McVay Interns and Associates: 2014-2015

Hi! My name is Brenna Bloome and I am a sophomore co-majoring in secondary education and chemistry. I’m from Eagan, Minnesota. On campus, I work for student accounts and undergraduate admissions. This will be my first year working for the McVay program and I’m really excited. I love just being outside and being with my family. I also play the piano and kick around the soccer ball in my spare time.

Hi my name is Jama Bulhan. I am a sophomore at Hamline University, I am a potential Education major. I like playing and watching basketball,football, and soccer.

Hi! My name is Courtney and I am a senior at Hamline, majoring in Biology with a Psychology minor. I am excited to be starting my third year at McVay! I enjoy many sports and just enjoying the lake that I live by. Watching movies is also a favorite past time of mine. In addition to sports, I am a huge crafts fan. I am always up for new experiences that I am hoping that this year will bring.

Hey there! My name is Emily and this is my senior year at Hamline! I am an economics major with a minor in religion. This fall will be my second year working with McVay. I also work for Hamline’s undergraduate library and the department of Residential Life. In my free time I enjoy watching NBA games (I love the Portland Trail Blazers), reading, and hiking. I’m so excited to be a part of this program and see all of the wonderful things it accomplishes this year!

My name is Tottiana Duffy, and I am a freshman at Hamline University. I graduated from Eastview High School this summer. My hobbies include Hip-Hop and contemporary/modern dancing, singing, acting, and most recently, photography. I have a big heart for working with kids so I plan on going to medical school once I graduate from Hamline to become a pediatrician. I feel very blessed to be starting my journey with the McVay program, and can't wait to get to know all the amazing kids and staff!

Hello, my name is Becky Endert and I am a senior at Hamline University. This will be my first year working with McVay, and I am so excited to be a part of this program. I am majoring in Elementary Education and Psychology; I would like to teach first or third grade, but honestly as long as I get to teach and be around youth, I'm content. At some point, I want to either be a school therapist or guidance counselor for high-school-aged students. In my free time I am a part of the Hand-in-Hand program, hanging out with my friends, and enjoying lots of coffee at the Starbucks on campus.

Hello! I'm Jen and I am a senior at Hamline University majoring in Math and Education with a minor in Social Justice. This is my first year working with McVay as a Math Associate. I plan fun math activities to do at all of the sites. Through my McVay experience, I hope to build my skills working with youth and making math fun! 

My name is Christopher Her. I come from a family of 4 brothers and 2 sisters. As the middle child, I have always gotten the hand-me downs, and the opportunity to baby sit. I currently attend Hamline University with the intentions to co-major in education and math. My goals in life are to make sure that my loved ones are well off in the future, alongside myself. 

My name is Ridwan Hussein. I am currently a sophomore at Hamline. I went to high school in Chicago. Here at Hamline I am planning on majoring in Education and Psychology. Some of my passions are basketball and soccer. 

I am Thuy Le, from Vietnam. I am a junior majoring in Finance and International Business. This fall will be my first semester working with McVay as an intern. I am also the president of International Student Organization (ISO) at Hamline. I enjoy working with kids and creating some sweet moments of life with them. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends and shopping.

 Oh, hello there! I'm Lee Mai, this will be my first year with McVay and I'm excited to see where this experience will lead me! But who am I exactly? I'm currently a sophomore here at Hamline with majors in Education, History, and Social Studies.  I also am a part of Hamline Winds where I play Horn as a simple hobby for eight years. I also did voice for the past ten years as well. Things I also do outside Hamline are drawing comics, gaming, and theatrical improv whenever its needed. I hope I can share these stories and experiences with McVay in the upcoming year!

My name is Jovi Malana. I am a third-year student and I am studying mathematics and pre-med here at Hamline University. In the near future, I hope to have graduated college and be back to the West coast attending medical school. Some of my hobbies include playing the guitar –also singing if no one is around-, playing sports, dancing and watching movies with friends. Here is a fun fact about me; I was born and raised in the Philippines until I was eleven and English is my third language! I am a new member at McVay and I am hoping to have a great first year!

My name is Dani and I am a sophomore double majoring in elementary education and psychology. This is my first year in McVay and I am extremely excited. I am from California and my hobbies include dancing weirdly and singing. I hope to some day be an elementary school teacher and then become a school counselor. I have always been taught to judge a person by their actions and not where they come from, the color of their skin, their beliefs, etc. I hope to teach this to my future students and hope that one day we can all treat each other how we would like to be treated.

Hi, my name is Abel Moe. This is my first year at Hamline University and working with McVay. I am excited to work at McVay because of the friendly environment and community it has. I plan on majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice because I want to become a Police Officer so that I can be closer to the community and help others when they need me to. Before McVay, I tutored with kids during my senior year. I had a great time with the tutoring programs I was involved with and it pushed me to want to do more and help kids learn, which is why I'm glad I found McVay.  

Hey, I'm Deric Moffitt and am a junior student at Hamline University. I'm originally from Southbend, Indiana but I've been living in Saint Paul, Minnesota for quite a while now. I graduated from Harding High School. I like to play soccer and the guitar. I also run track and love to play basketball. 

Hello my name is Brandon Nelson and I’m a senior at Hamline University studying social studies education. I look forward to working with youth as a career and am very excited to begin with the McVay Youth Partnership. I believe that education is a transformative force that can be used as a tool for social justice. In addition to my interests in the field of social studies, I am also an avid music listener and enjoy playing the guitar in my spare time.

