Alumni Connections

Subash Yadav ‘12 Shines in the Sunny Arizona Food Scene

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In the case of Subash Yadav, those lemons are locally sourced.

Yadav is one of the hottest chefs in the Phoenix area after having been named by the Phoenix New Times as the Best New Chef in 2020 in its annual “Best Of” issue. The year before, his food truck, “Everest Momo,” was named Best Food Truck by the same publication.

A native of Kathmandu, Nepal, Yadav is a 2012 alumnus with a degree in Culinology. He is owner of Sherpa Kitchen, a Nepali-Indian restaurant located in Gilbert, a Phoenix suburb.

He burst on the food scene when he purchased a food truck in 2019 and immediately gained a following. “We serve Nepali-Indian food. We source locally as much as we can, and people appreciate that. It became so popular that we had a lot of requests to be open more often, and a lot of questions about where we could be found. The truck isn’t open every day,” he explained.

His food drew a large, loyal following. In his understated manner, Yadav said, “It took off quite well.”

Because of his food’s popularity, “we decided in October of 2019 to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.” He found a location in Gilbert, and opened in February 2020.

Enter COVID-19, and all of the restrictions associated with it. “We had a soft opening in February and our grand opening was scheduled for April. COVID-19 happened and we had to close down the restaurant in March, so really, the only way people knew about us was through friends and customers. We opened for limited seating at the end of September.”

The pandemic made him think creatively. “When COVID-19 started, clearly the whole world didn’t know how to handle it. We closed for the first 10 days and had to plan according to the laws. Having a food science background from Culinology, I was equipped regarding food safety and how to properly handle things. I made the changes we had to and ran takeout only until September.”

His customers are loyal, and drive up to an hour for his Nepalese cuisine, the only available in the Phoenix area. His takeout business kept the place afloat. “We saved every ticket we got during COVID and a friend of mine, an international student, made an artwork for me. It’s hanging in the restaurant. I wanted this artwork made to show my gratitude towards our customers during one of the most difficult times.”

Yadav also used his Culinology education in another way: along with SMSU alumnus Amir Maleki, they have started a frozen and refrigerated food line, and sell frozen dumplings and bottled sauces and marinades. “We sell them at farmer’s markets. Our goal is to get them into grocery stores,” he said.

Yadav is committed to buying local and making fresh. “I want to make sustainably-sourced, healthy food easily available to the people,” he said. “We source locally and change recipes and ingredients depending on the season. I’ve gotten to know so many great farmers and I’ve found some organic and specialty farmers. I try to adapt to what we have available. Living in Arizona, there’s only so much you can grow here.”

He had to overcome a lot to pursue his dream, not the least cultural and family expectations. “When I was growing up you were either going to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer,” he said. “I didn’t know a career in the food industry was possible until I found Culinology. I liked the science and the cooking, the combination of those two.”

Yadav as a student at SMSU

Yadav changed majors, from Pre-Med to Culinology, his second year, “but I didn’t tell my parents until my third year. There was a big battle, but it was important for me to follow what I love. I made the change, and my family had to be OK with it, which they are now.”

Yadav was active at SMSU. He was president of BACHHUS, a resident assistant, and worked in the call center for the SMSU Foundation. He chose SMSU because he was looking for a smaller community, and an affordable education.

Yadav enjoys the lifestyle — and warmth — of Arizona, and he’s content following his passion. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

He is married to Chandra, a Minnesota native who he met through her aunt, Lorene Sill, who used to work in the SMSU bookstore.

It’s been an interesting journey so far, he said. “I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Cassie Williams ‘07 Empowers Workers in New Role

Cassie Williams

Cassie Williams ’07/MS ’16 recently took as the Prevailing Wage Law, National Labor a position as a Labor Educator at Labor Relations Act, Project Labor Agreements, and Education Service (LES) in the Carlson the National Apprenticeship. She’s also done School of Management at the University of sessions on Op Ed Writing, and People of Minnesota. Her job is to teach and inform Color Activist Fatigue. workers and unions in a variety of areas “I have the creative freedom to build including grievance training, organizing, social curriculum for potential presentations and justice issues and labor history. training to help, support and empower all

In October she gave a presentation, workers,” she said. “I definitely get to exercise “Minnesota Labor History,” with a focus my love for teaching and reading. I work with on building trades. It included U.S. labor an amazing group of people, but I do miss history beginning with indigenous people. working directly with students (like I did at She highlighted important acts and laws, such SMSU).”

