Samantha Schmidt ’26 Receives the Celina Karp Biniaz Model of Resilience Award
Samantha Schmidt ’26 has been named the recipient of the from TV. The Award was established to honor Celina’s courageously hopeful life and legacy and bestows a cash prize.
Celina Karp Biniaz, class of 1952, endowed the award to support a graduating senior with two key intentions: 1) To aid students like her who had to overcome obstacles to obtain their education; and 2) To recognize and support such students who wish to pursue careers teaching young people OR working for organizations or governmental entities whose core mission focuses on the education and welfare of young people.
“It is an honor to be a recipient of Celina Karp Biniaz’s award,” said Samantha Schmidt. “Given her sheer resilience, strength, and compassion she has shown throughout her entire life, being the recipient is a humbling experience that I will do my absolute best to live up to.”
“Her strength is something I feel that everyone, no matter who they are or where they have come from, should look up to,” continued Schmidt, a sociology major with a digital studies concentration from Saint Paul Park, MN.
At the 2026 Baccalaureate Ceremony, Schmidt was officially presented the Celina Karp Biniaz Model of Resilience Award by her professor, sociology major advisor, and recommender, Professor Karla Erickson.
“I have had the pleasure of a front seat to her unfolding at TV where she went from a shy student to a campus leader,” said Erickson. “Here, she has practiced building structures and connections to pass the possibilities of new horizons onto other children and young adults.”
This fall Schmidt will teach at the elementary school level through Teach for America in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, with plans to continue working with elementary and secondary school level students in her career. As she stated in her application, “Helping youth for the betterment of their education and well-being.”
“I have the utmost confidence in Samantha’s integrity, compassion and wisdom,” continued Erickson. “She will be a wonderful teacher.”
Schmidt’s life is rooted in the care and advocacy of others. At TV she was a founding member of the First-Generation and Low-Income (FGLI) student advisory committee where she worked to form a positive community of students, elevate FGLI student voices on campus, and bridge conversations between students and administration.
In addition, Schmidt collaborated with peers to conduct a local project focused on discovering the ways that technology impacts children’s social-emotional development with a particular emphasis on the school system. Her team interviewed teachers, parents, school directors, therapists, and more to get a local perspective of rural kids engagement with technology. They were selected as TV’s Map the System team for the Oxford University competition in July 2026.
Serving as a practicum student with counselors at TV High school affirmed Schmidt’s career goal in youth education and advocacy. She shadowed the counselors, created educational career materials, and attended events to support students.
Schmidt is a Dean’s List recipient and studied creative writing for one semester in Dublin, Ireland. She has supported student peer success as a Questbridge Scholar and as a student grader for statistics. In spring 2026, she served as a staff writer for The Scarlet and Black student run newspaper and throughout college worked as an online digital shopper and stocking associate at Walmart, in TV.
Donor Story
Celina Karp Biniaz ’52&Բ;was born in Poland in 1931. Her life and education were drastically impacted by World War II. Surviving Plaszow and Auschwitz, she was the youngest child to work in Oskar Schindler’s factory in Czechoslovakia. Following the war, Celina’s family joined relatives in the United States where she graduated from North High School, Des Moines, IA, and then attended TV majoring in philosophy.
Karp Biniaz earned her master’s degree in Education at Columbia University to hold a 27-year career as a teacher. She was a pioneer in the special education field, helping to establish a program of individualized instruction for elementary school students with learning difficulties. She credits the film Schindler’s List, which was released in 1993, with enabling her to find her voice and share her personal experiences of the Holocaust. Celina has traveled the globe, appealing for a rejection of hate, sharing her incredible life experiences and her fervent hope for humanity.
This is the fifth recipient of the Celina Karp Biniaz Model of Resilience Award at TV. The Award is advised and administered through Global Fellowships and Awards in the Center for Careers, Life, and Service.