The Capitol was successfully overrun with Katies on Tuesday March 7, which was St. Kate’s Day at the Capitol. Organized by Student Senate’s External Affairs co-chairs (Sara Kumerow ‘19 and Sagal Hadadow ’19 a.k.a me) Day at the Capitol is a day where students spend the day at the Capitol speaking with legislators about the importance of the MN State Grant.
The grant, which serves 83,000 households, offers an average of $3,565 per student. Over 1,177 students and about 31 percent of the undergraduate population received the grant on campus last year!
Here are just a few exciting moments that student participants got to experience while at Day at the Capitol:
A very exciting bus ride! Most students confessed that they hadn’t ridden on a school bus since 2015.
Meeting Ilhan Omar, DFL legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives. A small group of students were able to sit with her and talk about the grant.
Writing thank you notes to legislators.
Students were encouraged to ask legislators to make new investments in the MN State Grant and using the investments to increase the grant awards. By reducing the family and student share, students are able to focus on their studies.
Taking group pictures with St. Kate’s President, Becky Roloff. This one’s self-explanatory.
Overall, the day was a success. With close to 50 students in the attendance, the sea of purple was a signifier of the strong Katie presence.