Four student speakers to be featured at SDSU commencement

Four South Dakota State University soon-to-be graduates will be featured speakers at the university’s 138th commencement May 4 at the Dacotah Bank Center in Brookings. 

SDSU will have three ceremonies as more than 1,600 students plan to walk across the stage for their degrees. 

The student speakers at each of the ceremonies include: 

10 a.m. ceremony

Danika Gordon

Gordon is from Sturgis and is the daughter of Bruce and Kindra Gordon. She is a senior double-majoring in ag business and business economics with minors in marketing and human resources. 

Gordon is proud to be the fifth generation in her family with agricultural roots, and this led her to be involved at SDSU in Collegiate Farm Bureau, Little International and the Block and Bridle Club, where she served as president last year. During her time at SDSU, Gordon also served as a Ness School of Management and Economics Ambassador, and she represented the Ness School as a case competition team member at the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association conference held in Costa Rica in 2022. 

While at SDSU, Gordon has put her business and economics education to good use by working with a fellow SDSU student to co-found a successful e-commerce business called The Posse Jewelry Company. She has authored three books, in which she enjoys sharing messages about kindness and setting goals with youth. 

“My favorite thing about SDSU has been the people. … By the time it’s April of your senior year, you know so many people in your classes, your professors know you, and so it really becomes a tight-knit community,” Gordon said. 

Following graduation, Gordon plans to work in the human resources sector while also pursuing a master’s degree in financial planning. 

2 p.m. ceremony

Ellie Balken

Balken is a Doctor of Pharmacy graduate from Dilworth, Minnesota. During her time at SDSU, she has been involved with several organizations both on and off campus, including the American Pharmacists Association, Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program, Rho Chi, Kappa Psi, was an intern at Avera McKennan Hospital, and served as a medicinal chemistry and microbiology supplemental instruction leader. 

Balken has a strong commitment to professional advocacy and advancing patient care and was appointed to serve as a national student leader for the American Pharmacists Association this past year. Her years as a supplemental instruction leader and mentor further solidified her passion for education and empowering others. 

She encouraged others to say yes to opportunities. “SDSU, by far, just blew my mind when I stepped foot on campus for the first time. I felt that instant sense of support and that sense of family that was unmatched at other pharmacy schools, and it’s something that has … stayed with me on the entire path through,” Balken said. 

Through her experiences at SDSU and beyond, Balken has discovered a passion for clinical pharmacy practice and academia and will complete a pharmacy residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, next year. 

Noah Mursu 

Mursu is a senior human development and family studies major with minors in religion and leadership and management of nonprofit organizations. Originally from Milbank, he has spent his time at SDSU with organizations including Oasis College and Young Adult Ministry, GracePoint Student Ministries, the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College, Human Development and Family Studies Club and the Children’s Museum of South Dakota. 

During his time as an undergraduate, Mursu developed a deep passion for family systems, holistic health and community partnerships, part of which led him to complete his honors capstone, titled “Where Does the Church Stand in Today’s Mental Health Landscape,” and present it at the 2023 National Collegiate Honors Council annual conference. He hopes to utilize what he has learned to assist and serve many in the future. 

“I’ve loved being here. I’ve loved being able to connect with everyone and being able to learn. … I feel ready to go out and make a difference in the world,” Mursu said of his time at SDSU. He encouraged incoming freshmen to look for opportunities beyond the classroom. 

Following graduation, he will attend Bethel University to study marriage and family therapy. 

6 p.m. ceremony

Skyllar Schoening

Hailing from Roseau, Minnesota, a town 20 minutes away from the Canadian border, Schoening is double-majoring in theatre and communication studies at SDSU. 

Actively engaged in State University Theatre and Dance, he has many accomplishments under his belt: self-producing a one-man show, costuming and sound design, and being featured in various performances. Additionally, he’s a member of Lambda Pi Eta, SDSU’s academic fraternity in communication and journalism. 

Schoening’s passion lies in exploring how performance intersects with visibility, dialogue and activism. His critical thinking skills intersected with a unique and creative practice, earning him the Schultz-Werth Award in 2023 for creative undergraduate research. He was further nationally recognized at both the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and the National Communication Association conference in the same year. 

Schoening said he’ll miss the SDSU campus community, with so many opportunities to succeed. “I hope that other students understand that with failure comes huge success. So if you fall flat on your face, just understand that next time, you can score twice as high and twice as big.” 

Schoening plans to pursue a master’s degree in performance studies after a year-long break, continuing his research and advocacy for performing. 

Find more information on spring 2024 graduation ceremonies and activities online.