McVay Interns and Associates: 2018-2019

Hello, my name is Samira Abdi. I am an intern at McVay. I am a sophomore and am studying finance and economics. I enjoy spending time with friends and family. I love traveling, and I hope to one day travel around the world. I am so excited to work at McVay and meet all the kids.

Hi! My name is Rupa and this is my second year at Hamline. I will be co-majoring in education and English. I like to read and watch Asian dramas. I am an intern at McVay, and I am so excited to be a part of the team. I hope to meet new people and create new memories while I am here at Hamline and working for McVay.

My name is Yusuf and I’m a sophomore at Hamline majoring in management information systems. I am a Somali who was born in the United Arab Emirates. I spent eight years in the UAE, however the majority of my life has been in the United States. My hobbies include playing sports, teaching, and photography. I’m excited to be joining the McVay family and I’m looking forward to a great year!

I am an education and music major and I plan to teach music in elementary schools. When I am not at school or McVay, I enjoy singing, playing the piano, and hanging out with friends. This is my first year at McVay and I am excited to meet new people and bring positive energy.

Hi everyone! My name is Basia, and I am currently completing my second year at Hamline University. My hopes are to graduate Hamline University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology and education, as well as with a minor in conflicts studies. A few things that I am passionate about and like to do in my free-time include connecting with friends, volunteering, going on hikes (when it’s not snowing), and being a co-creator in society. I also love meeting/getting to know new people! Hopefully five years from now I will be in a career that allows me to work with kids while also fighting for a world where poverty and inequality do not exist. Being a kind person in this world is extremely important to me, and I truly do believe it can make a difference even if it is a small one.

Hi, my name is Drew and I'm an intern at McVay. I am currently a first-year planning on studying something in the communications field. I enjoy McVay because it gives me an opportunity to get involved with my community and make a difference in young peoples' lives.

My name is Cristina Cuevas. I am currently a junior at Hamline. I’m majoring in anthropology with minors in Spanish and religion. I am currently on the catalyst executive board and a new student mentor at Hamline. I love to spend time on campus with friends and be involved in as much as I can while I am at Hamline. I am so excited for this year with McVay!

Hello! My name is Ray Doss and I am a junior here at Hamline. I am studying to become a high school teacher, but I have a long way to go and a lot to learn! I have only been in Minnesota for a couple years; I moved here from Orcas Island, a small island off the coast of Washington State. While I do miss the ocean, I love the snow and the people here in Minnesota. I enjoy knitting, cooking, watching movies and talking to people! I am so excited to work with everyone at McVay! Let’s get to it!

Hello! I am Sherina Dyrma, an international student from Albania and I am starting my junior year. I am working towards a major in biochemistry and exploring US culture. This is my second year working for McVay. I work mostly at Grace and I am really excited for my new position as an associate. McVay is such a wonderful program that has really enriched my experience at Hamline and in the States. I love all the connections that I’ve build with the students and they always help brighten my day!

Hello! My name is Inderia Falana and I’m an associate this year with the McVay Youth Partnership. I’m majoring in public health science and minoring in political science and philosophy. I am a senior in my fourth year here at Hamline University. I’ve been with McVay for three years now, and I’m super excited and grateful to be working with such amazing kids and staff members. In such a short amount of time I have made meaningful connections with the kids, and watching them learn and grow is the biggest reward. In my free time I like to read, laugh with friends, and spend quality time with family.

My name is Ismael Farah. I am currently a sophomore at Hamline. I’m majoring in biochemistry. I love to spend time on campus with friends as much as I can while I am at Hamline. I am so excited for this year with McVay and changing lives of these kids!

I love sports and music, as well as helping out my community. I play the cello for the Hamline orchestra, enjoy video games, and all forms of art. When I'm not working on homework or music, I play with my cats or chill.

Hi, everyone! My name is Sheng and I am a second year at Hamline with plans of majoring in psychology and minoring in women's studies. In my free time, I enjoy watching horror movies. I also like to play badminton every once in a while. I look forward to being a part of McVay and meeting everyone.