Hello! My name is Rebecca Nguyen and I am a first year student at Hamline University. I am hoping to major in mechanical engineering. My interests include hip-hop/break dancing, playing music, and tennis or any other sport. I am currently signed with the DanceOn Network and YouTube. I speak and write fluently in Vietnamese. This will be my first year working with McVay. I am very excited to help others and just being a leader through service!

Associate

Hi! My name is Ikram Osman and I'm a junior here at Hamline, minoring in Religion and taking part in the pre-med program. I enjoy reading, drawing, and writing poetry in my free time. I'm involved with a handful of organizations on campus including HASA, Pride, HFH, SAB and STLF. This year will be my first year working with McVay and I'm excited to get the opportunity to work with other interns and the youth at McVay. I also hope to learn from them all as they learn from me.

Hello! My name is Nuuria Osman. I am currently a junior at Hamline and this will be my second year with the McVay Youth Partnership. One day I hope to become either an elementary school art teacher or a therapist. Some things that I really enjoy doing in my spare time are painting and photography. I also love to play soccer and I enjoy canoeing and camping.

My name is Morgan Schams and I am majoring in Women’s Studies and Social Justice with a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. I was born and raised in La Crosse, WI. I love to travel, and had the opportunity to study abroad last fall in Morocco. In my free time I like to hang out with my friends. I try to be active as much as possible and enjoy hiking and bike riding. One of my aspirations in life is to be able to camp in all the top national parks.

Sports Associate

Hello, my name is Aubrey Stenson and I will be a junior this fall at Hamline. I am majoring in Public Health and Psychology with a minor in Education. This upcoming school year will be my first working with McVay and I couldn’t be more excited. In the future I hope to work with youth in some capacity as I always find it rewarding. I am on the Hamline Women’s Soccer Team, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and I also belong to the Hamline Outdoor Recreation Club. In my free time I enjoy playing sports, spending time with family and friends, and trying new things.

Hey, y'all. I'm Kristina Stuntebeck, a senior receiving degrees/certification in Studio Art, Art History, and International Journalism. This is my second year working for the McVay program as an Art Associate. I develop a different artistic project each week to teach the youth about creativity and skill building and help them gain confidence in their work and capabilities. Working with the youth is far more rewarding than I could have imagined and I feel very fortunate to be a member of this program.

My name is Kimberly Tran and I am a junior at Hamline University. My majors are Public Health Sciences and Psychology. I hope to become a Speech Pathologist in the future. I am an only child who was born in Nebraska, but I grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. I am very connected to my Vietnamese heritage, and I can speak Vietnamese. I absolutely love teaching students, volunteering, traveling, writing poems and playing tennis.

My name is Alyssa Volkmann. I’m a second year at Hamline, and I am doubling majoring in social justice (concentration in urban studies) and sociology, as well as a German minor. I’m from a small town in northern Wisconsin, and I definitely feel like I belong in an area like the Twin Cities instead of in a small town. I’m a big music addict, and I have a pretty wide variety in my library, from rap and classic rock to jazz and alternative music; I appreciate all types of music. I also love reading, Netflix and spending time with my friends. At Hamline, I am on the board of an organization called Spectrum, which is an LGBTQIA org on campus! I also live in the Hmong House, which is affiliated with the Hmong Student Association at Hamline. I love learning about different cultures because it’s so amazing to recognize all the different varieties of ways to live life and see the world! I think it’s always important to keep an open mind. I’m looking forward to working at McVay and meeting the kids and sharing our experiences and getting to know each other!

My name is Maddie Williamson. I am a senior at Hamline University majoring in criminology and criminal justice with a double major in psychology. My future goal is to work in a juvenile facility with troubled youth. I am from a small town up north called Shafer. There are five children in my family; I have an older sister and three younger brothers. In my free time I like to spend time with my dog, listen to music, watch cartoons and attempt to play basketball.

Nyob zoo (Hello)! My name is Kia Xiong and I am a second year at Hamline majoring in Pre-med Biology and Psychology. For my future career, I want to be a psychiatrist . I’m originally from Sacramento, California. I love to sing and go on trips out of town whenever I can. I’ll go wherever you go if you mention “Korean food,” and want to study abroad in South Korea when I have the opportunity to.  Through all my struggles, the thought that it will be all worth it in the end and that I can make it worthwhile for myself and those around me is what keeps me going everyday. Funny enough, the thought that follows that is to not get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Life is just too precious and short. 

Hiya! My name is Lydia Yahnke. This is my first year working with McVay and I am so incredibly excited to start this new adventure with the staff and youth! I am currently a Sophomore, double majoring in Communications and Political Science. I am also a Resident Advisor this year, so I have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. In my free time, I like to talk baseball, be silly in singing classic rock tunes across campus with my friends, learn anything and everything about history, promote much Piper Pride, and spend quality time with the giraffes at the zoo.  I'll be looking forward to spending time with the youth to create a safe, empowering, and educational environment.

Hi, I'm Eric Yeakel! This will be my first year working at McVay. I am in my second year at Hamline and I plan to double major in Legal Studies and Political Science. I love playing soccer. I've been playing since first grade. Last year I played in pick up games all year round. I also love music, from Big band to Rock and Roll, I love it all! I am a member of both the Hamline Orchestra and Jazz band. I am a trombone player and have been playing since fifth grade. I cannot wait to start at McVay!