Senior Spotlight: Emily Love
By Michael Linnell
University Communications Director
michael.linnell@minotstateu.edu
MINOT, N.D. – Emily Love calls Minot State, “the birthplace of a different Emily.”
Through her experiences in classes, University clubs such as MSU DECA, on-campus events put on by MSU Life, and outside experiences with Dak Jam, Love will leave Minot State a changed person.
“It’s crazy that this journey is ending, but I can truly say that the student and person who walked into Old Main her first day of class three years ago is not the same one that is going to be walking across the stage,” she said. “Through the classroom settings, MSU really taught me how to work as a collaborative team member, which was something that admittedly I was not great at when I started college. Through the clubs that I was involved in, MSU taught me to be confident in my ideas and the knowledge that I’ve gained.
“I think sometimes it’s easy to look at what you learn in college and say, ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to use this,’ but the concepts I learned in the classroom, I applied to the club settings in both DECA and MSU Life. I had to be confident in that knowledge first.”
Dak Jam might be the most well-known of her endeavors. Love, a marketing and international business major from Minot, has been a part of the process since the beginning when Tawnya Bernsdorf, MSU marketing professor, gave her integrated marketing communications class the project. After meeting with the founder of the event, Mike Miller, Love went to work on concepts.
She admits it didn’t start off well.
“(Miller) gave us little to nothing about the event and just said the bands that were booked and that the venue would be at the north Dome parking lot. After that it was up to me and my 11 other classmates, and students from Bill Harbort’s (MSU art, broadcasting and professional communication chair) graphic design class, to figure out everything else,” Love said. “A few weeks went by and we were all frustrated and confused so I threw a PowerPoint presentation together on my own of potential ideas just to get the ball rolling. My class liked my ideas and from there we ran with it, and we came up with really cool ideas that we would pitch to Mike at the end of the semester.”
The classroom experience led to an internship with Dak Jam, culminating with the two-day concert and event this past August.
“It was such a life changing experience for me,” Love said. “I got to be in the action of planning the event and helped with ideas for the event. It wasn’t just an internship where I observed and took notes, I was involved in planning, creating, marketing, coordinating, and really any other aspect you could think of for running an event, I was doing. The event was really successful and all of us involved were very excited by the numbers for the first year.”
Love will continue with Dak Jam this year as an assistant marketing director, continuing to work with Bernsdorf and classmates Tyler Sinden and Hannah Hammitt, who worked as interns last semester.
Getting involved outside of the classroom was a priority for Love and both her work with MSU DECA and MSU Life has generated lifelong memories and friends.
“Last year, I was fortunate enough to go to Orlando, to compete in the National Collegiate DECA conference,” Love said. “I just remember going to this conference and being with my DECA chapter and having so much fun together.
“(MSU Life) was the first club I ever joined at Minot State and fall semester of this year, I was able to work with a fantastic team, including my other directors, Thea Bonebrake and Payton Bland, and boss Aaron Hughes. I can honestly say that when the Welcome Week was over I was exhausted, but putting on all of those events and being involved and creating a great week back for the MSU students was something I really enjoyed being a part of.”
Those memories will make leaving MSU difficult for Love, but she is excited for the next step in her evolution.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me make it to this point of graduation. My family, friends, professors, Tawnya, Aaron, Leon Perzinski (MSU Student Center director), MSU Life team, and DECA members, you all have helped me in ways that I don’t think you realize,” she said. “I’m going to miss Minot State, but I couldn’t be happier that it was my stepping-stone in my professional journey.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 05/22/20 |
