COMMENCEMENT
Jackie Wrage is crazy about strawberry smoothies, musicals, mineralogy class and other things at NDSU
Published December 2015
Senior Jackie Wrage was selected to be a student speaker at NDSU’s winter commencement. Wrage looks back at some of her favorite things about NDSU as her time as an undergraduate comes to a close.
Major: Geology
Hometown: Gwinner, North Dakota
Campus involvement: College of Science and Mathematics Ambassadors and Geology Club
What is your favorite “welcome to the real world” moment?
It was turning in my first homework assignment ever my freshman year. I forgot it in my dorm room and literally had to run back to get it, making me late for class.
What is your favorite advice to give NDSU students?
Invest in an umbrella. I’ve never had an umbrella, but I really wish I did. Every time it rains, I end up soaked and am jealous of people dry under their umbrellas.
What is your favorite mode of transportation on campus?
Walking. It’s relaxing to take everything in before getting to class.
Where is your favorite place to eat on campus?
Stevens Hall room 136, eating Indian food from Passage to India with my friends. Room 136 is a classroom where a lot of geology classes are held. Geology majors are always hanging out there doing homework, labs or chatting with friends.
What is your favorite NDSU event to attend?
The musicals put on by NDSU Theatre Arts.
Who is your favorite NDSU teacher?
Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat. He always adapts his material and tries new things to get students more involved in learning. He not only stresses the theoretical part of material, but also the practical applications of it and relates it to solving real-world problems.
What is your favorite campus coffee shop item?
The strawberry smoothie
What is your favorite building on campus?
Loftsgard Hall because of all of the plants and natural light.
What is your favorite class at NDSU?
Mineralogy and Petrology are my favorite classes because they are the study of minerals and rocks, respectively. I love learning about how earth systems interact with each other. Society depends on so many materials that are the direct result of these interactions.
What is your favorite campus shortcut?
I skirt around the northeast side of the Quentin Burdick Building to go from the Union to Stevens Hall faster.
What is your favorite NDSU memory?
Making all of my great friends throughout my time here. I couldn’t have made it without them.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will spend eight months at the University of Chile in Santiago through a Fulbright research grant. I plan to research geothermal energy there. After that, I’ll return to the United States and pursue a doctorate in geochemistry and mineralogy.
