ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Thanks to the generosity of two past and current Bigs, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota has the opportunity to offer a new scholarship opportunity for Littles in the program, and the agency has selected the inaugural recipients.
Caleb Skold and Divya Subramaniam are the 2023 recipients of the Dahlias Alongside Grand Lake Scholarship. Skold has been a Little in the program since 2013, and is currently attending college at Belmont University in Nashville. He is working towards a degree in Audio Engineering Technologies and looks to gain employment in the live sound field after graduation in May 2025.
“Every time I had a problem (my mentors) would sit down and talk to me about it,” Skold said of his Bigs, Lee and Eric Hurd. “They have always been a positive influence in my life, and they have been role models and pointed me in the right direction.”
Subramaniam graduates this spring from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School and plans to attend the University of Minnesota and pursue a major in psychology. She was a Little with BBBS of Central Minnesota from 2018-21.
“(My Big) Amanda helped me to learn that I am important and should not tear myself down to build others up,” Subramaniam said of her Big, Amanda. “She is actually the person that inspired me to pursue psychology. For a long time I could not pin point what I wanted to do with my life, but through talking with her and seeing how much she helped me, I realized my love for psychology and the mind.”
The Dahlias Alongside Grand Lake Scholarship was started by Daniel Weidner and Nate Molitor, who have both been involved in BBBS as Big Brothers. Weidner is a former Big Brother of the Year and Molitor is the 2022 state and Central Minnesota Big Brother of the Year. They believe BBBS is an important organization that defends the potential of youth. One scholarship is awarded to a current or former Little graduating from high school and a second scholarship is awarded to one current or former Little currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution.