Students Speak: Brian & Nessa

Brian Bins – Biology

Brian Bins, a sophomore biology major, always has been interested in how the world works on a physical level, and he was set on becoming a doctor. After reading a book on economics over the summer, he realized that he’d never considered how the world works on an economic level.  This realization has him second-guessing his plans.

A Green Bay, Wisc., native, Brian has attended Catholic schools for most his life – he was even awarded a full scholarship to his high school, Notre Dame Academy. To his middle-class family, that scholarship meant everything, and finding a Catholic college that could offer a good aid package was just as important, especially with two more children to send through high school and college.

Brian says that his choice of St. Thomas can be credited not only to the exceptional aid that St. Thomas was able to provide, but also to the staff members who assisted him through the financial-aid process.

"They got involved personally," he said. "They cared enough to make my needs a priority and go out of their way to meet them."

Brian has taken advantage of every opportunity that has come his way at St. Thomas. He has no fear of trying new activities. He participates in intramural football, volleyball and basketball. This year, he would like to become a Tommie Ambassador, resident advisor or teaching assistant. He works at Scooter’s on the St. Paul campus to help pay for school. 

Brian says that whether he chooses to continue with his biology major or to explore economics further, he will work hard to maintain his G.P.A. out of respect to his scholarship donors and his family, and that his ultimate goal is to be able to fully fund his children’s educations. He is thankful not only for the education that his supporters have helped him to receive, but also for the valuable experiences that come with it.

Nessa Johnson – Mechanical Engineering

Many college students don’t like to listen to their parents, but Nessa Johnson is glad that she did in the spring of her freshman year at St. Thomas. A math- and science-minded person, she had been pursuing a science major elsewhere when her parents encouraged her to talk to a professor in the engineering department.

That meeting put her on track toward a mechanical-engineering degree. Engineering appeals to her because of its wide range of opportunities.  She loves the fact that it has broad applications to many different fields, including aerospace, medicine, and manufacturing. She plans to attend graduate school, or she may attend medical school to pursue neurology, a subject in which she became interested in after volunteering with the Epilepsy Foundation.

"My mom has inspired me to keep learning," Nessa said. "She worked her way through graduate school by taking night classes when she had five young kids. If she can do it, I can do it."

Now a junior, Nessa has learned to juggle a demanding class schedule with a 15-hours-a-week internship at 3M as a technical aid in the Optical Systems division, a position in which she worked full time last summer. From this experience, she’ll take away valuable references and a possible job opportunity.

Scholarships have allowed Nessa to pursue career-related opportunities such as this and to be able to maintain excellence in her schoolwork. Nessa lives at home in Edina and commutes to save money for school, too. As the second-youngest of five children, she says that college expenses are a big challenge for her family. "It means a lot to me and my family that someone else is taking time to contribute to my education."