Abbie Allison ‘10 Weathers COVID-19 Impact on Hospitality Industry

Abbie Allison, Director of Revenue Management for Doubletree by Hilton Bloomington Minneapolis South, has seen first-hand how COVID-19 has affected the hospitality industry. “I live and breathe it every day,” said the 2010 alumna.

Her degree is in Hospitality Management, something she is passionate about, especially in today’s environment. “We are a convention hotel, with over 70,000 square feet of meeting space, so we thrive on those big conventions. At the start of March we were hit hard. But by being creative, we’ve been able to host some events of over 250 people. It can be done creatively, and safely,” she said.

A Minneapolis native, she came to SMSU on a Schwan’s Access & Opportunity scholarship. She had no intention of going into the hospitality industry — “I was going into education” she says — but took a class in Culinology® and was hooked. “My mother worked in hospitality,” she explained.

She’s held her current position since February 2020. Vinayaka Hospitality purchased the property in July, and she was asked to be the Director of Revenue Management at a second property in Oak Brook, Ill.

What does a director of revenue management do? “I work with rate strategies, forecasting, inventory management, making sure rates are available for third parties and managing online content, among other things. I have to work closely with all departments through strong communication, and executing the small details” said Allison. She has worked at several Twin Cities properties, starting out in the front desk, and consistently moving up the ladder. The program at SMSU “was so tight-knit — I loved that aspect. We had the opportunity to take a cruise, go to Las Vegas and we went to the National Restaurant Association show each year in Chicago. It was great hands-on experience.” She was asked to come back to speak to Hospitality Management students at SMSU. “I love my work and am passionate about it,” she said. “After I spoke there was someone who reached out to me to be a mentor to her. So often it’s who you know, and I was happy to help her.”

‘Making a difference’ is a term she uses often. “Something small, a simple request, can make such a big difference for a guest. Being part of a team and helping to make a successful and memorable event is so much fun.”

And while the industry has been affected by the pandemic, she sees that as opportunity. “It’s definitely been some tough times, but that makes us stronger and better,” she said.

She’s an optimist, and knows the industry will come back. “In the future, it will come back and we can’t wait,” she said.

She will marry Dylan Smith on August 21, 2021.

Jacob Bengtson ’17 Wins Outstanding Clinician Award from Mayo

SMSU alumnus Jacob Bengtson recently won the He grew up on the family farm near Garvin and prestigious 2020 Mayo Clinic Outstanding Clinician graduated from Tracy High School. “I chose SMSU Award for his performance in the Mayo Clinic School of because of the Exercise Science program and the faculty. Health Sciences College of Medicine, where he earned I really enjoyed their personalities and the way they were his Physical Therapy degree in May 2020. able to relate to us.”

The award was selected by Mayo clinical instructors He took advantage of PSEO courses at Tracy High for his exceptional clinical performance, as judged by School, which enabled him to earn his Exercise Science the director of clinical education, clinical instructors and degree in just three years. “That was a huge advantage, coordinators from assigned clinical sites. I was fortunate to be able to do that,” he said of taking

Bengtson graduated from SMSU in 2017 with an college courses while still in high school. Exercise Science degree before starting in the doctoral He mentions Exercise Science faculty Kris Cleveland, program at Mayo that fall. He took two years of Brent Jeffers, Jeffrey Bell and Mostafa Hegazy as being coursework and completed almost a year of clinical influential during his time at SMSU. “The faculty, too, experiences, cut short by COVID-19. in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and my professors in my general

He recently started as a physical therapist at two facilities in courses. They were all accessible,” he said. Worthington this past July: South Shore Care Center and Crossroads He is grateful to have found a job so close to the family farm south of Care Center, both long-term/short-term rehab facilities. He also is a Garvin, where he lives and helps with farm work. substitute physical therapist at River Valley in Redwood Falls. All are He is engaged to SMSU softball student-athlete Emma Grote. The two affiliated with Superior Health Care. will be married in May, 2021.

Six Receive 2020 Alumni Awards

Six individuals received Alumni Association awards as part of Homecoming 2020, with a theme of “Mustangs Come Together — Six Feet Apart.”

Alumni Achievement Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of professional success and the positive reflection made on the university and fellow alumni. This year’s winners included: Lee Bush, retired Minnesota District Court Judge, Class of 1973, and his wife Pam, retired teacher/administrator, Class of 1972; Tina (Walliser) Cartwright, Senior Vice President of US Bank, Class of 1997; and Jeff Mauland, President of North Star Mutual Insurance, Class of 1978.

The Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award was given to Dr. Peter Grahn, Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic, Class of 2011. The Honorary Lifetime Membership Award was presented to retired Theatre Professor Ray Oster.

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Lee (’73) and Pam (’72) Bush

Lee and Pam Bush

Lee and Pam Bush have known each another for a very long time. They finish one another’s sentences.

Russell High School sweethearts, they grew up less than six miles from one another. They both graduated from SMSU — Pam in 1972, Lee in ’73 — and both are avid supporters of Southwest Minnesota State.

In June 2018 Lee retired as a District Court Judge for the state of Minnesota. He was assigned to the Fifth Judicial District and continues to serve as a Senior Judge, working limited hours where needed.

He graduated with a Biology degree, and the story of how he ended up a lawyer, then a judge, is an interesting one.

A driven student, Pam graduated in just three years with an English Education degree and spent her career at Chandler-Lake Wilson, Ivanhoe and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High Schools. She taught middle school English, was a school librarian, and for six years, principal at RTR.

As Lee was approaching graduation from SMSU, he decided he didn’t want to spend his life in a laboratory, and began to consider other careers. While still in school at SMSU, he worked on the family farm during the summers, and one day his father asked, “You’re so technical, have you ever thought about law school?”

Thus he started to pursue law, and graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School.

He returned to Tyler, and worked with attorney Dave Watson for two-and-a-half years before starting his own practice. He would be in Tyler for 25 years before applying for an open judge position.

He was appointed by Gov. Jesse Venture in 2002 and was elected in 2004, 2010 and 2016.

Lee is a past SMSU Foundation Board member and both he and Pam are avid supporters of SMSU. They have created the Pam and Lee Bush Endowed Scholarship through the SMSU Foundation.

The Bushes are the parents of two daughters, Susan Tripp, and Janet Bush. They have a 7-year-old granddaughter, Mackenzie.

The two enjoyed their time as SMSU students, and have grown to appreciate what the university means to the region. “One of the things that impressed me was the physical plant, just wonderful, and the quality of the faculty and students,” said Lee Bush.

“It was a good place to go,” said Pam.

Tina Cartwright ’97

Tina Cartwright

You know how people advise students not to settle too early on a major when entering college?

Meet Example A: Tina (Walliser) Cartwright, Senior Vice President of US Bank and an SMSU Foundation Board member now living in Portland, Oregon.

She had her sights set on a career in dance when she left her hometown of Rapid City, S.D. to attend the University of Minnesota. Things would change quickly.

“I started out as a dance major, that’s what I thought I wanted to do — go to Broadway and be a ballerina. My first class was ‘A Day in the Life of a Dancer.’ I found I didn’t know some of the realities of what that life would be — nights and weekend work, auditioning for each job, and not having a permanent home.”

She went looking for a new college, a new major and a new beginning.

By the age of 23, she earned two degrees at SMSU — Business Administration in 1997, and Accounting in 1998.

While in college, she worked for Lyon Financial, a leasing company then owned by The Schwan’s Company. They would be purchased by US Bank, and she would stay in Marshall for 10 years.

Recognizing talent, she rose quickly within US Bank, where she has held several positions, including Special Project Manager, Credit Manager, Senior Business Systems Analyst, and, most recently, Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Aps, a position she’s held since 2010.

She and her husband Chad — who attended SMSU for several years — moved to Portland in 2013, where US Bank has a strong presence.

She was immersed in her studies at SMSU and has seen the University in a different light since joining the Foundation board in 2016.

“In college I wasn’t very social — I was focused on my studies. I moved away, and have recently been drawn back in. I have reconnected with faculty, classmates and community members over the last five years, and have done a lot of reflecting on how SMSU positioned me for success.”

Jeff Mauland ’78

Jeff Mauland

Jeff Mauland likes to joke that people think he’s out in left field sometimes.

In reality, he is.

The office of the president of North Star Mutual Insurance in Cottonwood is located on the second floor of company headquarters, on

the spot where, years earlier, he had roamed left field as a baseball player for Cottonwood High School, and the amateur town team.

He’s been with the company just shy of 42 years. He took over as president in 2001, and will retire in January, 2021.

