Soon after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Minnesota students saw classes go online temporarily, campus life come to a standstill, and work hours cut. The changes left some wondering how they were going to pay for rent, groceries, and other expenses.
Recognizing the need, then-U of M President Joan Gabel created a donor-supported Student Emergency Fund to help students like Lexi Carstensen, a health services management major.
“The emergency grant paid for a month of rent. That might not seem like a lot, but it helped so much,” she says. “It’s nice knowing that people who gave to this fund really care about my education. There are so many good hearts out there.”
Since graduating in May of 2020, Carstensen lined up a job in Chicago with Willis Tower Watson, a risk management, insurance brokerage, and advisory company where she had interned. And while in-person U of M classes and campus life have since resumed, the need for emergency student support still remains.
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