Augsburg University recent graduate Gabriel Ijjo has positioned himself to be a leader in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Region. Gabriel was a Ciresi Walburn Scholar at Augsburg University, a program created for Black men attending various Minnesota private colleges. In 2021, Gabriel was selected as a member of the inaugural class of ConnextMSP Future of Work Fellows. As a fellow, Gabriel collaborated with business leaders at top companies in the MSP region including Xcel Energy. Now, Gabriel works as a Diversity and Inclusion Advisor with Xcel Energy.

Gabriel believes there is a lot of value in joining ConnextMSP. One significant area is being able to see people that look like him, not only doing the things he aspires to do, but also being fully willing and able to help him get there.

Gabriel underscores that the structure of the ConnextMSP Future of Work Fellowship was very valuable. "Despite being a short program, being a fellow gave me a lot of insight into what direction I should be looking as a young professional, as well as guidance on how to navigate and move forward in spaces where individuals like myself are not typically present."