
Her project is called “Reaching New Heights” and her primary goal is to assist low-income Hmong high school juniors and seniors fulfill their dreams of going to college by assisting them with the myriad of forms required for admission and with assistance in applying for financial aid. The Hmong American Partnership is assisting with the summer program.
“My parents are originally from Laos and immigrated to America from a Thailand refugee camp around 1968, and they have difficulty with English,” says Lee. “I had to fill out all the forms for admission and financial aid by myself, and that was really difficult.”
Lee’s summer session will last for 10 weeks and will take place in St. Paul. She has been working with counselors from Harding High School in St. Paul to identify students who would benefit from the session. Lee hopes to limit the class to 15 students, so that each student will receive individual attention.
“The program is just for the summer, but I’ll keep in touch with the students and talk to them once or twice a month to help them with all the forms and their applications,” said Lee.
Lee has already found help at Gustavus. Tim Johnson, associate director of student financial assistance at the College, will speak to the summer students about financial aid and Jill Bisbee, associate director of admission, will assist the students with their applications for admission.
Lee’s major at Gustavus is in criminal justice and sociology with a minor in peace studies.
“Peace is more than ‘not war’ and includes issues like social injustice,” says Lee. Her future plan is to work with communities to help with those issues. Community service is very important to Lee, and that is reflected in her other activities here on campus.
One of her favorite activities was serving as co-chair for the “Building Bridges” diversity conference held on March 19 and 20. The theme for this endeavor was about building community with three areas of emphasis.
The first area was building a democratic community; the second was developing a multi-cultural, pluralist society; and the third was addressing crime and safety issues.
Two keynote speakers were sponsored by the Building Bridges program. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, spoke about non-violence, and Dr. Manning Marable talked about multi-cultural democratic societies.
A benefit concert was also held, with the funds earned slated to start a scholarship for Native Americans.
Lee also serves on the Diversity Leadership Committee which meets to talk about issues that affect students with diverse backgrounds. The committee also will present an award to a student or faculty member who helps encourage more involvement in diversity issues.
Lee says that Gustavus has helped open her eyes in many areas.
“My sociology professors are just great. They have office hours, but they’re willing to meet with students outside of those times. They know your name, and they’ll actually talk to you, and you get to know them on a personal basis,” says Lee.
Lee also has praise for many individuals on the staff. She credits Mark Anderson for getting her to Gustavus in the first place, and credits Raj Sethuraju, dean of multi-cultural affairs, for helping her through the rough times.
“They really care about you here at Gustavus,” said Lee. “You’re more than just a number.”
Lee tells of Patti Kelly in the dean’s office bringing her brother to campus for a visit and spending time talking to her about “life.”
“It’s great that I know President Peterson, and he knows me”, says Lee. “That certainly wouldn’t happen at a big university.”
Linda Lee may have struggled to find her way to Gustavus, but thanks to the help she’s received, this intelligent, dedicated young woman will make certain that many other students will find their way to the higher education that she did.