University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN.,

M.P.H. Community Engagement, 1980

The Office of the President of the United States offered four graduate schools in Community Engagement. Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota were considered as the top four in Community Engagement. I, for family tradition reasons, favored Big Ten schools. Without any clue of the definition of cold I chose the University Of Minnesota School Of Public Health. GO GOPHERS! They admitted only ten students throughout the world and each one was a four pointer. Believe me I was not. I didn’t take the graduate entrance exam nor did I possess a high enough grade point average to be accepted. What I did have was a letter from the Office of the President of the United States. That seemed to do the trick.

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.,

Bachelor of Science, 1967

My family from a brother to cousins attended Indiana University. It met all my criteria for higher learning. Healthy ratio of males to females and Ivy growing on all the buildings. Until my junior year I couldn’t spell higher learning. However, my junior year the curriculum was more focused on the direction I wanted to pursue and the courses became more relevant to my desire to be in public service. I finally did make it to the Dean’s List and was selected as the first undergraduate Graduate Assistant to the Dean of Students. Believe me it had nothing to do with academic excellence which was the major criteria. It had all to do with building relationships, high spirit, energy and tenacity.