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NORTHERN TODAY 6 SPRING 2018 “I believed I was going to survive and that God would have a great and mighty purpose,” said Thompson, a 1991 graduate of Northern State University. That was 2015. Today, Thompson is in remission, has published a book, and is running a successful business. As the 2018 Distinguished Alumna for the NSU School of Business, Thompson encourages NSU students to believe in their own powerful truths – to believe in themselves. “If you don’t believe in yourself, how are you going to get someone else to buy in?” Thompson – who describes herself as an entrepreneur with the heart of a teacher who happens to practice law – also empowered students to take control of their own future. “If you want a result, you’re in charge of that. Things don’t just fall in your lap,” she said. “There is no traffic in the extra mile. I try to train my kids: it’s not hard to be extraordinary, just do a little extra. God did not call us to be mediocre. Even in my sickness I tried to stick with that positivity.” NSU Felt Like Home A native of Parkston, Thompson said it was a high school admissions counselor visit that first sparked her interest in NSU. She was so impressed that she needed to check out Northern – and she loved what she found. She had been on other college visits, but when it came to NSU, “I just felt at home,” she said. It was a safe, small campus where she felt comfortable and felt like she could grow. “NSU just really gave me a great foundation to get my core education and then dream big,” she said. At Northern, Thompson took a business law class taught by Professor R. James Krueger, which got her interested in law. Accounting Professor Paul Everson also showed an interest in her career, encouraging her to obtain her CPA and go to law school, which she did. After graduation, Thompson got a full scholarship to law school, then became a partner in a well- established Sioux Falls law firm. Found Her True Calling But even before she gained the necessary analytical skills at NSU, Thompson obtained crucial communications skills by growing up working at a corner café, talking and listening to customers – and that’s where she truly found her calling. “I poured coffee for every farmer in Hutchinson County,” Thompson said. Through good times and bad, she heard a lot of stories – some that were traumatic, where families had to sell land because they couldn’t make payments due to tough financial times or poor estate planning that led to taxes and family feuds. When she got to Northern and learned about estate taxes, she knew this would be a way to help families keep their farms. In 2003, Thompson made the decision to leave her firm to start her own business – a difficult choice, but the right one. Thompson Law P.C., an estate and business planning law firm in Sioux Falls, strives to positively impact families, helping them leave a legacy for their loved ones – not solely in terms of financial means, but also with a reflection of the values and beliefs that can be shared for generations to come. Sudden Diagnosis But on April 9, 2015, Thompson was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia, with only 40 reported cases in recorded history. She essentially went from being in perfect health one day to having six to eight weeks to live the next, and no guarantees on treatment. “Luckily, I was a woman of faith before the diagnosis with a strong foundation and trust in the Lord,” Thompson said. Like many people’s faith, her dependence and trust in the Lord strengthened through difficult times. This would be no exception. That August, she underwent a stem cell transplant, spending eight months in Houston. Chemotherapy made it difficult to work, but she stayed positive – and expected others to as well. FREE book download: Thompson’s book, “Cutting to the Core: Finding What Matters Most through the Eyes of a Survivor of Life and Business,” will be free to download from Amazon on June 19. Download the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Core-Finding-Survivor-Business-ebook/dp/B06XTXXMXT. NSU Distinguished Alumna shares powerful advice for students When Carolyn Thompson faced a cancer diagnosis and was given eight weeks to live, she believed in one powerful truth. NORTHERN NEWS