McVay Interns and Associates: 2019-2020

My name is Abdi Badri, and I'm an Fellow at Liberty. I'm a Third-year studying political science. I hope to eventually go to law school and become a human rights lawyer. I'm excited to be back in McVay and to see how much the youth develop and grow within the program..

I'm a first year at Hamline and an intern at McVay. I don't know what I'm going to major in yet as I have so many interests, including: law, psychology, and education. In my free time I enjoy reading new books, spending time with friends, watching Netflix, and making friendship bracelets. I was born in Singapore and lived there until I was ten, and then I moved to Burnsville, Minnesota, where I attended Burnsville High School. I'm so excited to start at McVay, and I hope to make great connections and grow as a person!

I’m a sophomore at Hamline University majoring in Legal Studies with a minor in African American Studies. I’m so excited to be an intern here at McVay, and I can’t wait to get to know the students. My hobbies include writing poetry, playing the piano, hanging out with friends, and painting.

I am a sophomore at Hamline University. I plan to major in chemistry and also do pre-med. I love playing sports, fishing, and playing the piano. This will be my first year with the McVay program so I plan to learn a lot from everyone, even the students!

I’m an associate for Washington at Mcvay. I am currently a Junior majoring in education with a focus in mathematics. I love sports and music as well as helping out in the community. I play the cello for the Hamline orchestra, and I also like to play with my cats or read a book in my free time when I'm not working on homework.

I am a first year and am considering English for my major. In my free time I like to listen to music, podcasts, and spend time with my friends and family. I love getting involved and volunteering, so I am very excited to be apart of McVay.

I'm a junior at Hamline studying Philosophy. Outside of my academics, I spend most of my time making music. On campus, I'm a member of the Hamline A Cappella Choir, and will be serving as the fundraising chair of the choir board for the year. Off campus, I am a member of three different musical projects. I feel very lucky to be able to pursue my education and musical career at the same time. My love for music has provided for my role as a Music Associate at McVay, I'm very excited to share my knowledge with the youth

Hello! My name is Samri Melka. I am an international student from Ethiopia and a senior at Hamline majoring in Biochemistry with a Pre-medicine emphasis. I am the Science Associate here at McVay. I spend most of my time doing research in the Chemistry Department at Hamline and at off-campus locations such as HCMC. In my free time, I love meditating, spending time with family and friends, listening to music or walking in parks! After graduation, I hope to attend medical school to become a surgeon. I am very excited about working at McVay and look forward to a fantastic year!

I am an Art Associate at McVay and will be working in-between Liberty and Mounds. I am a third-year at Hamline University. I am a Religion major with a minor in Business Analytics. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. We normally watch a movie, visit Gold Medal Park, or eat out together. I feel like we have a great group of student mentors this year and can't wait to build connections with the students!

I am a first year at Hamline studying business and economics. I like to read about history, culture, geography, and current events on international scales. In my free time, I enjoy taking walks with my friends, keeping in touch with my family back in Thailand, and cooking. I am currently an Associate at McVay and I am excited to begin my second semester working with staff and students from a diverse background. I look forward to being an active and positive member of this amazing organization, and a good role model for the students I encounter.

I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. I moved to the United States when I was six years old. I live in Brooklyn Center with my family. I am the oldest in my family. I have two younger siblings. My major is legal studies with a minor in social justice. My plans for the future are to become a Paralegal for a couple of years and then go off to law school where I hope to either work with juveniles or work with people who have been wrongly convicted. I enjoy reading, sleeping, eating, dancing, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family. I love working with youth. I have been working with kids for a long time and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to keep working with kids through the McVay program. One fun fact about me is I was a camp counselor at Camp Koronis this summer it was a very cool experience.

I am a first-year student at Hamline University. I plan to major in elementary education and mathematics. I enjoy singing, dancing, drawing, painting (practically any form of art), volunteering, and spending time outdoors and with friends. I’m looking forward to being a part of this program to experience something really special with these young students and be someone they can look up to.

Hello, my name is Noah Vue. I am currently a second year student at Hamline and am planning to major in Philosophy with a minor in social justice. A few of the activities I enjoy are: meditation, playing sports, writing poetry/short stories, and hanging out with friends. I also like to eat and cook food as well. I’m always looking forward to helping everyone, as it is what I’m passionate about doing all the good I can. I love meeting new people and trying new things. Some of the most important things I believe are important are to be mindful, open-minded, and treat others in accordance how you will treat yourself. Working with Mcvay has helped me find my find what I love to do which is to work with youth as I grow and have fun with them. Knowing that I made a difference in their lives is a great feeling to have as we continue to learn from each other. That is the duty of who I am as their mentor.

I am a third year at Hamline University. I am majoring in Psychology and co-majoring in Elementary Education.

I am a sophomore at Hamline University. I am pursuing a finance degree. One extracurricular I am involved in is the Hamline men’s soccer team. In my free time, I like to hang out with my friends and play soccer; my favorite soccer team is Manchester City. One of my favorite things to do is explore my St. Paul neighborhood and try out new foods. I am a huge state fair fan and some of my favorite fair foods include: funnel cakes, pineapple slushies, and Sweet Martha’s cookies. I am looking forward to this upcoming year and connecting with new people at McVay.

I’m a first year and first generation student at Hamline University. I will be an intern at McVay. I’m still undecided on my major. During my free time, I like to play volleyball and play video games. I’m looking forward to this year and excited about this program.

I use she/her pronouns, and I'm a fellow at Washington. This is my fifth year at McVay, and I'm thankful I get to spend another semester with the kids!

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 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 Toumeng and I will be an associate this year with McVay. I'm currently a Junior at Hamline University with a marketing study major and I'm also hoping to minor in Digital Media Art. My favorite thing about McVay is that I love learning about the youth and hanging out with them. Fun facts about me; I like to play volleyball, badminton, take naps, hangout with friends on campus, and lastly I was born in Laos. I hope to learn and grow more while I'm spending my time with the McVay program!

I am a first-year at Hamline. Planning to double major in public health and accounting. In my free time, I love hanging out on the lake and playing basketball. I look forward to building positive relationships with the youth and being a good role model for the youth I work with.

Hi! My name is Erin Connelly and I am a first-year student at Hamline University! I plan on majoring in communication studies with a double major or minor in sociology. I enjoy listening to music, going on adventures, and spending time with the people around me. I am an intern at McVay this year and I am so excited to be a part of this program!

I am a first year at Hamline University. I am studying creative writing and English. I love music, Disney/Marvel movies, singing, & drawing. I love McVay because it is a great opportunity to connect with the future generations, and guide them to greatness!