James Barnett
Education major
St. Olaf College ’08
Cargill Diversity Scholarship
Growing up, James Barnett knew he was good at athletics, but others around saw a lot more. They knew he had the potential to excel in all areas of his life, not just sports. “Playing sports was a natural way for me to direct my energy and stay out of trouble. I didn’t always see myself going to college — there was a time I was just looking at graduating from high school. I had many teachers and coaches outside of school who also encouraged me to go on to college.”
“St. Olaf is also a place where I have found people interested in my success. I am an independent student. I don’t have a family supporting me financially or emotionally. That can be a lot to deal with. The connections I have made at St. Olaf have helped me gain a better understanding of what I need to succeed as a student and in the professional working world.”
While at St. Olaf, James has been busy with a breadth of activities from athletics to student government. He has definitely made the most out of his college experience. He has spent the past two years as a biology and English mentor at St. Olaf’s Student Support Services Summer Bridge program. He has also worked as a summer school math teacher at Como Park Senior High School in St. Paul.
James has spent his time out of the classroom giving back to the community he came from. “It is great that they have Upward Bound on this campus. I don’t have to leave to find students with a similar experience, they are right here on the road to college. There is no better way to change the world than to work with kids who have some of the same stuff going on that you did at their age. I tell them about what it is like to be a part of a scholarship program like Cargill’s Backpack to Briefcase, where you can go out and find out what it would be like to work for a worldwide corporation.”
Now entering his senior year, James has plans to start a student organization that will reach out to detainees at a regional juvenile detention center and children with incarcerated parents. “I know firsthand that kids are sometimes socialized into situations because of the harmful decisions their parents have made. I want this organization to provide mentors to these kids before they take the same destructive paths.”