Two CSM Students Nominated for 2023 Inspire Omaha Scholarship

Two College of Saint Mary students have been nominated and named finalists for the 2023 Inspire Omaha Scholarship. The winner will be announced Nov. 1 during a luncheon.

Aylin Sanjuampa Cerezo and Maddie Mollner were nominated by Dr. Emily Kahm, associate professor of theology at CSM.

Sanjuampa Cerezo is a native of Mexico City who has lived in Lincoln since 2006. She is a senior applied psychology and human services major with a minor in theology. After graduation from CSM, Sanjuampa Cerezo hopes to further her education with a master’s degree in social work. She would like to help victims of domestic violence.

“Aylin is an excellent candidate for this recognition because of her commitment to improving mental health care in Omaha and beyond, especially in Hispanic communities that have historically been underserved in this area,” Kahm said. “She is a tremendous student, a careful thinker, and the kind of person who can see both the big picture and the key details to solve problems.”

Mollner, an Omaha native, is a junior middle school education major with minors in Spanish and theology. Following graduation, she hopes to teach seventh- or eighth-grade language arts, literature or religion.

“I nominated Maddie for this award because of her person-centered focus in her high-level academic work. She never forgets that, as a future educator, it is the most vulnerable students she needs to be especially attentive to, and this has also been a major part of her focus as a theology minor,” Kahm said. “As an openly queer educator, Maddie has the potential to make an immeasurable difference in the lives of students who need to be surrounded by kind, trustworthy adults.”

Both students were grateful to be nominated for the scholarship.

“To be nominated for this Inspire Scholarship is truly an honor and a surprise,” Mollner said. “I’m very humbled to be a finalist among so many amazing nominees, and I’m very grateful to Dr. Kahm for seeing something in me that she felt was nomination-worthy.”

“I am so happy and grateful to have been nominated for the Inspire Scholarship,” Sanjuampa Cerezo said. “I have grown so much while being here at CSM and to have been considered for this was so unexpected.”