Tricia Kelly is President of Williston State College’s Phi Theta Kappa honor society, a Student Ambassador recruiting new students, a member of the student senate, works at two businesses in town, and aspires to be a U.S. senator.

So, to say that she is a go-getter is an understatement, and in selecting a college, her expectations were sky-high.

“I think I checked out every college in the country via the Internet,” she said. “I received mailings from about 500 colleges and universities, and visited every school in North Dakota.” So what drew her to Williston State College?

“Williston has very good business and accounting programs for two-year students,” said Tricia, who met and carefully questioned faculty on many campuses. “I felt that each of the teachers here was more focused on my career goals and success.”

“At four-year universities, teachers are more involved with research and doing things away from the college, so it’s harder to get a hold of them. I’ve found that if you need help, the teachers at WSC are always there to help. I wouldn’t change anything about them.”

Well, maybe one thing. Tricia is doing a fundraiser for the honor society, and, to motivate giving to each financial benchmark, has one faculty member committed to dying her hair pink and another to attending a WSC basketball game dressed like a clown.

The Foundation’s scholarships reduced her employment need, enabled her to concentrate on her studies, and allowed her to develop leadership skills in campus groups.

Did we say that Tricia may have set a Williston State record this year by taking 29 credits at a time and carrying a 3.85 GPA? (Hopefully her faculty dares won’t backfire when it’s grading time!)

Here’s where the Foundation came in, to support an up and coming leader.

“They connected me to the Dr. Rod Lim Memorial Scholarship for $800, an Otto and Alma Boss Scholarship for $450, and a Charles Ball Scholarship for $1,000,” said Tricia. “These scholarships greatly reduced the costs of being a student, allowed me to work fewer hours, and to concentrate on my studies.”

It also gives her critical time to develop the leadership skills she’ll need to succeed vocationally. “I’ve been given the best opportunities at Williston State. There is so much that you can be involved in. I know at larger universities there are more ‘courses’ in leadership, but here you get to actually ‘take part’ in leadership.”

So, we asked, has Williston met her sizable expectations? “Totally,” she said, “Multiplied by 400!”