Student/Alumni Stories

The Hamline Difference

The Hamline difference is our focus – to provide students with the specific knowledge they need to manage well within their chosen professions.
 

Thomas Mark Aimone, Alum

Degree Program: Master in Nonprofit Management
Hometown: Lonsdale, Minnesota
Previous Education: BA, Franklin and Marshall College
Present Career: Regional Director of Major Gifts, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH.

"I entered this program ... looking for a change of careers and new opportunities.  For me, this program has been a bridge to the future....  It has provided us an opportunity to change the way we think and the way we look at the world, ... to engage in a free exchange of ideas and develop an appreciation for different views, ... to forge new friendships with classmates both from here and around the world—friendships which will last long beyond our time at Hamline." MORE INFO>
 

Sarah Caflisch, Student

Degree Program: Master in Nonprofit Management
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Previous Education: BA, University of Minnesota
Present Career: Director of Community Relations, The Loft Literary Center
 
"I’ve had the opportunity to work with very inspiring leaders. That’s one reason I chose management. I want to lead, and motivate others to work toward results." MORE INFO>
 

Candice Marie Johnson, Alumni

Degree Program: Master in Public Administration 
Previous Education: BA, University of Minnesota

"Last week I was in a classroom, sitting at a table with three of my classmates... and I thought—back in 1856, I wonder if the Methodists had envisioned that a man from Nepal, a man from Venezuela, a man from Italy, and me—an American Indian person—would all be sitting at the same table, looking at a computer screen, putting together a Power Point presentation....  And what brought us all together?—Hamline University.  How’s that for globalization?" MORE INFO>
 

Tolá Balmidele Oyewole, Alumna

Degree Program: Master in Management
Hometown: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Previous Education: BS, University of Minnesota
Present Career: Program Coordinator, 
Dunwoody College of Technology

"I've never been in a class where the teacher knows your name, knows something about you, can ask you:  How’s work? How's school?  How're things going? This is a place where relationships... are very important....  This definitely is a place I can call home." MORE INFO>
  

Antonio Robinson, Student

Degree Program: Master in Public Administration 
Hometown: Havana, Florida
Previous Education: BA, Hamline University
Present Career: Legal Assistant, Office of Chief Council, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

"I knew I needed a higher education. I also knew I didn't want a traditional MBA – focused solely on economics. The Hamline program exposes you to economics as well as to the political process and the philosophy or behavior of people. Working within the public sector, I need all three." MORE INFO>
 

Vicky Vander Woude, Alumna

Degree Program: Master in Management
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Previous Education: BA, Hamline University
Present Career: Account Representative, Medical Sales 

"I loved being able to study with someone from Egypt, Venezuela, or Saudi Arabia. You can see how, as a world, we all fit together. Hamline is wonderful at preparing students for working in diverse environments." MORE INFO>