Why Minnesota Rising Matters [to]: Tanya Schmitt

Minnesota Rising is excited to celebrate 5 years in May 2014! To commemorate the occasion and the amazing folks who have crossed our paths, we're featuring several blog testimonials throughout the month on "Why Minnesota Rising Matters."

Tanya Schmitt got involved with Minnesota Rising in 2010 - taking an active role in planning the first Un/Conference. She is a Campus Recruiter at Ecolab by day, and spends the rest of her time being a leadership nerd, community lover, and life adventurer. Tanya is active in several community organizations, including the Minneapolis Hub of Global Shapers. You can find her on Twitter at @tanyaschmitt!

Minnesota is a wonderful place. I'm biased - I grew up in small town, central Minnesota and moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. I complain when we enter the sixth month of winter each year, and love to travel to new cities (especially to get away from the cold) yet every time I return to Minneapolis and see the skyline, I am reminded just how much I love this place. It is my home - I choose to live here. There are people who might disagree, but Livibility agrees with me.  

It's because I love Minnesota, that the Minnesota Rising community is so important to me. Minnesota Rising is one of the few young professional groups which spans the whole state - that works to connect Greater Minnesota with the Twin Cities. It's the connections and collaboration which makes this group unique. I appreciate the opportunity to meet and connect with peers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. While there are many young professional groups that host a variety of great networking events in the Twin Cities, the collaboration of these groups and connecting the leaders within these groups is important for our community both now and in the future. 

Minnesota Rising was instrumental in facilitating the opportunity for me to meet my mentor Jean who remains an important personal and professional connection four years later, introducing me to people in Torch and LOTT - groups I took active leadership roles in, and giving me a venue to meet leaders in various sectors that I run into or connect with at a later date. It's the connections, relationships, and collective vision of Minnesota Rising that make me proud of what the community has accomplished in the last 5 years... and even more excited for what is to come in the next 5, 10, and 20 years with the many seeds that have been planted.