Katie Stroede

Katie Stroede’s Journey Fueled by Donor Generosity

Katie Stroede is a senior at Saginaw Valley State University, majoring in Biological Science with a minor in Chemistry. She is a proud Global Foundation Scholar whose college experience has been shaped by leadership, service, and global exploration.

Originally from Hanover-Horton, Michigan, Katie serves as Public Information Officer for the Student Association. She is also a mentor within the Health Professions Association and a Global Ambassador with WorldStrides, where she helps fellow students navigate study abroad opportunities.

Katie is a recipient of the Robert & Ellen Thompson Scholarship and the Founders University Merit Scholarship. Through additional scholarship support as a Global Foundation Scholar, she was able to study Global Health and Epidemiology in Rome, Italy. That experience deepened her passion for medicine and broadened her understanding of healthcare systems around the world.

Following graduation, Katie plans to pursue a master’s degree in cardiovascular perfusion. She aims to continue her path toward a career in specialized patient care.

Below is a speech that Katie gave at the 2026 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. Read it to learn more about her. 

Hello, my name is Katie Stroede. I am from a small town called Hanover-Horton in the bottom part of the mitten. I am a senior majoring in biological science with a double minor in chemistry and criminal justice. 

At SVSU, I am the Public Information Officer for the Student Association, an international student peer mentor, a health professions freshman mentor, a member of the Health Professions Association, Thompson Scholars, and Global Foundation Scholars.

I also serve as a mentor with CMU Pathways for high school students, a program that allows college students and beyond to give advice and go through health care-related experiences alongside prospective students. Some of the experiences include medical simulation labs, panels with professionals, and helping with a short presentation at the end of the program. Another opportunity I gained from being at SVSU was becoming a global ambassador for a study abroad company called WorldStrides. My position is to answer questions and guide students in the right direction when deciding to study through WorldStrides. 

While all of these extracurriculars have provided me with a diverse experience during my time at SVSU, studying abroad was the most life-changing. I got the opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy, last summer to study epidemiology. In my time there, I got to tour hospitals, shadow medical professionals in a children's oncology department, see incredible historical landmarks, and stay in a castle on the beautiful coast of Positano. 

Even though these exciting parts of my college experience are fun to talk about, I would like to talk about my future plans. During my junior year of high school, I had a complicated procedure on my knee. While I was under anesthesia, I expressed interest in the medical field to my nurse. Little did I know her best friend was a Cardiovascular Perfusionist, a couple of floors up. I know what many of you are thinking: What in the world is that? A perfusionist is someone who operates the heart-lung machines during open-heart surgery. This machine operates the heart to keep the body stable during the procedure. After graduating from SVSU, I plan to attend one of the twelve perfusion schools in the country to get my master's degree. 

The scholarships I have received while being at SVSU have allowed me to travel the world, meet my best friends, and divide my time to make a difference on campus, like getting the suicide prevention number on the back of all student ID’s or changing the way general education is presented to students. It will now all be geared toward a high school audience with different wording and display, with the hope of a greater enrollment. This would not have been possible without the opportunities to sit on faculty committees like the General Education Committee and the Student Code of Conduct Committee. 

I have also been given the chance to allocate scholarships while sitting on the Student Association scholarship committee. Reading scholarship essays and seeing all of the SVSU students involved in leadership, volunteering, and most importantly, striving in their education opened my eyes to what a difference scholarships make in our students' lives. I truly believe scholarships like Global Foundations, Thompson Scholars, and the SVSU Founders Scholarship have paved my path for using my voice and will continue giving future students opportunities to gain experiences such as I have here at SVSU. Thank you.

Katie Stroede’s experience at SVSU highlights the impact of donor generosity in creating meaningful opportunities for students. Through scholarship support, she has been able to study abroad, take on leadership roles, and fully engage in her education while reducing the financial barriers that often limit student opportunities. Her story shows that donor giving does more than support academics, it opens doors, builds confidence, and helps students turn their goals into reality.

Help Cardinals grow by giving today at svsu.edu/give