Scholarship honoring Alex Pretti announced at MCTC

The Minneapolis Community & Technical College (MCTC) Foundation has announced a scholarship to honor Alex Pretti, a 2020 graduate of the college’s nursing program. Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents in January. He was an ICU nurse at the Minnesota Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis.  

“Many of you have shown a desire to honor Alex Pretti in a way that reflects who he was. In that spirit, we reached out to his family and I’m grateful to share they’ve given their blessing for us to establish the Alex Pretti Memorial Nursing Scholarship,” MCTC President Sharon Pierce said.  

“We pride ourselves on producing nurses like Alex who are compassionate, service-focused and care about others. This endowed Alex Pretti scholarship will help future Minneapolis College students ready to dedicate their lives to caring for their communities,” Local 1304 President Jenny McDougal said. McDougal works at the college as a Transfer Specialist in the Registrar’s Office. 

 “Our local wanted to take meaningful action in the aftermath of Alex’s death, and one of our members suggested establishing a scholarship. At Meet & Confer we learned that the faculty union had also proposed this idea,” McDougal said. “It’s important to me that he was a union member. He demonstrated, like so many in our union, that he cared about his fellow workers and their experiences in the workplace. This implicitly tells me he not only cared for his patients but also that he paid attention to how his colleagues were experiencing their work environment.” 

This endowed scholarship will support students in the nursing program, ensuring Alex’s legacy of care and service continues through those he mentored and inspired. “His family said they are happy and grateful for this effort. They told us that Alex was often stressed about the financial burden of his education, and that he would be very happy to know that this scholarship will support others on this same path. By making this an endowed scholarship, we are ensuring that Alex’s legacy will live on through the students it supports,” Pierce added.    

McDougal said a motion will soon be introduced at their local to donate to the endowed scholarship and “there’s been lots of interest. It’s important that this scholarship is forward-looking. Not only for current students who have lived through the terror of the past few months but for future students as well.”  

The scholarship reflects the college’s commitment to honoring Alex’s life and values, aligning with the broader community’s call to remember and support his work in health care and human rights advocacy. If you wish to contribute to the scholarship, MCTC invites donations through Minneapolis Community & Technical College or at www.Minneapolis.edu/donate.