Students and alumni from Minnesota State Mankato are doing incredible things—on campus, in their communities, and around the world. Discover how their experiences here continue to shape their journeys beyond graduation.

Stories from Campus and Beyond
See how Mavericks are making their mark on campus, in their communities and around the world.
Today Magazine - Maverick Spotlight

Giving Back the Caring
A nursing student goes for it online, this time for the Master's. As a child with a heart condition, Madison Marien spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals. Today at age 27, she still does—as a registered nurse at Lake City Care Center in Lake City, Minnesota and at Gunderson St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Wabasha, Minn.

Building Skills, Confidence ... and a House
MSU Construction Management students Malia Riordan and Kayla Reid spent the 2024–25 academic year helping middle school girls gain hands-on construction experience by literally building a house.

Finding the Cure
Students exploring how different medicines could potentially augment the human body’s immune system to kill cancerous blood tumors in Dr. Keenan Hartert’s biology class is impressive enough on its own—but it’s even more impressive that it took place in a 200-level biology class.

Back to School
They met at a movie on campus. Nearly 60 years later, they had a return engagement.

A Legacy Living on for Future Peacekeepers
After alum and police officer Matthew Ruge was killed in a domestic violence standoff, his family honors his memory with a law enforcement scholarship.
Recent Maverick Stories
Two for One
Best friends Felicia Smith and Chalandra Gooden are finding that they are indeed inseparable.
Invested in the Future
A student financial coach brings peer-to-peer guidance and a passion for long-term investing to the campus.
Community Health Champion
Lauren Lehmkuhl ’18,’24 blends hands-on care with system-wide improvements at St. Paul’s Riverland Health.
A Reputation Here, There and Everywhere
A Reputation Here, There and Everywhere. From the air above to business below, Minnesota State Mankato enjoys a widespread reputation across disciplines and across borders.

Today Magazine connects you to the heart of Minnesota State Mankato—its people, progress, and purpose.
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