2007-2008 Recipient Updates

(1, Erin Beske, Jason Grimm )

This is another in a series of articles written by students who received scholarships in 2007 awarded through the Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars chapter. The purpose of these articles is to thank the community for its support of students and their higher education goals.

By Erin Beske

As Dictionary.com puts it, adjust is to adapt oneself, to become adapted. My first semester at North Dakota State University was all about adjusting. I had to adjust to live without a car. I had to adjust to live with someone in a small space. I had to adjust to a school the size of Fergus Falls. Adjusting takes a while. But after finishing my first semester, I know adjusting is what I will do for the rest of my life. I will have to adjust to my first job. I will adjust to living without my parent’s guidance. I know in the end that this adaptation will make me a stronger, more determined person.

The biggest adjustment was learning to live with someone. I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, my roommate grew up in a small town and we started out with one thing in common. I was glad we had a similar background. But we are different. Sadly, college and learning are not her first priorities. We aren’t best friends but we are close enough to hang out and enjoy each other’s company. She has a car, so we’ll go to Kroll’s Diner at 11 o’ clock at night and get 2-for-1 shakes. When she goes shopping, I can easily hop into her passenger seat and go with her. We do have opposite schedules and this is nice because it allows us to have time for ourselves.

Another adjustment is living without my parents. I have to make my own decisions. They raised me with love, gratitude, and a drive to succeed. They also raised me knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is wrong to cheat in a lecture hall full of 600 kids, yet students find it so easy to do. I remember my values when I need to. Living without parents makes me realize how much they really did for me when I lived at home. They would cook meals and wash clothes. Of course, I would help with these chores. One day the chore of laundry turned exciting as my whole dormitory of girls heard a smoke alarm and had to run outside. My clothes were in the washer when the belt started melting, creating a room full of smoke. Laundry isn’t a chore any more; it’s turned into a necessity and learning that is an adjustment in itself.

Knowing that my life has opportunities at its doorsteps is another big adjustment. North Dakota State has over 200 organizations. I could become involved in any of them and my life could take a different direction. This year, I am involved in Campus Crusade for Christ, which allows me to worship our Creator with students my age. I also have become involved in the collegiate band and choir. My background in Fergus music activities allowed me to easily enjoy the music aspects. The adjustment in my music classes was to become familiar with my new directors. Fergus Falls has great music directors and it’s hard to find someone who fills their shoes.

These adjustments are some of the few that I have adapted to in my first semester. It’s just the beginning of many more to come and I’ll take them on with determination.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fergus Falls for allowing me to grow up in such a wonderful community. I learned many things in my hometown and I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life. I would like to thank all the staff members at FFHS for always being willing to lend a helping hand. I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout the years. Finally, I would like to thank Dollars for Scholars for giving me a chance to continue my education and supporting me every step of the way. I am very excited to go back and finish my freshman year at NDSU. As the year continues, I’ll become more adapted to the lessons life hands me and the great opportunities that God has blessed me with.

Erin Beske of Fergus Falls is a 2007 graduate of Fergus Falls Public Schools Academy and was the recipient of the Damien Jacklitch Memorial Scholarship. She is a freshman at North Dakota State University, Fargo ND. For information on making a donation for scholarships, contact Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars, 1519 Pebble Lake Road, Fergus Falls, MN 56537.

This is another in a series of articles written by students who received scholarships in 2007 awarded through the Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars chapter. The purpose of these articles is to thank the community for its support of students and their higher education goals.

By Jason Grimm

Moving away to college is a whole new experience - at least it is so far for me anyway. Unlike life in high school where every day I had a set schedule usually until about 7:00 at night, no day in my life at NDSU is the same.

As of right now I am majoring in Mathematics, but I am playing with the idea of going into some kind of engineering. I may, though, just stick with a math degree plus either an economics major or minor. Like a typical college freshman, I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate. Basically this year I am just trying to keep my options open.

My first semester was a busy one with classes such as calculus, computer science, college writing, and a few more. Much of my time was obviously spent in classes and doing homework, but honestly it wasn't as much as I expected. The thing I have discovered about college life is that there is so much more time to do different things besides schoolwork if time is managed well.

My free time is typically spent working out whether at the huge Wellness Center on campus or at the pool, going to sporting events (especially the Bison football games), taking a mid-morning nap after class (a new hobby that I have come to enjoy), running around doing random stuff in Fargo, and just hanging out with friends in the dorms.

Looking back on the first semester, I am sure I picked the right college for me. I know for some college students being only an hour from home is way too close, but it's nice for me to be able to run home on a weekend say to go hunting or snowmobiling or even to run home on a weeknight for a swim meet. Then again, I am far enough away from home where I feel like I'm on my own.

As winter break is coming to an end I am excited to get back to school and to get back into some sort of routine. This next semester will be a challenging one with my current class schedule. I plan to take calculus II, physics, economics, anthropology, and wellness. Also, I will be playing in the Varsity Band, something I wasn't able to do the first semester.

As winter break is coming to an end I am excited to get back to school and to get back into some sort of routine. This next semester will be a challenging one with my current class schedule. I plan to take calculus II, physics, economics, anthropology, and wellness. Also, I will be playing in the Varsity Band, something I wasn't able to do the first semester.

As every college student and every family of a college student knows, the opportunities at college do not come cheaply. So I would like to thank the Dollars for Scholars Foundation and all of its donors for making the opportunity to go to college a little more affordable for my family and me and for the many other Fergus Falls graduates. Go Bison! (And Otters!)

Jason Grimm is a 2007 graduate of Fergus Falls High School and was the recipient of the Helmer Otto Gerhardson Scholarship. He is a freshman at North Dakota State University, Fargo ND. For information on making a donation for scholarships, contact Fergus Falls Area Dollars for Scholars, 1519 Pebble Lake Road, Fergus Falls, MN 56537.