By Micah Friez
Published 10:46 am on September 30, 2025
The rapid evolution of tech may scare some folks away.
Not Kailee Stenseng.
“The thing about computer science is that you can learn as much as you want, but tomorrow, there’s always going to be new stuff to learn,” she said. “I really like that as a challenge, to be honest.”
Stenseng, a 2020 Bemidji State University graduate, is a senior software engineer at DigiKey. Even in her earliest days with the Thief River Falls-based electronic parts supplier, Stenseng could tell she was in the right arena.
Not only does Stenseng enjoy the challenge of new technological developments, she channels it into a calling that drives her forward.
“I pursued this career simply because I really enjoy learning,” said Stenseng, who also earned a master’s degree in software development from Maryville University of St. Louis in May 2025. “I didn’t want to have a career where I’d get bored or it’d get stagnant. This is certainly not one that’d be like that. Even six years into this, I still feel like there’s so much for me to learn.”
Fortunately for the Bagley native, someone just like her inspired the decision to pay it forward at precisely the right time.
The late Darwin Thorbeck was a fellow Bagley product who became a successful entrepreneur in developing computer systems in Manhattan in the 1970s. He was an early believer in the power of electronic data processing and founded Thor Data Inc., a pioneering firm in inventory management and market research. Although Thorbeck never attended Bemidji State himself, his family found it important after his death to support a rural institution near his roots. Darwin’s wife, Romola, established a generous scholarship in his name at BSU, creating opportunities for Bagley High School graduates entering the areas of computer science or computer information systems.
Stenseng was the first recipient of that scholarship.
“Helping students has been a tremendous experience,” Romola Thorbeck said. “Just knowing how Kailee has flourished, even though I might have just had a small part to play in it, it means a lot.”
Economic and emotional impact
For a first-generation college student and an eldest child like Stenseng, the unknowns of stepping onto a campus are real and immediate. But thanks in part to the Thorbeck scholarship, she had the proper support to earn an education and even blaze a trail for her younger sister, Kari, who earned a Bemidji State degree in 2022, as well.
“Going into school was a completely new environment for my family and me,” Stenseng said. “But this scholarship allowed me time to get prepared and really focus on my studies and learn as much as I could by the time I got into my professional career.”
That stepping stone unlocked a trajectory that Stenseng firmly seized. She landed a summer internship with DigiKey in 2019, and then she stayed on as a part-time employee during her senior year at BSU. As soon as she graduated, Stenseng transitioned to a full-time role within the company and has been driving solutions ever since.
And that’s exactly what Thorbeck envisioned when she started the scholarship in 2015.
“To me, life is all about helping others get up,” said Thorbeck, who credits her mother for passing down a philanthropic spirit. “If it makes a difference, I feel blessed. And I couldn’t think of anything better I could do for my husband.”
On top of the economic benefits, Thorbeck’s scholarship has also tugged on Stenseng’s heartstrings in an emotional way because it’s designed for someone exactly like her.
“I think it’s really cool because Bagley is such a small-town area, and it’s just the idea of seeking someone going for computer science and such,” Stenseng said. “I want to follow suit at some point in my life, to be a role model to others and push them into the field too.”
In fact, Stenseng has already started paving the way for others to follow in her footsteps. She was first introduced to her employer at the annual DigiKey Collegiate Computing Competition, which she attended as a junior and senior at Bemidji State. These days, she’s on the committee that plans the event for students every year.
Her full-circle journey is one example of how donor support can make a crucial difference to a student.
“That scholarship enabled me to go outside the classroom, hence why I was in the programming competition,” Stenseng said. “I was trying to get as much experience as I could before I started pursuing a job. Bemidji State became an excellent launching point for me.”
On the flip side of things, Thorbeck has watched a career flourish because she got involved and invested. No doubt, her husband would have been proud of Stenseng.
“Giving has always been important to me,” Thorbeck said. “I couldn’t think of anything better than doing something for those where Darwin started out in life.”
This story was included in the 2025 spring/summer edition of the BSU Magazine. To view all the stories in digital format, click here.
