SMSU - Preparing and Shaping Students for Success

Hey Everyone!

My name is Lucas Bade, and I get a chance to share with you a little bit about me and my SMSU story.  I am a senior majoring in Physical Education with a Sport Management emphasis. One of the many things I like about SMSU is the fact that everyone is different and has his/her own story on how he/she got to where he/she is in life today. Some people are from small towns and, some are from big cities; some are sons of CEO’s, and others are farmers’ daughters. I have had a unique situation where I have received a little of both perspectives. I live in Minnesota City, Minnesota, a town of 200 people; but Minnesota City is right next to a town of 30,000+. The latter is where I went to high school and got the big-city feel. Spending time around both has diversified me, allowing me to see different situations through different viewpoints.  In high school, I thought I gained a lot of knowledge about the world around me, but SMSU has shown me more.

My favorite thing about SMSU and what it offers to its students is the education beyond the classroom. Getting involved in college is essential to shaping who you are.  I am personally involved with multiple clubs and organizations on campus, and all are a little different. I am involved with the Ambassador program, SMSU Student Senate, and Enactus. All three offer a different group of people, a different knowledge base, and different skill set. All have led to great experiences for me and meeting people I never thought I’d meet. For example, last month Enactus flew a couple SMSU students out to Riverside California for a Conference. At this event, I was able to meet a west coast regional manager of Finish Line, get his contact information, and I now talk with him on a weekly bases. SMSU has been a great place to mold my personal and career goals.

Ride On Stangs!

Lucas

Ellen's SMSU Journey

Hey folks, my name is Ellen Johnson and I’m today’s blog post author! I’m currently a senior at SMSU and my major is Secondary Biology Education (Grades 5-12). My hometown is Kerkhoven, Minnesota. I enjoy spending time with my family, going to my lake cabin and playing any sport under the sun. Today, I’m going to share with you the beginning, middle and end of my time here at SMSU.

My history with SMSU started back when my brother started his freshman year at this University back in ’06. I was going into 7^th grade and, at the time, students had to pick up their bed loft from the RA parking lot and carry them to their dorm rooms. I got stuck helping my dad carry my brother’s bed frame all the way across campus while he went to go get his textbooks. What the heck! It was a totally different situation when I moved into my dorm my freshmen year at SMSU. When I pulled up to my dorm building, fifteen ‘Mustang Movers’ attacked our car before it even stopped. I ended up carrying my pillow in and that was it. Mustang Movers are various groups from campus like players from the football and volleyball team or Crusade for Christ ministries on campus. I have helped out with Mustang Movers for three years now and every year I enjoy meeting new freshmen and helping them feel at home the minute they make it to campus. However, I will not miss carrying mini fridges up four flights of stairs!

During the middle portion of my time here at SMSU I was involved in intramural basketball. Some of these memories include:

1.  Open gym at SMSU was the first time that I got dunked on by our star basketball player Will Giddings (class of 2014).
2. I won an SMSU Intramural Champions T-shirt my sophomore year. They make sweet designs each year!
3. I met countless people that have now become great friends all while playing a sport that I love!

The main thing to take away from this is that getting involved on campus is the best thing you can do your first year. Try a new sport, learn more about a different culture or sign up for a ping-pong tournament.

The end of my time at SMSU is now. I just found out where I will be placed for student teaching and I can’t wait to use what I learned in college and apply it to the classroom that I will be teaching in. SMSU gives you so many opportunities to enter into a real-life situation where you need to use what you’ve learned to finally do what you came to college for! My time at SMSU has come to a close but it has also prepared me for what the rest of my life holds for me, and I can’t thank this campus enough for shaping me into the person that I am today.

Go Mustangs! #M4L