SDState Nursing Blog

Becky Hruby didn’t see this one coming. When her name was called at the August 2014 pinning ceremony as the outstanding graduate student in her doctor of nurse practitioner class, Hruby (pronounced Ruby) may have been the most surprised one in the audience. The announcement was not a surprise to associate professor Jo Voss.

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Courtney (Johnson) Ehlers has found herself journeying on a career path she thought she would never venture upon, but she appreciates the people and situations that have guided her there.

A part-time job for two years helped reinforce why Kendra Lone Elk went into nursing.

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Catrina is a semester five student in Brookings. She is also working on a Spanish major. Her hometown is Watertown and she is a mother to Zachary and Asher.

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JoEllen Koerner ’82 M.S. tried to quench her untamed curiosity by driving 180 miles a day twice a week to earn a master’s degree in nursing from South Dakota State University. While she admits that curiosity is alive today, those trips created a connection to the College of Nursing.

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When presented with the issue of the state of South Dakota not having enough nurses to administer insulin to diabetic school-age children, Gloria Damgaard ’88 M.S. and Linda Young ’87/’96 M.S. went to work.

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Alum Brian Brandser, 98'/01' discusses his experience in nursing during the pandemic. He is a critical care nurse in the Intensive Care Unit on the Navajo nation in Shiprock, New Mexico. The facility is part of the Indian Health Service.

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Tearing knee cartilage in high school might have been a bump in Mike Salter’s basketball days, but it was a launching pad to a great career.

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Guest alumni blogger Amanda Anthony '06 is the senior director, care management at UCHealth. She shares about her experience during the pandemic.

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Susan Leddy earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1987 and added a master’s degree and became a nurse practitioner in 1993. She talks about her nursing journey.

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