My name is Yasmin Hirsi and I am a sophomore at Hamline double majoring in global studies and political science, and minoring in philosophy. I have been involved in various student activities here at Hamline, such as New Student Mentor, Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress, Catalyst, and Hamline African Student Association. I am also currently a delegate for the Hamline Model United Nations 2019 team. When I'm not on campus I love spending time with family, hanging out with friends, and listening to true crime podcasts. What I am looking forward to with McVay is being a role model young students who will be great leaders of our society one day.

Hi! My name is Emily. I am a student studying public health and political sciences. This is my first year working with McVay and I am excited to build relationships with new people and help be a positive influence in student's lives. For the past two years I have played volleyball and run track for Hamline, worked in student government and participated as a general body member of the Black Student Collective. I look forward to a good year.

Hello! My name is Nou Lor. I’m a second year here at Hamline University. I’m planning to major in criminal justice, and minor in psychology and forensic science. My hobbies are singing, playing guitar, tennis, basketball, volleyball, watching movies and listen to Hmong dabneeg or folk stories. I am very excited to be a part of McVay this year. My goal for McVay is to build a strong connection and relationship with the kids and the staffs. I hope to meet new kids and create new memories while I’m here at Hamline.

Hello! My name is Julia and this will be my second year working at Mcvay. This will be my first year as an art associate which I'm very excited about. I enjoy music in my free time and also play bass for the Hamline jazz ensemble.

Hi. My name is Laura and I started as an intern this fall with McVay. I am a junior at Hamline and I am majoring in criminology and criminal justice. With my degree I hope to someday be able to work with youth within the criminal justice system. That's why I am so excited to be with McVay this year because I love working with kids whenever I can and McVay is great program for that. I am new to McVay this year, but one of the sites that I am excited to go to is Mounds because it is close to where I grew up and some of the kids that go there go to the same school I went to!

Hello, my name is Anaid Plascencia. I am a senior at Hamline double majoring in global studies and political science. It was a great experience to work in McVay programming during the summer of 2018. I am excited to work at different sites this coming year, especially Mounds.

Hi y'all! My name is Tasha Semanko, and I am a senior majoring in elementary education and communications studies. I love working with youth and volunteering within my community. In my free time I coach gymnastics, read, and do lots of homework. I am so excited to be a part of the McVay family again!

My name is Maxwell Smidt and I am going into my senior year at Hamline University. I am looking forward to graduating with my degree in education and psychology. While I am excited for the future, I will miss working with the wonderful group of kids I have gotten to know at McVay since my sophomore year. This is a wonderful place to work because we get to help these kids learn and grow while also learning from them in turn. Outside of McVay I have many hobbies including wood working, video games and reading. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and working at my other job where I am a theatre carpenter.

Hello! My name is Jordan Toth and I'm a third year at Hamline University studying psychology and biology. I am an intern at McVay, and I'm excited and grateful to take part in an organization with so many meaningful objectives. In my free time I love to watch and play sports, specifically basketball and football, socialize with friends and family, read, and play video games.

Hi! My name is Autumn Vagle and I am a junior at Hamline this year. I am double majoring in communication studies and digital media arts, and am minoring in music. I spend most of my time listening to music or singing, whether it is in the A Cappella Choir or in my band, Keep For Cheap. I enjoy hiking, camping, traveling, or anything outside in general. At McVay I work as a Multimedia Associate, and I’m very excited to start my first school year at McVay!

Hello! My name is Gashia Vue. I'm a second year here at Hamline. I'm planning to major in psychology. I like to read and watch Asian dramas. I am excited to be a part of McVay this year. I hope to meet new people and create new memories while I'm here at Hamline and working for McVay.

Hi! I am Sadie May Wasberg. It is my junior year at Hamline University. My major is psychology with a minor in philosophy. My hobbies are hiking, drawing, photography, reading, and watching movies. I also very much enjoy hanging out with my friends and my cat Odin! I am an art associate and I like to share my projects with multiple sites if I can. If you wanna do something creative come hangout with me!