ntfall2017

NORTHERN TODAY 11 FALL 2017 ALUMNI NEWS WHEN PEOPLE THINK of major financial careers, they usually think of Wall Street – but one Northern State University graduate landed this type of job opportunity a lot closer to home. Makenzie (Zomers) Smook works for the South Dakota Investment Council in Sioux Falls – a job that first started through an internship while she was a Northern student. “It’s very challenging,” said Smook, an Aberdeen native who graduated from NSU in December 2015 with degrees in finance and marketing. “Every day you learn something new.” Smook’s job is to take the state’s assets – cash, trust funds, retirement system funds – and invest it. The returns gained every year fund the pension for retired police officers and other state employees. Her daily duties include researching companies, reading analyst reports and portfolio management. Many people assume investment banking is a field that makes the rich richer, she said. But that’s not true of her job. “Here, we’re actually changing lives, giving people income,” she said. “It gives you more motivation.” Smook said she didn’t realize this kind of job was possible in South Dakota. “I always thought I was going to work for a bank,” Smook said. “I was unware the opportunities existed in this area.” NSU, and particularly the School of Business, helped her achieve her goals – and also helped her determine what those goals were. “My professors were a big influence on motivating me, finding the drive, Another product that has had widespread health benefits is the LeVeen Needle Electrode, which uses radiofrequency ablation to burn – or ablate – a solid tumor from the inside. It was the first time physicians were able to treat solid tumors in a minimally invasive manner. This product opened up a whole new field in health care treatment, Dixon said, where other tools have since been created that are better and faster. “It’s allowed more options for people with solid tumors to have them treated minimally invasively or to have them treated in combination with other drugs to make them more effective,” he said. RETURNING TO CAMPUS Dixon said he was honored to speak alongside the other keynotes at Create ‘N’: A Festival Celebrating Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Innovation and Workforce, held Sept. 19 at NSU. He was also happy for the opportunity to come back and visit Northern. “I was really excited to get back to campus, just to see it all again,” Dixon said. Growing up, he was familiar with NSU since his parents, Ivan and Elizabeth (Strutz) Dixon, are both alumni. He chose Northern because he received the Presidential Scholarship and because he felt comfortable on a smaller campus where he could really interact with professors. At NSU, Dixon ran track, served as president of Jerde Hall, and participated in Student Senate. The Presho native was a double major in biology and chemistry, graduating in 1998. He also conducted research with his advisor and mentor, Dr. Lenore Koczon, a professor in organic chemistry, which helped give him the confidence to go into a research facility for his career. Dixon said he also gained confidence from social interaction at Northern, a small campus that was like a community. “It had a big, family feel to it,” he said. “You got to know everyone.” TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES His advice to current students: take advantage of the opportunities you have at NSU. “You’re focused on your studies,” he said, “but there are so many things outside of that available, that if you’re able to take advantage of them, it can open up so many more doors.” For Dixon, his time at NSU opened the door to a career he loves – and where he can make a difference. In science, if your idea works 5 percent of the time, you’re a genius, Dixon said. At UNeMed, he gets to work exclusively with that 5 percent. “I only work with the greatest thing going on in each lab,” he said. “It’s like a lot of candy all the time.” “Here, we’re actually changing lives, giving people income. It gives you more motivation.” NSU alumna Makenzie (Zomers) Smook NSU alum has career that’s changing lives School of Business graduate begins financial career close to home what makes me tick and what I like to do,” she said. “They’re very supportive – always helping me out in classes, giving any attention that I needed.” She said she liked the small class sizes at NSU and the opportunities the School of Business provided. Her advice for current students: It’s never too early to start thinking about the future. “Internships are a great way to figure out what you like and what you don’t like,” Smook said. “If you’re interested in finance, start with reading the Wall Street Journal, reading industry background. That’s really helpful when going to look for jobs. And stay motivated.”