 The Impact on
Students
Determination helped overcome family tragedy
When Eric Sodergren was in third grade,
his life changed forever.
“I came home from school one day,
and I found my mother,” Sodergren
says. “She had passed away from
congestive heart failure while she was
taking a nap. I had to call my dad and
give him the news.”
The unexpected death shook the little family
to its core.“My dad struggled financially,”
Sodergren says. “Somehow he incurred
lots of debt, and over the years it built
up and up.” Then, the unthinkable
happened. When Sodergren was a junior
in high school, his father died of a heart
attack.
Determined to create a successful future,
Sodergren moved in with his older half-sister
and graduated at the top of his class.
College was next, but he needed a carefully
calibrated combination of student loans
and scholarship support.
Sodergren set his sights high—on
the Carlson School of Management. Armed
with a stellar high school record, he
landed two highly sought-after scholarships
and a part-time job that made up the financial
difference.
Sodergren hopes to make a career in the
financial-services industry. Until then,
he’s focusing on his studies, maintaining
a 3.5 average. “I wish my parents
could see what I’m doing,”
Sodergren says. “I know they’d
be proud.”
Learn how gifts
like yours impact faculty, research and
outreach at the U.
Faculty:
Endowed faculty positions increase
the U's ability to attact top students
and recruit and retain world-class
faculty.
Research:
For the first time, University of Minnesota
researchers have secured over half
a billion dollars in research funding
in a single year.
Outreach: University Libraries lends more books to other libraries than
any other academic library in the nation. That mission has been assisted through
the generosity of private support. |
