The U of MN Student’s Co-op played a massive role in making me who I am. Everything about the place — the physical structure, its 80-year history, its urban campus location, and its many, many beautiful, smart, hardworking, reflective, creative, funny, resourceful, and generous people — grounded me at a crucial time when I was desperately searching for new reference points, new social connections, and different, broader ways of observing and interacting with the world. To me, the Co-op was as much an institution of learning as the U of MN and Michigan (my 2 official universities). On a very practical level, it also provided a real-life training ground for learning and applying the bookkeeping and financial admin skills that have allowed me to make a living and help several small businesses, organizations, and now even the U of MN itself, thrive and grow. It taught me the value of diverse viewpoints, and the need for cooperation, communication, patience, empathy, and compromise despite diverse viewpoints and backgrounds. Since the Co-op was essentially independent and autonomous, it also reinforced my inclinations toward self-sufficiency.