ST. PAUL — Fartuna Ahmed, 26, is a nursing student at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. She came to the Minnesota State Capitol on March 25 for St. Kate’s annual Day on the Hill event.
Along with Ahmed, a group of nursing students from St. Kate’s attended the event to meet with lawmakers and discuss legislation that would impact their field and education.
Ahmed, a Minneapolis native, said her goal for the day was to learn something new.
St. Kate’s is a private Catholic university known for its prominent healthcare career programs. With a dedicated college for women, St. Kate’s focuses on providing women with the academic tools necessary to become influential leaders, according to the university’s mission statement.
Ahmed, who is in her first semester of the university’s nursing program, said her desire to be a nurse stems from her life goal to give back to the community.
“I want to help people,” Ahmed said.
Motorcyclist Mike Burgess came to the Minnesota State Capitol on March 25 for the 20th annual Bikerday at the Rotunda hosted by the group American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education or ABATE.
The event invites motorcycle riders to come to the Capitol to speak with legislators and advocate for motorcycle safety and the rights of bikers.
Burgess, the former president of the River Valley chapter of ABATE of Minnesota, said that the goal of Bikerday is to bring attention to the organization and its mission.
“We’re just coming here trying to highlight the point that we want to touch on as motorcyclists and make sure that they understand that this is what we’re standing for,” Burgess said.
The mission of ABATE of Minnesota is to advocate for legislative protections of motorcyclists and to educate both motorcyclists and the public about safety and the community built around motorcycling.
Burgess has come to the Capitol every year for the past 15 years to show his support for ABATE of Minnesota.
Kate Sanchez is a House intern for Rep. Cheryl Youakim, DFL-Hopkins. A soon-to-be University of Minnesota graduate, this session marks Sanchez’s first time working at the Capitol.
As a House intern, Sanchez’s role involves organizing constituent communications, attending committee meetings, tracking the progress of bills and preparing bill folders for Youakim.
Her experience working with legislators informs her studies as a political science major, Sanchez said. With a goal of pursuing a career as a public defender, Sanchez said that observing the way laws are developed has deepened her political and legal understanding.
Sanchez, who’s been campaigning for DFL candidates in Senate District 46, offered some advice given to her by her program adviser when she started interning at the Capitol.
“Even though it’s an intimidating place, it’s still ours,” she said. “These people represent us. Although we are working for them, it’s our Capitol too.”
A third-year student graduating this semester, Sanchez plans on attending law school and wants to work at a law firm in the future. A gap year or two may be in order, she said.
Eric Meyer, founder of Generation Atomic, came to the Capitol on March 17 to talk about his group’s efforts to promote nuclear energy.
Minnesota has a ban on new reactor construction, and Meyer wants to change that.
“You don’t see that for a lot of other technologies, especially when you realize, this is the largest source of low-carbon energy in North America and Europe,” Meyer said.
His Twin Cities-based nonprofit focuses on educating lawmakers and the public on nuclear power’s potential to reduce carbon emissions and create long-term jobs.
Meyer called nuclear power “one of the most misunderstood climate solutions with the most potential to rapidly decarbonize.”
Report for Minnesota is a project of the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication to support local news across the state.
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Contributed/Seth Trobec via KAXE-KBXE Season Watch Facebook groupVolunteer Skywarn spotters help the agency deliver accurate and timely severe weather warnings. Training includes thunderstorm safety, the science of storms and cloud formation. -
Karina Kafka/Report for MinnesotaStudents from across Minnesota gathered at the Capitol to showcase their robotics skills and promote education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. -
Contributed/Will Rolf via Report for MinnesotaSweeney’s Saloon is offering a “Dine Across the Aisle” special to Minnesota lawmakers who grab a meal with a member of the other party. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEBeltrami County and Bemidji are seeking a legislative fix to an “unintended loophole” that has local governments on the hook for $2.5 million in recovery costs from the June 2025 storm.