He started out as a pre-forestry and wildlife management major but found that included “too much biology and chemistry.” So he switched to Agribusiness Management, and graduated in 1978. “Having grown up on a farm I thought that may be a better fit for me,” he said of his change in majors. “I wasn’t thinking insurance at all,” he said about how he ended up in insurance. “But my predecessor at North Star saw my name at the college placement office and gave me a call. I didn’t apply here, but went for an interview, then a second, and was hired as an inspector field underwriter.”

He would go on to become president of a company he never applied to, an irony not lost on Mauland.

“Insurance doesn’t have the greatest reputation. It’s not a fun purchase, you can’t drive it or wear it, it’s a piece of paper, it’s expensive, and you may never use it. However, since starting, I learned how important insurance is to the world’s economy. It’s different than banking and other financial services. To me, we are the underpinnings of the economy, and it’s still the best way for almost everyone to transfer the risks they face in life.”

North Star has increased its corporate support of SMSU during Mauland’s tenure. “We certainly rely on them for a good number of employees — I think there are 61 alumni that we employ now.”

Mauland and his wife, Lynn, are the parents of two adult children: Sarah, who works at North Star, and Nathan.

GRADUATE OF THE LAST DECADE (GOLD) Peter Grahn ’11

Peter Grahn

When you work in the premier medical facility in America, COVID-19 is front and center.

Such is the new reality for Dr. Peter Grahn, an Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

He graduated Magna Cum Laude from SMSU in 2011, with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. He earned his doctorate in biomedical research in 2016, with an emphasis in neuroscience, from Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Since 2016 he has worked with a team of researchers at Mayo to study promising new therapies for individuals with paralysis due to spinal cord injury. His academic interests in this field of research are tied to his personal experience of living with paralysis since the summer of 2005.

Freshly graduated from Willmar High School and headed to Minnesota State Moorhead to play basketball, he dove off the end of a dock on Green Lake, near Spicer, Minn., on a hot summer day. The water was shallow, which resulted in a number of injuries, including a fracture of the fifth vertebrae in his neck and injury to the spinal cord. He was paralyzed from the chest down.

While completing a year of rehabilitation in order to learn how to perform activities of daily living from a powered wheelchair, he heard about SMSU’s reputation as a highly-accessible campus. He visited and decided on SMSU.

Grahn’s research team received world-wide attention for their work involving electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, combined with therapy, which helped a Wisconsin man, Jered Chinnock, who was paralyzed in a 2013 snowmobile accident, regain leg function such as standing and stepping in the presence of stimulation. The study sought to examine how the spinal cord responds to electrical stimulation, combined with intense rehabilitation, and the extent to which paralyzed functions can be recovered. The results surpassed Grahn’s most optimistic expectations and Chinnock was eventually able to walk the distance of a football field with a walker and minimal assistance from the research team.

During COVID-19, Grahn said he has received a different type of education. “Within Mayo Clinic, there are experts working across the full spectrum of the pandemic, including virologists studying basic mechanisms of the virus in order to develop therapeutics and vaccines, to epidemiologists studying trends across local and global populations. I am grateful for the knowledge gained by having virtual access to lectures by these experts.”

Grahn met his wife Kelsey (Elbers), while they were attending SMSU. They have two children: Zoey, 8, and Rykon, 4. Kelsey’s father, Darwin Elbers, and mother, Kimberly Lehman, are also SMSU alumni.

HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Ray Oster

Ray Oster

Ray Oster came to the Midwest, fell in love with it, and stayed.

Originally from Denville, N.J., he received his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Southampton College of Long Island, and began a five-year career as a dinner theatre stage manager in Florida and, later, Windsor, Ontario.

It was in Florida that he met his wife Jane. From there it was back to school in pursuit of a master’s degree, which he earned from Wisconsin-Superior. He then returned to Southampton for three years as an administrator in theatre, where he was technical director and audio-visual director. “That was not a faculty job,” he said. “So I went looking for work, and ended up at SMSU.”

He would stay at SMSU for 32 years, retiring as an associate professor in 2013. He was in charge of technical direction, scenery design, and lighting.

He’s seen talented theatre students go through the SMSU program, and delights in following their individual careers. “They started out as students and then became friends,” he said.

He said that Theatre majors at SMSU get a unique opportunity to participate in all aspects of theatre. “If you’re a major, you are immersed in everything. When you graduate, many actors start out in technical until they work their way into acting positions.”

Oster and his wife, Jane, are the parents of one daughter, Hayley, who lives in Denver.