written by | Carlee Diggins

Carlee [right] & her former intern Marissa [left] at 50th Gala.

In April 2016 I started at Students United as the Director of Development and quickly fell in love with the organization and it's mission. “Led by Minnesota State university students, we are the inclusive voice for all future, current, and former students. We actively work to represent and support Minnesota State university students and advocate at a campus, state, and federal level for higher education policies that make a positive impact for our students and communities.”

Led by students. I've met and have had the pleasure of working with many passionate and energized students. I witnessed true advocates when I attended delegates. At my first delegates conference, I was floored by the breath of knowledge students had of not only the issues they are facing but solutions and resources they are willing to share with all universities. This cooperation between universities inspires me as I've seen it result in real change for students. Our board, devised of all students, are at the core of our organization and the work I've witnessed our board do has only solidified my passion for this organization. The ability of seven students from all different universities to lead our organization in a positive direction as a united team is an impressive feat. The ability of these students to lead our organization has resulted in positive impacts in areas including equity and inclusion, affordability, student success, wellness, civic engagement, sustainability, and scholarships.

Our team. I have been able to work with the professional staff for two years now and know the commitment our staff has for the organization. The expertise and knowledge the staff has helped our organization further our mission of advocating at a campus, state, and federal level for higher education policies. This is why I'm excited to work with our current team and grow our staff back to full capacity so that we can maximize the staff's ability to further our students' advocacy efforts.

I am honored to be the next Executive Director of Students United. I am excited to work with Kayla and Krysta and future officers in leading the organization and continuing to make it a more effective change maker for students. I am so thankful to be apart of a organization that works for good for students, for state universities, for Minnesota and for the entire country.

Carlee served as the Students United Director of Development since 2016. Since stepping into her role in development, she has increased the Students United’s scholarship applications by 75%, and doubled the total donation number for the organization. Diggins holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin - River Falls and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas.