South Dakota State University

For the second time in three years, a South Dakota State University junior has been named a Udall Scholar - one of the most prestigious scholarships in the country. Dallas Kelso, of Chadron, Nebraska, was named a Udall Scholar in tribal public policy earlier this spring. It was her second try at being named to the highly competitive award as she was named honorable mention last year. She follows Jessica Begeman as the second Jackrabbit to be named a Udall Scholar.

When it comes to electrical engineering scholarship, the program at South Dakota State University could be considered the standard of the power grid. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced the 2023-24 recipients of the Power and Energy Society Scholarships. For the second year in a row, SDSU dominated. The nine current selections are one better than the mark the program set last year. The list includes four repeat winners and five newcomers.

Ellise Otheim, a first-year nursing student at South Dakota State University, is the recipient of a $5,000 Sanford Health Military and Veteran Scholarship. Otheim, a sophomore from Hartford, was surprised with a scholarship announcement during her Professional Nursing Concepts class on Nov. 13, as representatives from Sanford and SDSU stormed the Wagner Hall classroom with balloons and a giant check.

South Dakota State University pharmacy student Madisen "Maddi" Hansen, of Watertown, has received a prestigious national scholarship through the Kappa Epsilon pharmacy fraternity. Hansen is one of five recipients of the $1,000 Zada M. Cooper Scholarship for 2023. She is the 22nd SDSU pharmacy student to receive the award in its 63-year history, two in the first 31 years and 20 in the last 36 years. Hansen is the first SDSU recipient since Abigail Sirek in 2020.

Walgreens, one of America's largest retail drugstore chains, renewed its support of student success and inclusion within the South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions through a $5,000 donation presented Feb. 1 to Dean Dan Hansen. The presentation was made by Jason Frederick, district manager with Walgreens in Sioux Falls, and Curt Orchard, health care supervisor for Walgreens' Minnesota South region in Roseville. The donation funds two $2,5000 scholarships. The 2022-23 recipients of these awards are: Hyunjun Cho, of Bakersfield, California, who is in her first year of pharmacy school; and Amy Cockrum, of Sioux Falls, who is in her third year of pharmacy school. Hansen said, "For many years, Walgreens has shown a strong commitment to supporting South Dakota State University and our historic land-grant mission of access. These scholarships support our efforts to expand opportunities for all students in our profession."