HURON, S.D. – As Northern State University’s first full-time faculty member living and teaching in Huron, Brooke Nelson enjoys getting to know her students and being part of the local community.

Nelson, NSU Instructor of English, Reading and Communication Studies at Huron Community Campus, teaches all general classes related to language at HCC. Because of this, she often has the same handful of students in her classes—which allows her to get to know them better.

“Most faculty must work on creating a healthy and dynamic classroom environment every semester with each class, but when your students have been in the same classes together for the past two years, a supportive environment has already been established,” Nelson said. “Instead, I just maintain what we have already cultivated. It makes classes like speech easier because the students know that their classmates and instructor are cheering for them and want them to succeed.”

Getting to know her students well allows her to develop inside jokes with them, and she references their interests throughout the semester. In addition to her scheduled office hours, she hangs out in her office 20-30 minutes before class because it gives her more of a chance to get to know them.

“Just spending a few minutes talking with students and offering them tea or coffee leads to a much more trusting relationship—even if we only talked about the most recent Marvel movies or Netflix shows,” she said. 

Part of the Community 

Nelson also enjoys being part of the Huron community, with one of her favorite activities being the summer farmers' market in Campbell Park.

Her dog, whom she adopted from an animal shelter, and she has a routine where they walk to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast before doing a bit of shopping at the market.

She also likes that many of the businesses in Huron are small and local. “Plus, my office at Huron Community Campus is right next to the waterpark, so it really can't get much better than that!”

History of Involvement at NSU

A Northern alum, Nelson has a long history of involvement as an undergrad. Between 2013 and 2017, she was a reading and writing tutor; reporter, assistant editor and managing editor for The Exponent; and College of Arts and Sciences senator and Vice President for the Student Government Association.

After Northern, Nelson earned her master’s in linguistics and teaching English as a second language from University of South Florida. She has served in her current position since August 2020. For anyone considering taking classes at HCC, she encourages them to take advantage of office hours.

“Succeeding in higher education is about dedication—not inherent smarts,” she said. “College classes are tough for everybody, so succeeding in them has far more to do with developing quality study habits and asking for help from peers and faculty.” 

To learn more about studying at HCC, visit Huron Community Campus.