Mackenzie Hicks ’18 was recently hired as the new Campus Activities Coordinator and resident director of Selke Hall at Dickinson State University.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am originally from Hettinger, North Dakota. I grew up there and came here to Dickinson for my undergraduate degree. I graduated in the spring of 2018 with my Bachelor of Science in composite music education. From there, I went back home to Hettinger, and I taught K-12 music for three years. I taught band, choir, elementary music, and then after that I needed a little bit of a change. I still loved music and teaching, but I really missed performing. I am a trained vocal singer. With that, I decided to move to Bismarck. I lived there for a couple of months, and then some changes happened that brought me back to Dickinson.
What are some of your hobbies?
Being a music educator, I love anything with music. I love to play piano; I love to sing, but with that I also love to paint and read. I have a golden retriever who you might see around on campus. She does live here with me. She is wonderful; I love to play with her and go on walks with her. Those are some of my hobbies.
Do you have any family in the area?
Most of my family lives back in Hettinger, so I’m not too far away from seeing them. I do have a sibling that comes here to DSU, so it is great to see her around campus every now and then.
What do you want students to know about your position?
With this position, no idea is a bad idea. Always feel that you can come and bring any programming ideas to me. I am very excited to work with other departments and other clubs and organizations on campus to bring back some programs, maybe start some new programs here on campus. As long as the office doors are open and I am here, I want students to feel that they can always come in, always feel they can visit with me about anything on campus. Let me be an ear for them to share their ideas. By what I’m hearing even in these first couple weeks on the job, there’s a lot of great ideas on campus, and let’s just get them moving along.
Do you have any advice for students?
You need to get out of your comfort zone every once in a while. When I first came to DSU, I was a really quiet girl. I thought I was going to stick to myself and do my own thing, but within the first month or so on campus, I got involved in a lot of different activities, which I never thought I would. They opened a lot of doors, like this opportunity here (Campus Activities Coordinator). I never pictured myself being a part of Campus Programming and Residence Life when I was going to school here, but now I’ve got the opportunity to be a part of this program again to help run it in a different capacity. So, get out of your comfort zone. Be a part of different organizations and clubs on campus. One of the things for me was time management. I was a pretty good student on campus. I got good grades, but a lot of that came with time management. So, you have to learn to manage time, but still, you can be active on campus.
Is there anything else you want students to know about you?
Always feel that you can come into my office and say Hi.
I am so excited about this position. When I was here during my undergrad, I was involved a lot with campus programming, campus activities, and then residence life. This is a wonderful opportunity for me. I am excited to be bringing back some life on campus, bringing back some activities. I like to see students engage not only in sports and the arts but in some outside activities on campus. I love seeing them have fun, seeing the smiles on their faces, and seeing them engaged.
