Yuko Taniguchi was inspired by how fisherwomen in her native Japan used art to heal from the devastating grief and trauma of a tsunami. That inspiration fuels her work with the Arts at the Bedside Program at the Mayo Clinic, where she helps patients
Larry Tucker devotes his professional career to helping people change the direction of their lives and, he says, “write a different story.” Despite childhood adversity and becoming a parent when he was just 17, Larry earned both his bachelor’s and
Giovanni Veliz is the first immigrant police lieutenant in the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the former executive director of the Police Activities League. He is keenly aware of the challenges police departments have in building
As one of Minnesota's civic leaders, Hamse Warfa is concerned about structural integration challenges new immigrants face, particularly immigrants in the Somali community. He bridges cultures through leadership and peacebuilding training, and wants
Martin Wera sees the relationships between good food and good jobs through his focus on hunger relief and workforce development at Ameriprise. He is passionate about exploring ways to unite the food service industry and the nonprofit sector to create
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Travis graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. Travis works as a program coordinator with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in an effort to improve
Jennifer Almanza has spent the last 10 years understanding the scope of what a woman might encounter during birth, especially women of color. She researched the birthing experience of women living on Leech Lake Reservation, served as a preceptor and
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Sunshine is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. In 2003, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management with a business focus from Si Tanka University at Huron. She facilitates the
As co-artistic director of Penumbra Theatre Company, Sarah Bellamy imagines a future where Penumbra is not only the nation’s leading African American theater troupe but also a beacon for reigniting a shared civic passion and responsibility for
Natalie Bergquist tells her students at Lower Brule Community College that college is their “sanctuary from negativity.” That is something she learned first-hand as a single mother, pursuing her college degree as a nontraditional student in her 30s
