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Alumni in Action Menno Schukking Menno Schukking graduated In Honoribus from Northern in 2015 with a History major and minors in Geography and Economics. He attended graduate school at the University of Iowa where he earned an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning. Since then, he locked down a job with an engineering, planning, and design firm called SRF in Omaha, NE. Schukking explains that a day in his job usually includes working on large projects and quite a bit of multi-tasking. “Currently I am working on a rural transit project for the state of Kansas, where we are helping to improve coordination among county transit providers for medical or shopping trips to larger cities in the state,” explains Schukking. On any given day, Schukking conducts surveys, analyzes survey data, uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map data, drafts memos, and writes grants. Schukking cites NSU as a major reason for his success saying that being involved in Honors and Student Association and working on campus in International Programs and Residence Life gave him a lot of direct contact with faculty, “At the University of Iowa, I realized how fortunate I had been to attend school in a smaller setting. Northern allows undergraduates to interact with their professors on a personal level. I realized how easy it was to get leadership positions in organizations and make connections early on.” Internships in the SD Legislature and at the SD Historic Preservation Office in Pierre pushed Schukking “to find a field where I could help improve communities.” Schukking offered a bit of advice to those considering graduate school, saying, “Graduate school is not harder than undergrad, it is just a whole lot more work, with fewer grading opportunities. It's like it's finals week all the time. Be involved, make connections, and get on LinkedIn, because all your friends already are, even when they won't admit it.” Give Now Select “Other” and designate “NSU Honors Program” to support Lindberg Legacy Honors Housing Scholarships, NSU Common Read, and Honors student travel. Update your contact information with the NSU Foundation to hear about Alumni events in your area. 2017 Gypsy Days Friday, Sept. 29 Saturday, Sept. 30 The NSU Honors Newsletter is Authored by: Zachary Feil Edited by: Dr. Erin Fouberg Have a story idea? Send it to: Zachary.Feil@wolves.northern.edu Contact Information N O R T H E R N S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y H O N O R S A L U M N I N E W S L E T T E R 6 Dr. Erin Fouberg Director of the Northern State University Honors Program 605.626.3456 erin.fouberg@northern.edu NSU Honors Program