Mikenzie (Renning) Blessing ’13 learned about adversity early in her collegiate career.

After spending her first two years at Dana College in Blair, the school closed, leaving Mikenzie looking for a new home, and a new lacrosse team. With her coach making the jump to Midland, and her scholarship being honored, Mikenzie welcomed the opportunity to earn her degree at Midland.

“The transition from Dana to Midland taught me about resilience and overcoming obstacles.”

As the co-owner and manager of The Assist Lab, a virtual assistant business which assists small business owners in helping grow their business, Mikenzie said many of the skills she attained to run her own business were acquired at Midland.

“Midland positioned me for success by building my confidence in public speaking and being a leader. I made, and have built, on many relationships with my former classmates, some personally and some professionally, that have helped me build my business and further my career. They have also taught me that being empathetic and supportive gets you further than being judgemental.”

As a member of the lacrosse team, Mikenzie looks back with fond memories of being part of a Warriors team that qualified for the national tournament.

She is also grateful for the support she received from the university after helping her graduate following the birth of her daughter, Lily. “One of my favorite memories was having Megan Nielsen (Dean for Luther College of Arts & Sciences) as a professor. She was always willing to go above and beyond to help me succeed and allowed me to bring my infant daughter to all of my classes with her so I didn’t have to pay for daycare. One time, Lily got fussy during class and Megan came over and took Lily in her arms and carried her as she continued to teach class. You don’t meet many professors who would allow you to bring your baby to class, let alone carry them around while they lecture.”

In her spare time, Mikenzie enjoys reading, drinking iced coffee, listening or watching anything regarding murder mystery, watching any kind of sports, watching her kids play sports, and being a mom and a wife.