Grads making an impact

When Jackrabbits graduate, they are equipped with a world-class education, valuable experiences and a support network of friends and faculty. Read on as three recent graduates share how State prepared them for life after college.

“It comes down to the fact that I really want to help people.” Connor Haaland, 2019 graduate, global studies/Spanish

Putting his Spanish skills to work helping asylum seekers and refugees on the Texas/Mexico border was a pivotal experience for Connor Haaland.

“I realized my ultimate goal. I want to get into politics or public policy so I can do more,” said Haaland of the impact the program organized by SDSU professors José Álvarez and Christi Garst-Santos had on him.

Guided by this desire to impact positive change, Haaland set his sights on Harvard Law School.

“It comes down to the fact that I really want to help people. If I can move policy even a little bit, I can do a lot of good.”

With the support of SDSU faculty, Haaland poured himself into academics, maintaining a 4.0 while at the same time running cross country and track for SDSU and volunteering weekly to teach English to refugees and immigrants. “If I was trying to do something, my professors worked to find ways to make it happen.”

While applying for Harvard Law, SDSU faculty nominated Haaland for Oxford University’s Rhodes Scholarship. He was one of only 15 student finalists within a seven-state region. He said nearly every global studies faculty member participated in helping him prepare for the rigorous interview process. Ultimately, he credits this interview prep with helping him attain his goal of being accepted to Harvard Law.

“I got the call from the dean of Harvard Law School. It was the realization of a lot of hard work, late nights studying and sacrifices.”

Currently, Haaland is the only Harvard Law student who completed undergraduate work in South Dakota.

“Students mold you as much as you mold them.”Erin Moser, 2015 graduate, elementary and middle school education

Growing up, Erin Moser didn’t doubt her career choice. “I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an elementary school teacher.”

Today, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first grade teacher remains secure in her decision. “I could not wait to get back to the classroom this fall (after going remote in spring 2020). I need my students. Students mold you as much as you mold them,” Moser explained.

Classroom teaching has been a part of Moser’s life since her first semester at SDSU. “Our professors made it a point to get us out and into classrooms right away.”

These opportunities to watch and learn from seasoned educators and develop mentor relationships were valuable, Moser explained. “It answers the question, how does this work when I get out of school?”

On-campus involvement as an Admissions Ambassador and serving on the Hobo Day Committee also helped prepare her for the teaching career she relishes.

“These were fun experiences where I gained skills to work through conversations in a way that is helpful,” said Moser of the practices she uses daily communicating with parents, colleagues and students.

And although things look a bit different in her classroom this year, she says the friend group she established while at SDSU continues to provide her with the encouragement she needs. “They are the people in my life who continue to push me and build me up when I need it.”

“It’s really a privilege to be able to do work that I love.”Maddie Mack, 2016 graduate, English

A simple enough question, “Can any of you write?” led Maddie Mack to a far from simple career as a content manager with Lemonly, a Sioux Falls-based marketing agency that specializes in creating infographics for brands the likes of Disney, Netflix and the Green Bay Packers.

The question came from a member of the SDSU University Marketing and Communications team as Mack, a music minor, was waiting in line for a headshot requested by the music department for its first-year students. “I raised my hand and got pulled into a job interview right then and there,” she recalled. Mack enjoys retelling the story because, “it underlines one of my core beliefs. You can have all the five-year or 10-year plans you want. But if that means you will not raise your hand when someone asks, you will miss out on some pretty cool opportunities.”

Raising her hand to work for UMC was just the beginning.
While at State, Mack sang in Concert Choir, Women’s Choir, Opera Workshop and Madrigal Singers. In addition to writing for University Marketing and Communications, she also became Assistant Pooba for marketing on the Hobo Day Committee.

She gained valuable experience in public relations, media and marketing writing—experience she credits for landing her three competitive internship opportunities, one of which was with Lemonly. Mack was eventually the first writer to be hired full time by the agency. Her first task? Writing her own job description.

“I enjoy getting excited about what I am writing about. You spend a lot of time working, so it’s really a privilege to be able to do work that I love.”

-Lura Roti