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‘I feel supported and loved here’
Amanda Imes has found warmth and friendship in the Twin Ports. It’s so ever-present that it still sometimes catches her—pleasantly—by surprise.
“I go out to an event or to a yoga class and know almost everybody there,”she says.“I feel really supported and loved here.”
Imes, 30, is a senior financial analyst for Ascena Retail Group, the parent company of maurices She and her husband, Drew, also run their own outdoor adventure business, SUPerior Paddle.
She volunteers for Mentor Duluth, serves on the Board of Directors of St. Luke’s and also is a member of the Young Leaders Fund Advisory Committee.
“It’s important to have a group here focused on young leaders and the activities young people care about,”Imes says.“We need to make sure young people have the education, the opportunities and the training to become leaders.”
She adds,“People my age often think that there’s no way for them to get involved.They have work and kids.They’re busy. But we need young people to get involved so they can make a difference. I tell them,‘Volunteer. Serve in a board job Share what you have.’”
What do youactually do? Iteach Calculus
I-III andIntro to ContemporaryMathematics at UMD. Ialsorun the Math Prep forScience, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics Careersbridgeprogram forincomingfreshmen from underrepresented groups, co-advise theAmericanIndian Science andEngineeringSocietychapter and advise studentswith Udall Foundation scholarships. Forthe last few yearsI’veworkedwith colleagues to develop EarthScience programs at LeechLakeTribal Collegeand Tribal Natural Resource Stewardship programs at UMD. Yearsinyourjob: Seven.
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in geologyand geophysics from the UniversityofMinnesota-Twin Cities; and post-baccalaureatein teachingmathematics anda master’sdegree in appliedand computational mathematics
