Kids Plus Program

Luke Wohlwend:
Saying Yes to Leadership

At age 28, Luke Wohlwend has already been a positive influence on dozens of Duluth and Superior young people.

This May, Luke graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School. Despite the demands of college and med school, he spent the past six years as an adult mentor with the KIDS PLUS Youth Leadership Academy.

Mentoring, said Luke, was a way to give back. In 2005, he himself was an unsure ninth grader taking a chance on this thing called Youth Leadership.

“One of the best decisions I made was saying “yes” to Youth Leadership as a ninth grader. I wasn’t the most talented or self-assured young person,” Luke shared. “I wondered, ‘Why me?’ The Northland Foundation saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I gained the confidence to pursue dreams I never thought I could.”

By the next year, Luke was confident enough to say “yes” to serving on the KIDS PLUS Youth In Philanthropy Board. Those experiences were transformational.

Dr. Wohlwend, now starting his residency, shows how believing and investing in young people comes full circle.

“As a mentor, I wanted to instill confidence in kids that they can use for the rest of their lives, the same way this program did for me.”