McVay Fellows: 2017-2018

Hi! I am Opeyemi Arogundade. I am currently a Senior at Hamline University majoring in Physics. I enjoy watching movies and playing soccer. I am honored to be part of McVay again this year. I am a fellow at Path of Grace, and I look forward to working with the fabulous staff and youth members.

Hello! My name is Andrew Cin-Walker and I am returning to McVay as a Fellow at the Path of Grace site. I am a Junior majoring in Elementary Education (K-6) and Global studies while minoring in Mandarin Chinese. I hope that after graduation I can work in a kindergarten or first grade classroom and one day work as a school administrator. I spend most of my time working as a tutor and student worker for the Hamline to Hamline Collaboration at Hamline Elementary. I love to read, travel, and collect rocks and minerals. I'm so excited to engage in youth programming and spend another year with the kids at McVay!

My name is Megan Gillespie, this is going to be my third year with McVay. I am a senior studying Environmental Studies. I enjoy camping/hiking, going on adventures, just being outside in general, and cooking/baking. McVay has been a big part of my college experience and I am grateful for all the experiences I have had through the program.

Hello everyone! My name is Hannah and I am excited to be back at McVay. I am a Junior at Hamline University and am majoring in Global Studies and Environmental Studies. In the summer I love working in gardens and spending my time outdoors, even in the winter! I like to read, paint, watch movies, and hopefully one day I’ll make my way to all the national parks. I have a passion for helping people, mentoring youth, and preserving the environment; I am hoping that this will guide my future career goals. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with McVay and the youth and I can’t wait to see how this year will develop.

I love Mcvay and everyone that is a part of it. In my free time I like to hang with friends and play football. I am aspiring to become a clinical psychologist after graduating college.

My name is Gadise Mulat, I’m currently studying Marketing as well as Non-profit Management. I enjoy singing, visiting any thrift store, as well as walks in the park. I’m very excited to be working with McVay and the students involved. 

Hello! My name is Abby Sprunger, and I am a junior majoring in social studies and secondary education. This year I will be a fellow at Path of Grace, and I am very excited to be working with McVay’s amazing youth and staff. In my free time I enjoy camping, cooking, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family.

What’s good, it’s Adebowale Bankole, but everyone calls me Debo. I am a Senior Fellow at Liberty. I am a Senior at Hamline and I’m majoring in Marketing and Management. I am a person who likes to sing and do a lot of cooking! I am grateful to be part of this program McVay Youth Voice and I am excited for the growth of the youth in it as well. I am excited to work with the staff and the kids, so let's get it!

Hello! My name is Nadia Mohamed and I'm a senior majoring in Public Health with minors in Social justice and Philosophy. Over the past 2 years of working at McVay I've gotten to know many of the kids from our 4 sites and enjoyed watching them learn and grow. Its been such an honor supporting and engaging with them and I look forward to doing that this year as well.

Hola, Hola es Carola! I am a senior at Hamline, double majoring in Global Studies and Spanish with a double minor in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies. I fluently speak Spanish and English. This is my third year at McVay but this year I will be working as a fellow. This summer I was student mentor for new incoming freshmen at Hamline University for the Institute of Academic Success. During Fall semester I will be a TA Assisting professor Andrea Bell with Hablemos de Cine. Last year’s highlight was going back to Cuba, my home county with Hamline during J-Term study abroad. Throughout my time at this institution the past three years, I have been a part of multiple organizations such as the Hispanic and Latino Organization. I am very passionate about intercultural communication and being an active citizen of the world. I love to travel, chatting up a storm with people, and ice, but not when I slip on it.

I love sports and music as well as enjoys helping others out. I make music, enjoy poetry as well and enjoy all kinds of forms of art. I also like to play videos games or chill in my free time when I'm not working on homework or music.

My name is Adewale Philip Adenodi. I am a Senior majoring Education and Social Studies with a Minor in Spanish. I was born in New Orleans and grew up in Brooklyn Park, MN. When I graduate I hope to teach aboard in Latin America then teach in a high school.

