When Mai Choua Thao ’11, a senior studying business administration and accounting, was accepted into Augsburg’s Scholastic Connections program, she was hoping to connect on many levels with her mentor. But she said that Cindy Peterson, director of the program, had a tough time finding someone for Thao to work with. Then Peterson approached Jenny Yang, a counselor in the financial aid office at Augsburg. Though Yang is not an alum of Augsburg as most of the Scholastic Connections mentors are, she was a perfect fit for Thao.

“The thing I appreciate about Jenny is that we can relate to each other. Our families are similar and she understands me. I don’t think another mentor would fully comprehend my life like Jenny does,” Thao said. Both are Hmong women who come from large families, and both have experienced the challenges of living in a bi-cultural world. Continue reading “Scholar and mentor learn from each other in Scholastic Connections” →