Gregor Baum joined us via Zoom today from North Carolina. Gregor is from Germany but is currently attending North Carolina Wesleyan University where he leads a Rotaract Club. Gregor shared that his dream had always been to play collegiate level tennis and his dream came true when he received a scholarship to attend and play tennis at NCWU. His dream was short-lived however when he suffered a slipped disc in his back and could no longer play. This led to quite a dark period for him but fortunately he sought and found help. The counseling he received led him to start a Rotaract club - which he was familiar with after his time as a Rotary Exchange student to Mexico during his high school years. He also started a journaling project which has caught on with many organizations and which we are now piloting with students at Quincy House.
We also heard from John Letourneau and Mindy Handberg from the Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce who spoke with us about the "Manufacturing Cohort" subset of the chamber which is working to highlight the career opportunities available within manufacturing concerns in the northern suburbs. Mindy's connection with the Mounds View School District has created programming there which supports this work. As baby boomers are retiring the need for skilled trades workers has continued to grow. The jobs are there and salaries are good.