My name is Sam Karnes, and I am a senior here at Hamline. I am studying Chemistry with a minor in education. I am a Senior Fellow at Mounds Park, this is my third year being a part of McVay. I really love spending time with the students and getting to know them individually. In my spare time I enjoy traveling, reading, and watching Netflix.

Hey McVay! I am so excited to be serving another year as a fellow at Mounds Park. I am completing a double major in the Public Health Sciences and Global Studies. McVay has huge space in my heart as I was once a McVay kid back in my glory days. My favorite memories at McVay is how much fun we have at the end of the year parties. I'm ready for a great year!

My name is Claire Tee and I am currently a Junior at Hamline University majoring in Psychology and Elementary Education. I enjoy traveling and meeting new people. I feel very honored to be returning to McVay for my second year serving as a fellow at Mounds. I look forward to meeting new kids and connecting with them.

Nyob zoo! Hello! I am Padee Vue and I am a second year hoping to double major in public health sciences and social justice. This year I am the vice president for Asian Pacific American Coalition and beyond ecstatic to begin planning for future events. Along with Mcvay I also work at the elementary school across from Hamline University with elementary and middle school students. I love working with students because I am not just giving to them but receiving from them as well. I am always learning from the students I work with so it’s always a joy working with them. In my free time I enjoy singing and playing my guitar. I also love hanging out with my friends on campus as well and exploring the Twin cities. My favorite restaurant nearby Hamline is Mirror of Korea, just across from Hamline and my favorite dish my the place is Bibimbap which is a bowl of mixed rice with vegetables and beef. I look forward to working at McVay this year! 

I'm Nora Brasgalla, and I'm a junior this year. This is my third school year with McVay, and I am a fellow at Washington. I am an eagle scout, and I know a little more than basic first aid. 

My name is Tess Drana and this is my senior year at Hamline! I am majoring in Criminal Justice and Social Justice and have a particular interest in Juvenile Justice. I started at McVay during my second year at Hamline and have loved every minute of it. On campus I am the President of Hamline Francophone club and a member of Hamline University Honors. I grew up in Milwaukee Wisconsin, where I was a figure skater for 10 years. For the past three summers I have worked with a nonprofit in Milwaukee that offers programming and living services to young men who are returning to the community from incarceration. I have also worked at a summer skating camp and a catering company over the past several summers. I am honored to have been involved in McVay for the past two years and can’t wait to see what we do at the Washington site this year!

 My name is Jaimen Hampton and this will be my second year with McVay. Academically, I will be a junior working towards my major in biology. Other than my science related interests, I'm a part of the football team here on campus. In my spare time I enjoy listening/creating music, playing video games, and staying active in my spare time. What I'm looking forward to most this year is to deeply engage with the program and hopefully leave a positive impact on them.  

My name is Erin, and I'm currently a Senior at Hamline University. I am double majoring in Spanish and History. I'm very excited to return to McVay this year and to see all of the youth again! One of my favorite memories at McVay, was going to Marydale Park this past summer and setting up hammocks for the youth to relax in.  They were super excited about the hammocks, and we all worked together to find the best trees to hang them up on.

Hey, my name is Abel Moe, and this is my fourth year at Hamline and McVay. I am majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice because I want to become a Police Officer so that I can be closer to the community by helping others. I am a Senior Fellow at Washington, which is also where I graduated from. This is the second year that we are having programming at Washington. After transitioning from our old site at Wheelock we were able to overcome some challenges as a team, along with loyal students who have returned each year. The reason why I chose to work at McVay is because it really is a great environment to be in, especially with all the kids and the group of hardworking people there help to make it fun and welcoming. I'm glad I was able to meet such a great group of people and I know the things I learned here will have a great impact on my future.

Hey everyone! My name is Dustin and I am a senior marketing major at Hamline. This is my second year with McVay and my first year as a Fellow! After school I wish to pursue a career that allows me to travel and be in charge of high-level projects. I am looking forward to a great year with everyone!