Alexander Gasdaska
Alexander can be reached at alexander@leadmn.org
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND.
I am a student at the University of MInnesota’s Carlson School of Management where I will complete my undergraduate degree in December 2021 with majors in Management Information Systems and Public & Nonprofit Management.Before joining LeadMN as a data management intern, I worked in GIS research, IT and A/V support, grounds crew, and baseball umpiring.
I also held a position on my Pennsylvania hometown’s Borough Council and I still help with the Marysville Carnival’s funnel cake duties every summer.
WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN WORKING FOR LEADMN AND WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING ON?
When I held the position in my hometown’s borough council, it made me want to move away from the private sector and more towards community engagement. So I began to look more at nonprofits and LeadMN popped up. It was interesting to see an organization based in civic action and student leadership.
I am currently a data analyst intern at LeadMN, to me having full and complete data is very important. I previously worked in international agricultural census data where in certain geopolitical areas data was not available making it difficult to assess what those areas needed. I also cannot wait to interact with other students along the way.
WHAT INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I am a huge sports fan but I especially enjoy baseball with my favorite team being the Rockies, which is a little strange considering I am from Pennsylvania. I am currently attending the University of Minnesota so I try to enjoy the area as much as possible by biking and fishing.
Anun Kumaran
Anun can be reached at anun@leadmn.org
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND.
I am currently a senior at the University of Minnesota studying political science and history, and will be the Outreach and Mental Health intern for LeadMN. I have an interest in the nonprofit sector, and have previously volunteered and worked with groups in and around the Twin Cities area such as the Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization and Twin Cities in Motion.
WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN WORKING FOR LEADMN AND WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING ON?
I have previously worked in non-profits so I wanted to work for another. What caught my interest about LeadMN is how they help their support students. I strongly believe in higher education allowing for socioeconomic mobility but students face multiple barriers. My work as an intern will be to compile basic needs resources to students to alleviate some of the barriers.
WHAT INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I am interested in the political and engagement realms including finding ways to combat income and wealth inequality and climate change, which is nice because I also feel like I do that at work. I also love running, camping, hiking and generally being outside.
Chelsea Birasa
Chelsea can be reached at chelsea@leadmn.org
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND.
I am originally from Rwanda and came to Minnesota in January of 2020 in pursuit of higher education. After attending a four-year institution, I attended M-State Moorehead. On campus, I currently work as an ESL tutor.
WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN WORKING FOR LEADMN AND WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING ON?
My interests in helping people started when I became a tutor for K-12 students. When deciding what I wanted to do, I knew that I wanted to keep that element of my work, so I went into the nursing program. When the pandemic hit, work study programs were cut significantly, which was where most international students were employed. To compound this, the emergency grants that schools distributed were not available to international students. When looking for resources, I became frustrated not only because of my own journey but because of the lack of international student voices. I was told that LeadMN not only offered emergency funds to international students but that they supported international students. The outreach to students about the emergency grant is work that I think is important because most students who need these resources are not aware of the grants. My journey was similar to where I needed to seek out resources, so I hope that for the international students who are still looking for those resources, I am able to assist them.
WHAT INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I really enjoy non-fiction books with my favorite being “His Brightlight”. Due to a training I had to do, I learned chess and now I really enjoy playing chess. I have spent my entire college career in a pandemic so I hope to explore Minnesota more, later on this year.