MSC Southeast Outstanding Alumni Awards

Every year since 2005, Minnesota State College Southeast has honored one graduate from each campus — Red Wing and Winona — with the Outstanding Alumni Award, presented in recognition of outstanding personal and professional achievement and service to others.

At its Commencement Ceremony on May 16, Minnesota State College Southeast presented the 2025 Outstanding Alumni Award for the Red Wing campus to Brian Christianson, who graduated from the college’s String Instrument Repair – Violin Specialty program in 2000.

After graduating, Christianson built a distinguished career in Nashville, servicing violin-family instruments from student-level to professional while performing on fiddle and mandolin with nationally known bluegrass and acoustic music groups.

The 2025 Outstanding Alumni Award for the Winona Campus went to April Ledebuhr-Kerrigan, a registered nurse whose career exemplifies a life of service to others.

Today she is a registered nurse supervisor at Benedictine Living Community in Winona.