Eagan High School PSEO student/grad geared to be biology major at U of M Twin Cities
Mary Tambah, 17, graduated from Inver Hills Community College in May 2025 with an Associate of Arts (A.A.), the college’s number one transfer degree. Mary also graduated from Eagan High School about the same time. She attended Inver Hills and Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) as a Post-secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student. She is looking forward to transferring to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she plans on majoring in biology.
Mary was an Interact volunteer at Eagan High School; she also participated in Eagan Faith Club, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), and AVID. She joined Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) at DCTC, where her favorite courses covered graphic design fundamentals and general psychology.
Mary works during the summer as a schedule manager at Tambah and Sons Construction, a company owned by Branko Tambah, her father and DCTC 2020 Alumnus of the Year. She also serves as a volunteer classroom aide at Eagan Montessori Academy, a role she took on in 2022.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology at the U of M, Mary will be ready to continue her education in medical school. She has centered her career goals on becoming a dermatologist.
“What motivated me to become a dermatologist was because I’ve had many issues with my skin in the past, and I’ve visited many dermatologists so much that I thought it would be cool to be one,” Mary said. “I think it’s interesting just how many different niches there are in healthcare, and how they have an expert for every little thing.”
About PSEO at Inver Hills…
Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) allows high school 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students to earn credits that can meet high school graduation requirements while simultaneously earning transferable college credits. This is known as dual-credit, and allows students to pursue more challenging coursework than what may be available at their high school.
- Students may take courses on campus or online, full-time or part-time
- Students have a wide variety of classes they can choose from
- The PSEO program covers cost of tuition, fees, required textbooks, and materials
- Students who continue education beyond high school can transfer PSEO coursework as college credits
- Students are responsible for their own transportation to campus – Inver Hills is on the Metro Transit bus route and offers the College Pass discount
- Reimbursement for transportation expenses may be available through the school district if the family’s income level is at or below federal poverty guidelines
Learn more about PSEO at Inver Hills by contacting:
PSEO Admissions
651-450-3661
PSEO@inverhills.edu
More about Mary…
Mary is originally from Tubmanberg, a town with 13,100 residents in northwestern Liberia, Africa’s first and oldest modern sovereign republic. Mary has four sisters, Everetta, 13, Hannah, 9, Blessing, 5, and Naomi, 1, and two brothers, Melvin, 19, and James, 17.
Mary’s father, Branko, earned three degrees at Minnesota State colleges, an A.A.S. in Individualized Studies and an A.A.S. in Management for Technical Professionals from DCTC in 2017 and 2015, respectively, and an A.A. from Inver Hills in 2017. Mary’s mom, Yassah Johnson, works as a nurse in Liberia.
Mary started playing bass guitar when she was around 12 years old. She plays a Fender and enjoys R & B music the most. She used to play on her church worship team. She likes improving her graphic design skills, and Illustrator is her favorite Adobe Creative Cloud application due to its versatility and more powerful array of tools for creating designs and drawings.
She holds a Spanish Bilingual Seal certificate and is an experienced Korean speaker. “I enjoy the usefulness of the Spanish language because a lot of people speak Spanish,” she said. “I learned to speak Korean because I wish to visit Seoul, Hongdae, and Jeju Island in South Korea.”
In her free time, Mary enjoys going on walks while listening to music. She also enjoys reading web comics and graphic novels, especially rom-coms, sci fi, and psychological thrillers, along with drawing and playing Just Dance. One of her top pastimes is watching Eastern international dramas.
Mary resides with her family in Rosemount, Minnesota.
Mary Tambah life gallery
Mary Tambah • Q & A
What advice would you give high school students thinking about participating in Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)?
I would suggest that they have good time management and keep a planner—very important.
What did you like best about completing your A.A. degree at Inver Hills?
I like the idea of having it done and that it takes me less time in achieving my career goals.
Three words that describe you as a college graduate:
DISCIPLINED. EDUCATED. RESPONSIBLE.
What advice would you give students thinking about completing an associate degree at a two-year college before transferring to a four-year school?
A piece of advice that I’d give to someone pursuing an associate degree before transferring would be for them to treat it like a four-year school because sometimes I wouldn’t and I would forget that I did would also affect my college GPA even if I transfer schools.
What person has influenced your life the most and why?
My father because he pushes me to be the best version of myself.
Where do you hope to be in your life in 20 years?
