NDSU’s winter commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. in the Sanford Health Athletic complex. As of Dec. 13, about 520 seniors of the 1,026 eligible students have indicated their intentions to participate in the ceremony.
The event will have the distinction of being held in the newly-completed complex. The structure opened Nov. 2 and is considered one of the finest athletic facilities in the nation among institutions of NDSU’s size.
“The opportunity to celebrate our graduates’ academic achievements in the Sanford Health Athletic Complex highlights the many accomplishments NDSU continues to see, both in the classroom and across campus. Our community can take pride in the education our students receive and this remarkable facility – both are incredible,” said Jackie Schluchter, associate registrar.
The commencement speaker will be Nathan Kurtti, who was selected as class representative. He will receive his Bachelor of Science degree in English education.
The English language and the art of writing have been at the center of Kurtti’s many activities and organizations while he was an NDSU student. He was a tutor for the NDSU Center for Writers; Academic Collegiate Enhancement, or ACE, Tutoring; and the Red River Writing Project and a volunteer at the Wellness and Empowerment Center. He is a member of the Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society for English and English education majors. In addition to his love for writing, he directed his own theater production of “Oliver!” in 2015. Kurtti, who is from Hazen, North Dakota, has accepted a position as a high school English teacher in Beulah, North Dakota.
The soloist is set to be senior Anna Tescher, who is originally from Dickinson, North Dakota. She studied voice under Robert Jones, professor of music, while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance.
Tescher was a member of the Madrigal Singers and the NDSU Concert Choir, where she was a featured soloist in Handel’s “Messiah.” She also appeared in NDSU Opera Scenes and NDSU Opera productions of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “HMS Pinafore.” She appeared in “Die Fledermaus” with SPA Opera and the Fargo-Moorhead Opera’s production of “Suor Angelica.” In addition, Tescher participated in the Johanna Meier Opera Theater Institute and the Vancouver International Song Institute programs. She also competed in the National Association for Teachers of Singing auditions, earning first places in her division at the state level and a second place at the national level.
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