JONATHON FARGHER received his B.S.Ed. in History from Northern State University in the spring of 2021. He is currently a 7-12 teacher at Eureka Public School in Eureka, SD, instructing in middle and high school History and Social Studies. Fargher credits Northern with giving him “an incredible opportunity as a non-traditional student to pursue a degree in education.” His journey to become a teacher was not easy: “Being a former bible-college student, I did not come to NSU with transferable credits, so it was back to the beginning for me. I started with my General Studies courses online through Northern while I worked as a paraprofessional in a Special Education classroom and coached middle school sports.” Once Fargher had taken full advantage of the online opportunities, it was on to campus full time. He began commuting from Eureka to Northern. He credits both his family and the NSU staff for encouragement during that difficult period: “I could not have accomplished all of this,” he says, “without the support of my amazing wife, two sons, and the NSU staff—Justin Bartel, Dave Grettler, and Art Marmorstein, to name a few.” Now that he is a full-time educator, Fargher has great appreciation for his academic experience at Northern: “The School of Education and its instructors prepared me very well to meet the demands of teaching in the classroom. From lesson planning and execution, to implementing state standards and meeting the needs of each one of my students, Northern helped me become the teacher I am today. I love working with young people, and each day I am reminded that it was worth the hard work I put in at NSU.” Reflecting on his own experience, Fargher offers some suggestions for students focused on careers in teaching: “For the freshmen who are just beginning their first steps in the field of education, I would emphasize the need to be goal-oriented. Don’t procrastinate. Build healthy relationships with your peers and professors. Give your all to becoming the life-long learner you need to be. Enjoy the journey and find ways to have fun and laugh at yourself a bit. Finally, picture the faces of the students you will positively impact and the potential legacy you’ll leave in each one of their hearts. Go Wolves!” ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Jonathon Fargher “The School of Education and its instructors prepared me very well to meet the demands of teaching in the classroom.” PARKER HEGER, a Chemistry major and a 2021 graduate, collaborated with Dr. Andrew Russell, Associate Professor of Biology, in publishing an article titled “Nylon Oxygen Barrier Tubing Reduces Biofouling in Beer Draught Lines.” The article focused on prevention of microbial biofilm formation in beer draft lines and was published in Fine Focus: An International Microbiology Journal for Undergraduate Studies. Heger, who was a member of the NSU Honors Program and the president and founder of NSU PreHealth Club, continues his studies in the University of North Dakota Medical School. JAEDEN SHAVING and LENNON KELLER, NSU History majors, read prepared oral comments to delivered papers at the USD Student History Conference on February 24. Shaving commented on a paper entitled, “Canada’s Residential Schools,” and Keller commented on a paper entitled, “Lincoln’s Scapegoat.” CARLI FLEMMER calls her pursuit of the master’s degree in Teaching and Learning “an invigorating experience.” She is currently in her tenth year of teaching high school English, and this uniquely specialized graduate program through Northern State University gave her the opportunity to pursue meaningful professional development that has already influenced student learning within her classroom at the NSU Center for Statewide E-Learning. “I went into the program to earn qualification to teach high school dual-credit courses,” she says, “but I am gaining much more than the credits on my transcript. The courses I have taken from the NSU Education Department and English Department have pushed me to grow pedagogically as an educator, while also helping me to hone expert skills in the subject areas of literature and composition. I have had the privilege to connect and collaborate with fellow graduate students, undergraduate students, and NSU professors who share my passions for education and the written word.” Balancing courses as a full-time teacher and mother of two small children has been challenging, but the work, says Flemmer, has been “fulfilling.” GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Carli Flemmer STUDENT Achievements “I am gaining much more than the credits on my transcript.”
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