Hometown: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Major: Data Science & Finance

Why I Chose SMSU: I chose SMSU for its close-knit community, reasonable tuition, and the incredibly supportive staff and faculty.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: Mud Volleyball. Who doesn't love the mud?

Hometown: Cottonwood, MN

Major: Enviromental Sciences 

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it offered an affordable education close to home, along with a strong sense of connection and community that felt like the right fit for me.

My Favorite Gold Rush Event: My favorite GRD event is being in teh Mustang zone and doing the Esport tournaments! 

Hometown: Long Prairie, MN

Major: Physical Education 

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because I love the inclusion, and how everyone was welcoming! It was a fun time and I’m excited to share that with others.

My Favorite Gold Rush Event: My favorite Gold Rush Days event is Saddle Up and Mud Volleyball!

Hometown: Leaf River, IL

Major: Exercise Science Pre-PA

Minor: Spanish.

Why I chose SMSU: The size and the ability to compete in track.

Favorite Gold Rush Day Event: I liked the mud volleyball for Gold Rush Days the most.

Hometown: Lakefield, MN 

Major: Music Education  

Why I chose SMSU: Feels like home! Every time I was on campus when I was younger, I always thought that it was a beautiful place with many opportunities. As I started looking for colleges, I made a list of qualities I looked for in my future school and found that SMSU was the school I was describing! 

My Favorite Gold Rush Event: The volleyball game. It was the first time that I realized how fun my time was going to be while I am here.

Hometown: Worthington, Minnesota

Major: Music Education  

Minor: Design and Technical Theatre

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it is close to home, and I loved the community.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: My favorite Gold Rush Event was writing a letter to my future self.

Hometown: Fairmont, MN 

Major: Elementary Education

Why I Chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it is affordable and not too far from home. Also, because I wanted to be at a smaller campus to have a better sense of community.

Favorite Gold Rush Day Event: I really liked play slip n slide kickball!

Hometown: Huron, SD

Major: Art with a Studio Art Emphasis

Minor: Marketing

Why I Chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because I loved how it is a small campus, but it still is spacious enough to feel like a university. I thought SMSU would provide a great opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: I love the free haircuts and BINGO.

Hometown: New Ulm, Minnesota

Major: Justice Administration

Minor: Psychology

Why I chose SMSU: It is close to my home, and everyone is always so friendly! 

My favorite Gold Rush Event: Mud Volleyball!

Hometown: Belgrade, MN

Major: Broadcasting and Digital Media

Minor: Marketing 

Why I chose SMSU: Smaller campus that feels like home!

Favorite Gold Rush Event: Courtyard Corral!

Hometown: Slayton, MN 

Major: Communication Arts & Literature Education / Indigenous Nations & Dakota Studies

Why I Chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because of its supportive community, involvement in sports, and the affordability through low tuition and scholarship opportunities.  

Favorite Gold Rush Event: I love any of the creative activities that we put on like frienship bracelets. 

Hometown: Springfeild, MN

Major: Social Work

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because I was drawn to the friendly, hometown feel since it made campus feel welcoming and more personal compared to bigger schools.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: Tie-dye shirt!

Hometown: Edgemont, SD 

Major: History with a Teaching Licensure

Minor: Acting/Directing 

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it gives me a chance to be my own person in a different state. 

My Favorite Gold Rush Event: Mud/Sand Volleyball!

Hometown: Proctor, MN

Major: Culinology

Minor: Nutrition

Why I chose SMSU: My major, this is one of the only schools that has my desired food science degree, Culinology.

My favorite Gold Rush Event: The Bonfire! I love the smores and friendly conversations.

Hometown: Madison, WI

Major: Culinology

Why I chose SMSU: I was drawn to SMSU because of the smaller class sizes, more personalized support from professors, and a specialized program that aligns with my goals.

Favorite Gold Rush Day Event: My favorite event is Mud Volleyball!

Hometown: Winsted, MN

Major: Psychology

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because of the personal connection that it allows me to have with the faculty and staff.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: Silent headphone disco!

Hometown: Springfield, MN

Major: Elementary Education

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it was close to home and having a great education program made SMSU the right fit for me.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: I love going to Mud Volleyball because it is so fun seeing everyone get so competetive!

Hometown: Springfield, MN

Major: Communication Arts & Literature Education

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU for its great education program, sense of community, and many opportunities that SMSU has to offer!

My Favorite Gold Rush Event: I love doing the Tie-dye shirts for a fun new t-shirt and watching mud volleyball!

Hometown: Fargo, ND

Major: Communications & Broadcasting and Digital Media

Minor: Spanish

Why I chose SMSU: The track and field opportunities and the program for my major here are awesome!

Favorite Gold Rush Days Event: Definitely mud volleyball without a doubt.

Hometown: Lamberton, MN

Major: Management with a Concentration in Entrepreneurship

Minor: Animal Science

Why I chose SMSU: SMSU has a great business program, and it was close to home and affordable. 

Favorite Gold Rush Event: Silent headphone disco!

Hometown: Foley, MN

Major: Mathematics Education

Why I Chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it’s sort of close to my home and it’s affordable for me.

Favorite Gold Rush Event: I really liked bracelet making!

Hometown: Jordan, MN

Major: Vocal and Instrumental Music Education

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because of the small-campus feel and because of the friendly staff and students I got to meet.

My favorite Gold Rush Days Event: The silent headphone disco! It's really fun dancing to all the music, and to take off your headphones every once in a while, to remember that the music isn't actually playing out loud.

Hometown: Monticello, MN

Major: Elementary Education

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because it was recommended to me by a family friend and when I toured it just felt right!

My favorite Gold Rush Days Event: All of them are my favorite! 

Hometown: Lafayette, MN

Major: Justice Administration

Why I chose SMSU: I chose SMSU because for the tight knit community!

My favorite Gold Rush Days Event: Mud Volleyball!