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Tell us a little about your lives before you came to Dickinson State University (DSU).
Kyle (K) – I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. I am the oldest of five kids in a blended family. Our house revolved around sports, dirt bikes, chores and Boy Scouts. In the summer I would live with my dad in Estes Park, Colorado, and work at a local go-kart track.
Brittney (B) – I am originally from Beulah, North Dakota. My dad worked for Basin Electric and my mom worked in the school system. I have an older brother and a younger sister. In high school I was active in band, drama and various activities at our church!
How did you two meet?
K – I had just gotten back from working for Medora Corporation. I would travel and install SolarBees in water tanks during the summer, and my roommate Alyssa (Libis) Stebleton ’12 introduced me to her co-worker, Brittney. A few years later she told me that we were dating, and now, here we are, seven years later, with two kids!
B – Kyle’s answer is mostly right…
Why did you choose to attend DSU?
K – I first found DSU thanks to my grandparents, who live in Dickinson. In the summers when we would come up to visit, my grandpa, Lloyd Schnaidt, introduced me to the famous Blue Hawk Football Camp… I started attending camp as an individual. My senior year I told Coach Biesiot I wanted to be a Blue Hawk, and I haven’t left since.
B – I chose DSU for several reasons. DSU has an exceptional education program (elementary education was my first path), the university is a big part of the community which is important to me, and the size of the school was appealing. I wanted to be more than just a student and with the class sizes at DSU, you get to know all of your classmates and professors on a more intimate level.
In what years did you graduate and what degrees did you earn?
K – In 2012 with a degree in exercise science and a minor in coaching.
B – In 2011 with a degree in human resource management and business administration and a minor in management.
Was there a certain professor who made a big impact on either of your lives?
K – Multiple people at DSU have impacted me. Coach Biesiot made a big impact, and Dr. Grabowsky helped me improve as a student. Pete Leno was the biggest influence on me. To this day I still look up to him. His impact reached far outside the classroom… advice on life, football and his always-entertaining “encouragement” phrases have stuck with me and have helped me in my professional life.
B – I came to DSU as an elementary education major, and out of peer pressure, I took a business class with a friend who did not want to take an introduction to business class alone. Professor Kostas Voutsas taught the course, and a few weeks into the semester, he was my advisor and business administration was my major! The professors who were influential to me were Dr. Dragseth, who set high expectations for her students but gave them the support they needed to exceed her expectations. Shawna Egli had a classroom full of seniors in her calculus class who couldn’t pass a test. She realized 95% of them were business majors and tailored the rest of the semester to help us all succeed!
What is a favorite memory you have of your time as undergraduates?
K – I was a student-coach when we built and moved into the Biesiot Activities Center (BAC). I remember Coach Hofland giving me the keys to his old gray pickup as he said “Move us in and don’t (mess) it up,” and with the help of the former BAC Coordinator, Aaron Johansen, we learned how everything worked over there. Being able to be a part of the DSU vote that got that building approved, as well as helping move in, was a cool full-circle experience.
B – Homecoming 2010, senior year, I participated in all of the activities from the parade to the dance and being in the front row of the student section with my friends Chandra, Trisha and Troy at the football game!
What are you most proud of when you look back at your time at Dickinson State?
K – Obviously, I’m proud to have graduated as a Blue Hawk. I look back on my years at DSU and am glad it panned out the way it did. It’s why I still have the connection to the University I do today. Being from 500 miles away, there were times I thought about going home, but I am glad I stayed.
B – I am proud to have graduated from a university that teaches the importance of community to its students.
What did you enjoy most about being Blue Hawks?
K – Heck, I still am a Blue Hawk! I graduated but they still can’t kick me out! Coach Biesiot had a saying that I heard as a player, but later learned what it truly meant when I was a coach. He used to say, “Sometimes the kid needs the team, more than the team needs the kid.” I look back and know that I was that kid. The Blue Hawks did not need a short wide receiver from out of state… but I needed Coach B, the team and DSU. I think about this saying often, and it’s a big reason why I try to stay involved now. You never know who you might be helping.
B – I enjoy the small school aspect, the sense of comradery and knowing your professors and classmates on a more individual level.
What would you tell someone who is considering attending Dickinson State?
K – Apply! There is something special about the small-town college atmosphere. Get on campus and check it out. In a time where college costs are rising so fast, come get a quality education that won’t break the bank and will help you get to work after graduation.
B – DSU gives you the education, support and guidance you need for your future. The professors and staff are invested in you as a young adult.
How did DSU help shape your decisions for your path after you graduated?
K – My last semester, Pete Leno told me I had to leave, but that I could always come back. With that advice I accepted a Graduate Assistant position at the University of Mary to coach football (insert ‘boos’ here) and get my master’s degree. And that decision to pursue that opportunity has shaped and opened doors for me that I never would have known were there. Had it not been for DSU through the connections and recommendations, those doors would not have been made available.
B – People are my passion and since graduating, I’ve been able to have a career in the HR field.
How do you stay involved in your community or with DSU?
K – This question gets me in trouble. I am very good at volunteering us both for things without checking with Brittney first… We both serve on committees at our church, St. John. I serve on the Blue Hawk Booster Club and during the football season I volunteer as the stadium announcer.
What are you doing now?
K – I am the operations manager at CHI St. Alexius Health in Dickinson.
B – I’m the director of human relations at Palmer Mfg. & Tank, Inc.
Do you have any plans for the future you would like to share?
We look forward to raising our family in Dickinson and being a part of the community. We have two kids, Brannigan (2) and Jett (4 months), we hope they find the same enjoyment and love that we have for the area.