Hopefully I’ll be a working dermatologist who has traveled to at least four or five places.
If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
For the world, I’d say cure cancer. For me, I’d give myself my my dream job right now.
One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:
CHALLENGING
One word that best describes your experience at DCTC:
ENJOYABLE
Mary Tambah • 12 Answers
- Favorite sport or physical activity: Racquet sports like tennis, badminton, ping-pong, and pickleball
Place you would most like to visit: Seoul, South Korea- Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Zionist high ropes course (also most terrifying)
- Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Buy a penthouse and new car 2) Give some to my parents and some to charity/research 3) Save and/or invest the rest
- Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: I don’t watch many movies, but I recently finished a psychological thriller called Pyramid Game, which is based on a Korean webtoon
- Time period you would explore if you could time travel: Probably a time period in the future to be honest
- One thing you most want to accomplish in life: Attaining my dream career
Your national bird if you were your own country: Hummingbird or kiwi- Dream occupation: Dermatologist
- Person you would most like to meet: Not sure, I’ve always believed in the saying, “Never meet your idols.”
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: Sewing—I used to be really into fashion design and drawing outfit designs, and I learned beginner sewing skills, but nothing too major, so one day I hope to be able to sew any outfit idea that comes to mind
- Most important issue or problem facing humankind: There are a lot that need attention like global warming/climate change, wars and hatred, and declining health/life expectancy decreasing— although, the latter has seemed to increase in the past couple of years
Learn more about earning an Associate of Arts (A.A.) at Inver Hills by contacting:
Admissions Team
admissions@inverhills.edu
651-450-3902
866-576-0689
College Center
- Want more information? Fill out an inquiry form.
- Ready to apply? Fill out an application.
- Want to virtually visit campus? Check out our upcoming visit opportunities.
- Can’t make it to campus? Take our virtual tour.
Want to connect with an advisor? Check out our virtual drop-in hours or email admissions@inverhills.edu to request a campus-based or phone appointment.
More about earning your Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree at Inver Hills…
Our #1 transfer degree!
The Associate of Arts (A. A.) degree is an ideal choice if you want to complete your general education requirements and complete the first two years of your bachelor’s degree.
At Inver Hills, you’ll have the added advantage of working one on one with your program faculty. That’s something you probably won’t find as a freshman or even a sophomore at the university level.
Undecided? No problem. Many students start college unsure of what they want to study. Get started and explore all of your options. Attend an A.A. Info Session to learn more!
Planning your degree
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC)
The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), is a general education curriculum that makes up the core of the AA degree. While taking courses from 10 goal areas, you will build your skills, broaden your knowledge, and explore possible majors. When complete, the MnTC transfers as “gen eds” to a variety of institutions, including all Minnesota State universities and the University of Minnesota.
Check with the school you plan to transfer to for up-to-date program information and transfer requirements.
Health & Physical Education
You must take 2 credits in Health (HLTH) and Physical Education (PHED) coursework to complete your Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree.
Electives
Electives are additional Inver Hills courses that meet liberal arts, prerequisite, or degree requirements at your intended transfer school. All courses must be 1000 level or above.
Check with your destination college for up-to-date program information and transfer requirements. Inver Hills academic advisors and counselors are very helpful in planning for transfer.
Transfer Pathway Options
A.A. Transfer Pathways are special A.A. degrees that allow you start your major early and seamlessly transfer to a bachelor’s degree program at any one of the Minnesota State universities.
After finishing your Transfer Pathway degree, you will be guaranteed junior-year status on admission to the university you’ve chosen. You also have the assurance you can earn your bachelor’s degree after completing an additional 60 credits (for 120-credit programs).
You must still meet any special admission requirements for your chosen major and are not guaranteed admission into the major itself.
Transfer Pathway A.A. degrees
- Communication Studies
- Economics
- History
- Individualized Professional Studies
- Mathematics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Spanish
A.A. with Emphasis
The A.A. with Emphasis allows you to thoroughly prepare for your chosen major at a corresponding bachelor’s degree program at several public and private four-year colleges and universities. We strongly recommend that you work with an Inver Hills counselor or advisor when making your transfer plans.
Emphasis areas
Anthropology
Gender and Women’s Studies
Social JusticeLEARN MORE ABOUT OUR COLLEGE’S MOST POPULAR TRANFER DEGREE…
