The gift of the Hecht Family Scholarship will help HSM student Mi Pham pursue her dream of a career in long-term care
With a heart for service and a mind for leadership, Mi Pham is determined to improve access to quality healthcare, especially in underserved communities. A first-year student in the University of Minnesota College of Continuing and Professional Studies, Mi is already forging her path toward a fulfilling career in long-term care. Her passion for helping others, coupled with her personal experiences as a caregiver for her grandmother, has fueled a desire to make a positive impact on the healthcare industry.
After initially pursuing a degree in kinesiology, she was introduced to the Health Services Management program by some upperclassmen in the program, and she easily made the switch.
“They made it seem so great and fun. I chose this program because it combines healthcare, business and, especially, leadership,” says Mi. “All of these skills can not only be applied to my major but to my everyday life.” Mi intends to graduate in spring 2026.
The power of community service
In addition to carrying a full-time credit load and helping to care for her grandmother, Mi participates in a few student groups: Business Association of Multicultural Students, Multiracial Student Union, and the Vietnamese Student Association of Minnesota. She also works part-time at a sushi restaurant and is very active in her church community. Among her many activities as a youth leader, she mentors and teaches children life skills.
“I teach younger Vietnamese children about our language, culture, and religion,” Mi says. “We also do some Boy Scout stuff. Like, I teach them Morse code and semaphore—’flag language.’ I also teach them how to tie knots and how to pitch tents—very basic survival skills. I incorporate all these teachings into little games. It’s amazing.”
Mi is the middle child in her family, headed by a single mother, who is helping Mi and her two siblings pay for school. So when Mi earned a scholarship to offset the costs of her education, she was thrilled.
“It’s a big job for my mom, but she does it so well. The gift really helps alleviate that financial stress, so I’m very grateful for that,” says Mi. “And thanks to the scholarship, I don’t have to work as many hours, so I can focus more on school rather than work.”
A helping hand
The gift in question, the Hecht Family Scholarship, takes advantage of the Bentson Scholarship Challenge, which contributes matching funds to endowments of $50,000 or more. The matching funds are designated for Pell-eligible undergrads and opens doors for capable students by freeing them from financial burden and student debt. The Bentson Challenge is a great opportunity for individuals and organizations to make a bigger impact.
Jennifer and Michael Hecht, both with ties to the U of M, were inspired to establish the fund through their own experiences. Jennifer had to drop out of her first undergraduate program due to financial stresses. After working for a few years, and with Michael's support and their joint savings, she began taking classes in the evenings at what was then the College of Continuing Education (now CCAPS), eventually graduating with a BA in English from the College of Liberal Arts. She later earned a master’s in human resource management from the Carlson School of Management. Michael worked for several years in a major gifts development role, also at Carlson.
“None of this would have been possible without the flexible, affordable approach to degree completion that was available to me via the U of M,” says Jennifer.
Unlike other scholarships that reward a set amount of money to be dispersed within one academic year, the Hecht Family Scholarship will help Mi through three years of education. This will fulfill the family’s goal of making it easier for students to finish their degrees, with the same kind of chance that Jennifer says she is grateful for having received at the U.
“If I have learned anything in my career working in HR, it is that the world is simply teeming with talent and drive—but opportunity is not always available,” says Jennifer. “I hope this scholarship will make it easier for someone to say 'yes, I can do this,' when life pressures or finances threaten the best of plans.”
For Mi’s part, she says receiving the scholarship has given her a renewed sense of purpose in her decision to pursue a career in healthcare. “The financial support has given me another reason to commit to my goal of working in healthcare management.”
