A Woodbury resident has been selected a spring 2020 semester Outstanding Student at Metropolitan State University.
Meghan Lovegren graduates with a bachelor of science in biology and is chosen Outstanding Student for the university’s College of Sciences. Metropolitan State’s 106th Commencement will take place as a virtual graduation exercise on Aug. 15. Lovegren has also been chosen as a commencement speaker to address the graduating class. With spring and summer 2020 semesters together, Metropolitan State is conferring 791 bachelors, 80 masters, and 17 doctoral degrees. Since 1971, Metropolitan State University has conferred 46,003 bachelor’s degrees, 4,158 master’s degrees and 105 doctoral degrees.
“I chose Metropolitan State due to being an atypical student,” Lovegren says. She held a full-time job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security while also caring for her five-year-old son. She also felt intimidated coming to university eight years after having graduated high school.
Lovgren credits her biology professor, John Schneider, with helping her not only to overcome her fear, but teaching her to give herself the space to succeed. “(Prof Schneider) taught me how to learn; not just the material I needed to learn for his class. Most challenging was learning to balance,” Lovengen says. “I needed to learn to balance things and let go at perfection. By striving for perfection in every area I was letting all areas down. Balance has been a huge part of my learning career and will help in all aspects.
“Being able to be so connected to the teachers made me feel like I mattered to them. That made it a goal of mine to succeed for myself and to show them their faith in me was not for nothing.”
That connection and lesson in balance have been key to her success, as she also gave birth to twins shortly after her entry to Metropolitan State, Lovegren says. “I couldn’t go to school four or five days a week and preferred the ability to have night classes. It was also the most affordable school that was a four-year degree program. Cost and time were incredibly valuable to me and I had to make smart decisions regarding it.”
Lovegren now plans to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, and eventually work as a nurse practitioner in pediatric oncology or in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “While they are incredibly heart tearing areas, they are also so rewarding watching kids get better and live incredible lives,” Lovegren says.
Lovegren is a native Minnesotan who was born and raised in Saint Paul’s Midway neighborhood. She graduated from Saint Agnes School in 2006. She now lives in Woodbury with her three children, Aidan, Norah, Camille. She enjoys dance with the O’shea Irish Dance group, weightlifting, hiking, and completing home projects.
Each fall and spring semester, colleges at Metropolitan State nominate students for the Outstanding Student and Outstanding Graduate Student awards. Nominees are evaluated on the basis of their academic performance in their degree program, as well as achievements in their community and professional contributions. All finalists are recognized in the commencement program, outstanding students receive special recognition during commencement, and are eligible to speak at commencement.
Metropolitan State University, a member of Minnesota State, is the Twin Cities’ public, urban, comprehensive state university providing lifelong learning and competitive academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels.