St. Cloud Tech High School Principal Molly Kensy took a unique route to completing her graduate degree at St. Cloud State.
After teaching third and fourth graders in Becker Public Schools, she was encouraged to pursue the education required to receive a principal and administrator license.
With a three-year-old and a one-year-old at home and a third child on the way, she knew time was of the essence. She was told it would take four years to complete her degree.
She had an alternative timeline.
“It was a family commitment to get through the master’s program in Educational Administration and Leadership, and then the K-12 Principal and District Superintendent licenses,” she said. “I was able to complete all of that in five semesters.”
That enthusiasm to complete tasks that don’t seem possible is what drives Kensy as an administrator.
After working in St. Cloud Area School District 742 as Dean of Students at Apollo High School, she served as the assistant principal at Tech High School for three years and has now been the principal at Tech since 2023.
Kensy recalls her SCSU professors matching her enthusiasm of how she wanted to teach students.
Associate professor of teacher development Dr. Martin Lo, who Kensy recalled holding one of her children while she finished an exam, stood out despite math not being one of her favorite subjects.
She said Lo’s classes taught her how to problem solve, find solutions and think critically, which are all key parts of her current role at Tech.
“You make 1,000 decisions a day and 100 mistakes, but you hope all of it lands in the best interest of kids,” she said. “That’s part of showing up every day.”
Kensy was able to “choose her adventure” in her graduate program to see different districts, principals and activities. She also gained valuable insight from her cohort peers working in different roles in education.
“I’ve been lucky enough to really encourage people who are looking to go back to school for their admin license or figure out what their next steps are to share my story about how St. Cloud State worked for me.”
District 742 Partnerships
St. Cloud State is instrumental in providing educators for the region and state, with a legacy of training future teachers for over 150 years.
According to data compiled by the SCSU Career Center, 99 percent of recent graduates from SCSU’s College of Education and Learning Design found employment within the first year, and 97 percent found jobs in Minnesota.
Many of those educators stayed in Central Minnesota districts, including nearly 20 teachers joining St. Cloud’s District 742.
SCSU maintains a strong relationship with District 742 and partnered for the district’s Future 100 event this fall, which was a new initiative from the district to help students chart a successful course after high school and see what opportunities can lie ahead with the community’s support.
Steve Woit/Steve Woit Photography
“What delights me about this community is we could have these ideas, and then people show up and make it happen,” District 742 Superintendent Laurie Putnam said. “It came together quickly because we have so many great folks that will step up for our kids.”
St. Cloud Tech and St. Cloud Apollo High School students were given a day to either submit applications to a local university or college, meet with military recruiters, connect with local employers or submit applications to institutions outside of the region. Nearly 100 community volunteers joined to make the
event possible.
“I think our students had no idea there were that many people in our community cheering for them and invested in their future,” Kensy said. “That was an exciting opportunity for us.”
SCSU’s entire admissions department was on hand to volunteer their time, and current SCSU students were also involved.
“It was great to hear from former Tech and Apollo students how their journey from their high school to SCSU has been during the student panel,” said SCSU Director of Admissions Michael Hanna. “They were also able to show how attending college is an option for anyone.”
St. Cloud State University continues to ensure a stronger community by preparing the next generation of teachers. Learn more about SCSU’s education program at stcloudstate.edu/coeld.