Slattery: DSU was made for me

December 12, 2024

"DSU was made for me," said senior Angela Slattery.

After graduating high school in Wisconsin, she knew she wanted to study computer science and play college basketball. Dakota State's academic focus on technology and great women's basketball program offered her the right blend of academics and athletics.

Over the last four years, she has grown academically and been able to compete athletically, which has helped her develop her own identity. She will reference this personal growth in her speech as the student speaker at this month's fall commencement.

"DSU has more than academically changed all of us graduates. It has changed us through our time spent here, the lessons we've learned, and the people we've become," she said. This has happened by developing friendships, and even simply trying new foods, like pho and Korean barbeque and sushi.

Because of her academic growth, she has been accepted to the scholarship for service program, CyberCorps, and participating in Department of Defense internships in Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C. She's also been a student mentor for the Governors Cyber Academy (a dual credit program for high school students) and conducted research in the Madison Cyber Labs.

She's also found identity as a starter on the DSU women's basketball team. She's playing in her fourth and last year, hoping for a fourth national tournament appearance in the spring.

She said that being part of a team brings advantages because it can translate to group project work in classes by leveraging the ability to meet deadlines, communicate with others, and be accountable.

Accountability is a pillar in the basketball program, so "you have to take that and lend it to academics," she said. "I know if I don't study enough, I'm accountable for that."

Participating in university athletics can help students feel they are part of the school, and all the teams support the other campus sports. At a school of Dakota State's size, student-athletes can even feel like local celebrities, when a classmate congratulates them on being named defensive player of week, or a community member makes note of a great game.

Slattery is continuing her education, earning a graduate degree while she finishes her basketball season. Her CyberCorps responsibility means she'll work for a government entity for some time after graduating, and she wouldn't mind moving to a bigger city.

Her advice to fellow students is to think outside the box and don't be afraid to be personable. "That's how you make connections."