Hometown:

Leola, SD

Year in School:

Junior

Major:

Psychology and Sociology

What is your favorite thing to do in Aberdeen?

My favorite things to do in Aberdeen are attending the Brown County Fair and checking out all of the different shops. There are always great food stalls, drink stalls, along with clothing stalls. Otherwise just driving around, especially near Christmas to look at all of the lights and decorations on the houses is a ton of fun. I remember once my friends and I were driving and we saw a house where if you tuned in to the correct radio station the lights matched the bass of the song. So, whether you are actually at a planned event, or if you are just hanging out around town with friends, there is always something new to discover and fun things to do.

My favorite thing about NSU is...

How warm, welcoming, and helpful everyone is. No matter where you are on campus or who you talk to, they are willing to help you with whatever you need. I think that this is so important, especially if you are new to campus, because college can be an intimidating place. So having a nice, warm, and welcoming community to join is something that I think is crucial to student success. I feel this way because if you do not feel welcome and supported at college, it can get very overwhelming, and your performance may suffer as a result.

Why did you choose Northern?

I chose Northern because of the wonderful and caring staff (and fellow students) who made me feel welcome and cared for. No matter what questions I had, someone at Northern was always willing to answer them or help me find the answers to my questions. It was this caring, patient, and welcoming environment that made me realize Northern was the right place for me.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid, I wanted to be a pharmacist when I grew up. I wanted to be a pharmacist because of all the different medications that my mother was on when I was younger. I remembered sitting in the doctor’s office with her as the doctor would go over the medication and all of the different side effects and how all of the different medications interact with each other. After learning about all of that, it made me curious to learn more so that I could help out my mom with her medications. However, after realizing that I was not the best at science and how long it would take to become a pharmacist, I decided not to go down that route.

A motto I live by is...

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." - John A. Shedd

I try to live by this motto because I used to avoid doing things that scared me or were out of my comfort zone. However, I realized that in order to truly ‘live,’ I needed to put myself out there and try different things, even if they seem intimidating at first. For example, I am not a very talkative person, especially when it comes to talking to new people. However, I decided to take a job as a STAR (Student Admissions Representative) even though I was unsure if I would be able to talk to so many new people and give them tours of campus. In doing so, I have learned that I can talk to various new people without much difficulty, and I even enjoy doing so. Thus, getting outside my comfort zone has allowed me to do things that I would have thought were impossible before.

Tell me about a cool opportunity you've had at NSU:

A cool opportunity that I have had at NSU is working as a STAR (Student Admissions Representative). Working as a STAR has allowed me to meet so many different people and get to know them as well as the individuals that they bring with them on campus visits. This has been a cool opportunity because it has allowed me to meet people from all walks of life, with different interests, experiences, and situations. As a psychology and sociology double major, I always love learning about different people, especially about their interests, as well as their goals and aspirations. So, I feel that I have been given an amazing opportunity as a STAR to meet and interact with all of the different people who are interested in NSU.

My best piece of advice for students considering NSU is...

My best piece of advice for students considering NSU would be to really be in tune with how you feel when visiting campus, because that will be an important thing to consider when you are choosing which college you are going to attend. When you are on the campus of the college that you are considering, you should feel safe, valued, and supported. There are going to be some campuses where you may feel out of place or like you do not belong. However, the college that you will most likely be the happiest at will be the one where, when you visit the campus, you feel as though the faculty and staff truly care about and support you as well as your goals and aspirations. So my advice would be to take note of how you feel when you are visiting a college campus.